Construction safety has taken center stage on campus with the first awards under U-M’s Safety First program going to a host of contractors and their employees.
The Safety First program — jointly sponsored by Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) and Occupational, Safety & Environmental Health (OSEH) — formally recognizes safe behavior by rewarding contractor employees who exhibit safe work practices while on the U-M campus for capital improvement projects.
U-M recently recognized several contractors and their employees under the Safety First program. From left are Charlie Shipley and Vincent Griffin of RAM Construction Services, Tom Walterhouse of U-M Architecture, Engineering and Construction, and Bob Leporowski of RAM Construction Services. Photo courtesy Architecture, Engineering and Construction.
These awards are the first under the program for submissions received late last year.
“The Safety First program is in place to recognize individual workers that champion safe work practices on U-M projects and employers who acknowledge and value such practices,” says Jerome Schulte, associate director of AEC.
Safety First award recipients include:
• Ron Alburtus, Eagle Excavation (Couzens Hall Renovation)
• Dave Stapp, Brinker Team (Couzens Hall renovation)
• Greg Soraruf, Peterson Glass (Couzens Hall renovation)
• Tom Mata, AZ Shmina (Wolverine Tower renovations)
• Josh Slothower, AZ Shmina (U-M Hospital Adult Psychiatric)
• Bob Leporowski, RAM Construction Services (Burton Memorial Tower)
• Dominic Price, Otis Elevator (C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital)
• Jeff Rose, Site Development (C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital)
• Mike Thompson, Limbach Company (C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital)
U-M construction contractors have been invited to participate in the Safety First recognition program each quarter by submitting names of their employees who meet safety goals as defined by the general contractor’s own corporate safety program.
U-M leaders hope the program will help encourage contractor partners that do not have a corporate program recognizing individual worker safe practices to adopt one in order to participate in the Safety First program.
“The Safety First program is a tangible commitment by U-M to recognize our partners who place the same high priority on worker safety as the institution does,” says OSEH Direcor Stephen Benedict.
