America's Safest Companies 2024: United Engineers and Constructors
Editor's Note: The 2024 class of America's Safety Companies will be recognized Tuesday, August 27 during the Safety Leadership Conference. More information about the conference, including registration, can be found at www.safetyleadershipconference.com.
United Engineers and Constructors
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Construction and Engineering
500 Domestic Employees | 10 Domestic Sites | 6 EHS Professionals
United Engineers and Constructors has 500 employees, and every single one has completed OSHA’s 10-hour Construction Safety Course; 100 employees have also taken the 30-hour safety course.
It’s just one example of how seriously the nuclear, fossil fuel and renewable energy contractor takes safety.
Another example? The company holds twice-daily toolbox safety meetings (in the morning and at noon) with all crews at a project site. All foremen and crew also complete a daily activity hazard analysis for safe work.
“United has a mature culture of safety excellence that permeates every aspect of the organization,” says John M. Isham, CIH, CSP, STS, and senior EHS director. “The dynamic and temporary nature of construction projects requires a high level of senior leadership involvement and a daily visible demonstration of commitment to the safety process to achieve the world-class results that United has been able to consistently deliver.”
United has recorded zero injuries at many projects throughout the company’s history. Over 400 projects have achieved over 1 million hours without a Days Away, Restricted or Transfer injury.
Safety starts at the top, and leadership has demonstrated a commitment to safety. Leaders are required to be at project sites and actively engaged in site safety assessments and safety recognition events with craft employees. They are also immediately notified by United’s reporting system when any event occurs at a project site, including a near miss, injury or property damage.
United expects jobsites to always maintain compliance with regulations and any additional safety practices. To ensure these requirements are met, each project with more than 25 craft employees is required to have a safety professional on-site. The same is true of subcontractors, which are required to submit resumes of their safety support for review by a United safety professional prior to starting work.
In addition, United requires daily operator checks and weekly inspections of equipment to ensure the integrity and reliability of equipment.
Each month, United sends a suite of over 40 leading indicators that all worksites are expected to implement. Sites that score below 90% must submit an improvement plan to meet the minimum expectations.
Each year, United establishes goals based on leading and lagging indicators to improve safety at every level. The company also conducts independent annual reviews at worksites, for which it developed a scorecard to effectively evaluate and provide feedback.
To reinforce the importance of safety, every employee is required to include a safety goal as part of their personal development plan, which is used to determine promotions and salary increases.
“United is a choice employer through our unions and staff positions due to our commitment to safety, engagement of all employees and the care of everyone's well-being,” Isham says.
