When in-person events re-emerged in 2022, Safety Director Mario Rodriguez jumped right back into joining as many construction safety conferences as he could. Among other things, COVID had thrown a major wrench in industry events—his primary method of benchmarking Webcor’s safety program, culture, and best practices. He was ready to dive back into the world of safety roundtables and seminars and see how Webcor stacked up to its competitors.
With each event he attended, it became increasingly clear that he didn’t need to worry about Webcor falling behind. In fact, Webcor’s safety concepts and practices—particularly our safety culture, in-house trainings, and technology (Webcor SAFE)— easily surpassed those of other general contractors.
It got him thinking—why don’t we tout Webcor’s best-in-class safety program the way we do our building practices?
“We talk a lot about Webcor’s innovations as a builder—our three-day concrete floor cycle, design-build expertise, growing mass timber experience, and One Webcor approach,” Mario says. “One of my goals these last couple years has been to similarly position Webcor’s safety program as a model for the industry. We’re always seeking and pushing the envelope when it comes to building and performing safely.”
To better amplify Webcor’s safety program and accomplishments, Mario and Dept. Support Manager Emily Schmitt submitted Webcor’s phenomenal safety professionals and safety record for a dozen industry awards last year, nearly half of which they won.
“All of our team members perform at a top-tier level, so choosing just a few people and projects to nominate is always difficult,” Mario says. “I’m so proud of everyone on our team for embracing our safety program and Speaking Up for Safety every single day.”
Webcor and Webcor Craft each won the Safety Excellence Award based on their outstanding safety statistics.
Safety Managers Mario Saenz and Kendall Cantave and Safety Coordinator Ty’Asia Reynolds were each honored for their transformative impact on field teams’ safety culture. Their commitment to active caring has ignited genuine connections with field professionals, empowering them to Speak Up for Safety no matter the circumstances and consistently prioritize safe building practices and psychological safety.
The MWH/Webcor safety team at the Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP) won this award based on their excellent safety record: zero fatalities in 2023 and a lost workday case incident rate equal to or less than 50 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) rating for their reported North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code in 2023.
“It’s a tremendous honor to have our efforts acknowledged by a nationally respected organization like NSC,” says MWH Health & Safety Manager Jorge Torres. “It’s something tangible that will keep us striving to do even better, be better, and reach for excellence each year—when we describe our safety culture at orientations, we can point to the award and explain how everyone’s efforts contributed to it. Together, we can achieve great things when we care for one another and look out for the next person.”
Although we didn’t win first place, Webcor placed in the top three general contractors for this AGC of California award honoring GCs across the state with outstanding safety programs.
“This prestigious award was a huge opportunity to get Webcor’s name out there,” Emily says. “Placing in the top three was a major win that proved we go above and beyond typical industry standards to keep our workforce safe.”
San Jose State University (SJSU) was awarded a certificate of recognition for its safety performance at the Spartan Athletics Center (SAC). According to former Webcorian Adam Bird, the SAC was the safest project by incidents per personnel hours worked.
From hosting in-house trainings to fostering a culture of active caring that permeates each job site, Safety team members have gone above and beyond to embed physical/psychological safety in Webcor’s culture:
