Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston, an association representing the interests of merit shop contractors and their employees, announced the recipients of the 2019 STEP awards in the bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond levels at the Membership Breakfast on July 26th. Founded in 1989, STEP participation demonstrates safety leadership and a cultural commitment to safety performance.
STEP applicants measure their safety processes and policies on 24 key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents.
“We had the opportunity to recognize our Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond STEP award recipients,” said Brandon Mabile, Performance Contractors, and 2019 ABC Chairman. “Achieving any STEP level is an incredible accomplishment and ABC is pleased to award members who excel in safety practices.”
To apply for the STEP program, it is recommended to be completely honest while completing the self-evaluation forms, and to give a copy of the evaluation form to two employees from lower, middle, and upper management. This could include foremen, project managers, and superintendents who can evaluate safety from all levels.
“As an industry, it is our responsibility to ensure our workers go home in the same –or better—condition than when they arrived on the jobsite every day,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development. “By participating in STEP, ABC member companies’ leadership has demonstrated a commitment to create the conditions for all to do their work without incident. By implementing proactive safety measures, such as toolbox talks and sound substance abuse policies, ABC members are committed to consistently raising the bar when it comes to safety performance.”
According to ABC’s annual Safety Performance Report, applying STEP processes dramatically improves safety performance among participants regardless of company size or type of work, and can reduce recordable incidents up to 85%, making the best performing companies 680% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average. Ratings range from Diamond, the highest, to Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participant.
