By KERRY SMITH, EDITOR, ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE
More than 40 national and global construction firms comprising the Construction Industry Safety Initiative and the Incident and Injury-Free CEO Forum invite the industry to recognize Construction Safety Week 2021 from May 3-7.
With the AGC of America as a signature event sponsor, the eighth-annual safety week bears the theme, “Be Present. Be Focused. Be Safe.”
Construction Safety Week 2021 Chairman Mike McKelvy, President and CEO of Gilbane Building Company, says the board chose this year’s theme based upon what the industry and society at large experienced during 2020.
“From last March onward, construction workers across the country have had to go to jobsites every day and continue building projects – roads, bridges, hospitals and schools,” said McKelvy. “They’ve been front line when the rest of society has taken a step back. Our them for this year’s safety week is holistic. It’s about each of us getting our mind straight about what our role is and focusing intently during an uncertain time when there are more distractions than ever, and focusing on the task so we can make the best, safest choices. The choices we make are better and safer when our focus is there,” he added.
Construction industry partners are invited to visit https://www.constructionsafetyweek.com/ and download myriad resources such as jobsite banners, a safety week planning playbook, communications toolkits with social media templates and media relations tips and at-home family activities.
From now until 4pm CST on May 6, individuals working in construction are invited to upload their photo and short story about what safety means to them. A total of 10 safety week winners will be chosen for awards of $1,000 each.
“This is the one week of the year that we can all use to remind ourselves about staying safe, and to recharge our batteries to focus on safety in the year ahead,” McKelvy said.