The men and women who ensure that workers on Northwest Indiana jobsites make it home safely to their families each night should be considered heroes. There used to be a time, not that long ago in fact, when roughly 11 percent of workers in Indiana were injured on the job each year. Now, thanks to the efforts of safety professionals in the construction and maintenance industries, that figure has been reduced significantly to about 3.5 percent.
Larson Danielson
ACMS GroupThat’s a huge improvement and it certainly didn’t come without a lot of hard work and commitment to working safely and eliminating hazards. It requires consistent, daily focus on details both small-scale and large because lives and livelihoods are on the line. Among all the different types of experts and specialists in industrial settings, perhaps none are more deserving of recognition and appreciation than safety professionals.
That’s why members of the Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable (NWIBRT) come together to celebrate the best-of-the-best in NWI construction safety excellence each year. Their Safety Awards Banquet celebrates the people and companies that demonstrate outstanding capabilities and standards when it comes to reducing or eliminating hazards across a wide range of construction projects and settings.
Korellis Roofing
Graycor“There are a lot of tough, hardworking people in the construction industries, and they can’t afford to shirk their responsibilities when it comes to safety. Everyone takes it seriously, and we’re proud of all the members of NWIBRT for their commitment,” said Rick Foor, NWIBRT safety committee chairman and Cargill–Hammond’s health and safety manager.
“The smallest overlooked detail could bring about a major injury or costly accident, which is why safety professionals have to remain vigilant 100 percent of the time,” he added. “Sometimes their efforts are taken for granted, but not tonight. Tonight, we celebrate all of their hard work and all of the lives they potentially saved.”
Held in tandem with the Construction Advancement Foundation’s (CAF) annual awards banquet, the combined awards presentation is a stellar example of the capabilities of the NWI construction industry and its commitment to safety and excellence. The event is considered by many to be the leading awards banquet with regard to recognizing the region’s industrial, commercial, and public works projects.
An interesting aspect to the event that’s rarely seen at other banquets is the way in which attendees network and discuss the best practices in safety that are being honored. Even though some members of NWIBRT are actually competitor companies in some cases, they still take the time to share what they’ve learned, what worked best, and what practices could lead to even greater outcomes.
There are two reasons they do this. One, because working safely saves lives. And two, because less accidents leads to lower project costs, less disruptions, better budgeting, more projects, and happier customers. It’s a really good business model.
“NWIBRT’s members provide some of the highest-quality jobs found anywhere in the region and a big part of that quality comes from their commitment to safety,” said Don Bull, NWIBRT Executive Committee Chairman and NIPSCO Director of Outage Management and Systems Engineering.
“It’s circular, really. Protecting workers is not only morally right, it’s a very sound business approach. Workers on the region’s major construction and maintenance jobs have peace of mind in knowing every measure has been taken to eliminate hazards. This leads to greater job satisfaction and better project outcomes. And on the employer’s side, less injures means less disruptions, more control over costs, less turnover, happier clients, and much more. Working safely is the right thing to do for so many reasons.”
Without the dedication of the good people earning awards at this year’s banquet, it’s safe to say our entire region would be a very different place. Many quality careers would be rife with hazards and injuries and the costs to establish new facilities would be much higher, impacting our entire economy. Thankfully, NWIBRT members remain committed to preventing that.
2018 NWIBRT Award Winners
(Awards are for the year 2017)
Recognition Award
Achievement Award
Excellence Award
Owner Excellence in Leadership Award
Company of the Year Award
Contractor of the Year Award
Roger Walters Award
Caption for photo:
Cargill Incorporated took home the Owner Excellence in Leadership award in addition to several other accolades throughout the evening.
