Safety Director Kevin Moorhead welcomes a new group of interns at 8 a.m. sharp.
It’s time for orientation, as a fresh group of college interns begin to learn how we work at The Korte Company. And the first order of business is safety training.
Safety always comes first, no matter how long you’ve been here. It’s the one thing that concerns absolutely everyone on the project, from designers to subcontractors.
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Kevin said.
The interns soon learned you can’t practice safety without also practicing collaboration.
The success of any project depends on every team member’s dedication to safety — for the builders and end users. It’s all about clear communication and attention to detail. That’s why The Korte Company instills our culture of safety in every employee from their first day on the job.
The interns had a lot to learn if they were going to be safe and successful in the construction industry, but they were at the right place to do it.
The pillars of success: safety, quality, production
The three pillars of successful construction are jobsite safety, quality workmanship and efficient production. That’s how we prevent injury, downtime and delays.
“Safety, quality and production all go hand in hand, because if any one of those three pillars suffer, the other two suffer,” said Safety Director Kevin Moorhead. “Not only is safety good for business, but it’s the right thing to do for the company and for people. If we can prevent injuries and incidents on a job site, you’re going to have a happy owner and a successful project delivered on time and under budget.”
Stricter standards, better results
The Korte Company upholds these pillars through the toughest challenges and strictest standards.
We often partner with governmental bodies like the Corps of Engineers, which requires strict safety standards.
“Take OSHA standards and go 10 steps forward, then you’ve got the Corps of Engineers standard,” Kevin said.
The Corps of Engineers require a minimum of three people on the jobsite — a superintendent, along with a site safety and health officer and quality control. And everyone must meet specific training requirements. New employees are trained to meet these strict standards from the first day they arrive, and it never stops. Every supervisory team member participates in at least eight hours of continuous education training each year.
Training sessions are held in-person and online to account for our nationwide locations. The Korte Company employs a range of safety professionals, safety-trained supervisors (STS), Construction Safety and Health Technologists (CHST), Graduate Safety Professionals (GHP), and Certified Safety Professionals (CSP), all certified through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
Management staff members also maintain safety standards with subcontractors on the jobsite, including first-aid, CPR and other life-saving skills. The Korte Company also verifies that subcontractors are properly trained on the Corps’ plans and programs. That puts a lot of responsibility on the jobsite team, but we like to think of it as a big opportunity to ensure success on the project.
Designing safety with collaboration and verification
Our architects have the best interest of the builders and end users at heart, so they work to design ways to improve safety at every level.
This could include adding roof parapets and 42-inch-high windowsills to prevent fall hazards during construction. Or it could entail incorporating permanent fall protection on a sloped roof, making maintenance safer for the end user.
The Korte Company also designs safety into our construction methods, which is especially important for sensitive environments like active hospitals, where our work can’t hinder the healthcare providers or patient health.
No matter the challenge, comprehensive preparation meetings ensure safety and coordination on every jobsite. In these meetings, stakeholders gather to review specs, inspection reports, schedules, workforce considerations and potential safety hazards.
This kind of work requires the best from every partner. So, The Korte Company includes safety standards for subcontractors in their project bids. This way, everyone knows the minimum safety requirements up front, and we can disqualify inexperienced subcontractors who may struggle.
Once the subcontractors are selected, the project leaders arrange teams with similar experience and good working relationships. The team members plan for any high-risk activities, like fall hazards when working with structural steel. And once the work begins, everyone is required to perform a safety inspection on their work, whether they work on a crane or in a trench.
And while all of this is going on, the safety team is watching. Kevin and his team members monitor for hazards on jobsites thousands of miles apart, protecting hundreds of builders from mishap and injuries. Kevin inspects jobsites through onsite audits and from photos that are uploaded by the jobsite team. If he sees something of concern, he contacts the supervisor to address the issue.
Assure the best on your next project
If your team prioritizes safety, then The Korte Company may be the perfect partner.
You can count on everyone on our team to put safety as a value, from design to execution.
Reach out and let’s talk about how we can assure the best for your next project.
