A Study of Firms with Outstanding Construction Safety

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY HAS made great strides toward a safe working environment. Although many construction companies have comprehensive safety plans, a plan’s quality does not necessarily correlate to the company’s safety performance. Written safety plans can be effective, but companies must go beyond the letter of the plan and create a true “safety culture” (Hinze 101). This study explored the correlation between a corporation’s culture and its safety performance; based on the findings, recommendations are offered regarding how a company can change certain cultural characteristics to create a safer working environment. The findings indicate that a strong correlation exists between corporate culture and good safety performance. Findings also reveal that certain cultural characteristics are more prone to affect a safety record. In the authors’ opinion, it is evident that firms with these cultural qualities will more likely have positive safety records. The study described here examined three Denver area construction companies with outstanding safety records and found that the company ASSE Foundation Research ASSE Foundation Research