The construction sector here in Northwest Indiana is a much safer place to work than other locations found throughout the rest of the country. Companies that work here place a very high emphasis on jobsite safety – and it shows. Regional performance metrics for things like recordable incidents, days away from work, and more, consistently excel beyond national averages. And once a year, the best of the best performers come together to recognize one another’s achievements and celebrate the safest firms.
At a recent awards banquet held by the Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable (NWIBRT), over 50 companies were recognized. They represented a mix of contractors, subcontractors, and owners. Awards given during the banquet were given for work performed during 2023, which included many of the region’s most important construction projects.
“It’s no secret why our regional construction industry is so much safer than other areas nationwide,” said NWIBRT Safety Committee Co-Chair and Cargill Health & Safety Manager Rick A. Foor. “Companies that work here come together and actively collaborate on safety. Even if they might be competitors, they share best practices with one another that can keep workers safe on the job. Maybe even save lives. And in the end, every single one of these companies is more successful because of their willingness to work together and protect their workforce.”
Contractor of the Year
The Contractor of the Year winner must meet NWIBRT’s Excellence award criteria and must be a company that contributes to safety culture in Northwest Indiana, as determined by a third-party panel. This year, there were two winners that were separated into two tiers based on how many hours of work they performed in the region. The winners were Solid Platforms, Inc. (which had over 500,000 hours worked in NWI) and Flour-SunCoke (which had under 500,000 hours worked in NWI).
Solid Platforms has a long history of achievements in safety, going back multiple years. Among the company’s many meticulous efforts in safety training, reporting, and auditing, one of the most important practices found on its jobsites is near miss reporting. Officials described this as an invaluable tool for evaluating potential risk and identifying leading indicators. Additionally, the company has developed a new Mentorship Program to drive positive safety behavior and learning for its growing workforce. Through the program, new workers are evaluated regularly, and recorded through an electronic application to track progress and set goals.
Flour-SunCoke, which provides maintenance and repair services for the SunCoke Indiana Harbor Operations Facility, also has a long and proud history in safety. The company has had zero recordable incidents going back multiple years, and recently implemented a new “i-Auditor” program. This program increases the number of safety audits performed each day, and functions as a digital audit form that can be viewed by site personnel and corporate personnel in real time. Additionally, Flour-SunCoke also encourages employees to bring forth innovative ideas and systems that are used to complete work in a safer and more cost-effective manner.
Company of the Year
The Company of the Year award goes to an engineering or specialty company that fosters a culture of safety among their construction peers and exceeds national safety averages themselves. Valdes Architecture & Engineering was selected as this year’s winner.
Valdes Architecture & Engineering has a long history of incident-free work and zero OSHA violations across its Northwest Indiana jobsites. Valdes has not had a recordable injury in over 4,200,000 hours worked over the last 13 years. As one employee explained, safety is embedded in everything the company does – so much so that it’s literally painted on the wall of their office.
The company is also very active in promoting safety improvements through NWIBRT committee meetings, serving as a great source of information and support. Over the years, safety professionals with Valdes have shared their knowledge and expertise during these meetings and have utilized the ideas and strategies of other member companies as well.
Owner Excellence in Leadership
Three major employers were selected to receive Owner Excellence in Leadership awards this year because they are among the most proactive owner companies when it comes to safety standards. NWIBRT defines owner companies as businesses that hire contractors and own construction projects. This year’s winners were NIPSCO, bp, and Cargill.
Each of the three winners maintains a widespread, focused safety culture across numerous project jobsites throughout Northwest Indiana. Collectively, they employ thousands of construction employees each year, which makes their low incident and injury rates all the more impressive.
NIPSCO, bp, and Cargill have each developed quality safety programs at all of their facilities and regularly encourage their contractors to continually improve their own programs and practices. This unique style of top-to-bottom collaboration brings all parties together on a construction project with the singular goal of creating safer jobsites for everyone involved.
Innovation Award
The Innovation award is all about the companies that have been proactive in developing new safety initiatives on jobsites. This year, awards were given to BMWC Constructors, Inc., Fluor - SunCoke, Korellis, and Valdes Architecture & Engineering for their efforts in pioneering new developments, methods, and technologies that keep workers safe.
BMWC Constructors, Inc. has deployed a new process that makes use of technology called a Vernon Machine, which is an industrial CNC plasma pipe cutting and profiling machine. According to the company, the methods of preparing pipe for fabrication are some of the highest exposure hazards that BMWC employees may encounter. This new process significantly reduces the number of people and hours required to prepare these pipes, leading to a 60% overall reduction in high-risk exposures for employees.
Fluor – SunCoke took corrective actions as part of a direct response to a potential hazard. Safe work platforms were needed so that employees could perform several critical operations. In short, the oven benches at the site had deteriorated and were no longer safe for work. So, the company developed a coke side bench platform that rides on existing railroad tracks already positioned near the bench area. This platform is not only safer but saved the client over $600K and was completed in just over two weeks.
Korellis earned their Innovation award for all of the company’s activities that take place during their annual Safety Fest event. Taking place in the spring of each year, the event involves the participation of all Korellis employees, as well as external participants such as local students from career centers, clients, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders. Safety Fest, at its core, is about more than just compliance and training sessions. It is a day dedicated to building cohesion among crews, promoting teamwork, and fostering camaraderie.
And finally, Valdes Architecture & Engineering earned their award for two reasons. First, Valdes is now using laser scanners instead of requiring employees to enter a 60-foot gasifier with fall protection and a respirator mask. That step eliminated a major safety hazard for workers. Secondly, the company has also been using these laser scanners to detect and track any refractory gasifier losses. This helps Valdes clients plan for future outage repairs that may be caused by issues such as thinning or damaged refractory areas.
Site Safety Leader of the Year (Roger Walters Memorial Award)
For individuals that have demonstrated extraordinary contributions to the safety of the workers in Northwest Indiana, the Site Safety Leader of the Year, Roger Walters Memorial Award is a special honor that comes directly from industry peers. This year’s winner was Matt Vena of Morrison Construction.
Vena has more than nine years of experience in the safety sector and has been steadfast in his care and oversight of on-the-job processes. He also has the ability to bridge the concerns of workers in the field regarding safety, and always keeps their best interests at heart. This has led to numerous productive and safer jobsites around the region.
Life Saver Award
The Life Saver award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save another person’s life. Two individuals earned Life Saver awards this year, Brian Bogard from Tonn and Blank Construction and Tony Oss from Larson-Danielson Construction.
Brian Bogard’s quick thinking and training as a safety professional helped to save a person’s life during a company dinner banquet. An unfortunate incident occurred when one of the attendees began choking. Upon confirmation that the individual was in fact choking, Bogard sprang into action without hesitation, skillfully administering the Heimlich maneuver. It was through his swift and decisive response that the potentially life-threatening situation was averted.
While coaching students during a football game, Tony Oss administered life-saving efforts to a man in cardiac arrest. Oss's quick thinking, paired with his professional training, made a critical difference that day. His actions serve as a reminder of the importance of learning first aid skills, and his selfless act of bravery is an inspiration. Because of his actions, Oss received a letter of commendation from the La Porte County Sheriff's Office.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Ted Ahrendt from Safety Management Group (SMG) was presented with NWIBRT’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement award. He’s been a fixture in the regional safety community for many decades. Since the late 1990s, Ahrendt has brought his unique brand of no-nonsense compliance to all kinds of different construction jobsites.
During the early 2000s, Ahrendt was an active participant in the Regional Contractor’s Alliance at bp before heading up the training dept at K2 Industrial where he prepared the next generation of workers for the industrial services industry. Upon retiring from K2, he launched his own consulting firm and went on to partner with SMG.
While Ahrendt is likely responsible for saving many lives, one in particular deserves recognition. Following an industrial injury, he happened to be in the right place at the right time. He witnessed the crew members attempting to apply a tourniquet, but they were unsuccessful due to the extent of the worker’s injury. With his first responder knowledge, Ahrendt manually clamped the brachial artery and maintained pressure until paramedics could arrive. The injured worker survived.
Additionally, Ahrendt was dedicated to serving the NWIBRT Safety Committee and participated as a member under several companies during his career.
Safer & Stronger
The annual NWIBRT awards banquet serves as a shining example of the power of collaboration among companies when it comes to achieving outstanding safety results. By recognizing outstanding firms, individuals, and innovative safety initiatives, the event motivates continued progress in building a safer construction industry in Northwest Indiana. The end result is a much stronger, more prosperous region for everyone.
NWIBRT Safety Award Tiers
2024 NWIBRT Award Winners
Contractor of the Year
Company of the Year
Owner Excellence in Leadership
Innovation Award
Site Safety Leader of the Year (Roger Walters Memorial Award)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lifesaver Award
Excellence Award
Achievement Award
Recognition Award
Outstanding Craftsperson Safety Leader Award
