In recognition of Balfour Beatty Construction’s outstanding health and safety practices, the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) recently awarded the company’s Carolinas division with its prestigious “Building Star” (Safety Through Achievement and Recognition) designation.
During an exclusive ceremony held on 24 October in Raleigh, North Carolina’s Commissioner of Labor, Cherie Berry, formally recognised Balfour Beatty Construction’s “Building Star” status. Berry presented representatives from Balfour Beatty Construction with a plaque and three “Building Star” flags, which will be prominently displayed on project sites in North Carolina.
One of these projects includes Gateway West Apartments, a mixed-use development in uptown, Charlotte. Star participant sites have occupational injury and illness incidence rates far below the state and national averages for comparable projects.
“Our relationship with Balfour Beatty Construction is cherished and one with shared values of making workplace safety and health the utmost priority,” said Berry. “Balfour Beatty Construction is a world-class company, and it shows. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership into the future.”
The Carolina Star program, a state version of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program, represents a partnership among employees, management and the NCDOL. Companies are chosen for acceptance into the Star program based on an extensive application, a review of their health and safety program, employee and subcontractor interviews and site evaluations.
Balfour Beatty Construction submitted its application to the state in May 2010 and was officially approved for participation on 29 August 2012. In recognition of Balfour Beatty Construction’s leadership in workplace safety, the NCDOL chose Chris Bunch, loss prevention manager for the Carolinas division, to give a presentation regarding the Star application process at its September 2012 Safety Conference.
Balfour Beatty Construction’s safety program is known as Zero Harm, which is defined as zero deaths, zero injuries to the public and zero ruined lives. Balfour Beatty Construction’s efforts in loss prevention and claims-management have resulted in incident rates well below industry averages in North Carolina and across the nation.
“We believe our focus on safety is as important as the quality, schedule and even the profitability of our projects,” said Pat Dean, division president for Balfour Beatty Construction in the Carolinas. “We are honoured to partner with the North Carolina Department of Labor and OSHA to achieve our ultimate goal of ensuring all employees go home as safely from our jobsites as when they arrived.”
Media enquiries:
Beth Hernandez
Balfour Beatty Construction
Tel: +1 704 3194122
bhernandez@balfourbeattyus.com
Notes to Editors:
- A leader in the US commercial construction industry, Balfour Beatty Construction provides general contracting, at-risk construction management, and design-build services through more than 2,400 professionals nationwide. The company has been cited as a Top 10 Green Builder by Engineering-News Record and as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For® by FORTUNE magazine, each for three years in a row. The company is part of London-based Balfour Beatty plc, a global leader in professional services, construction services, support services, and infrastructure investment, with more than $18 billion in annual revenues. To learn more about the company visit balfourbeattyus.com.
- Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a world-class infrastructure group with capabilities in professional services, construction services, support services and infrastructure investments.
- We work in partnership with our customers principally in the UK, continental Europe, the US, South-East Asia, Australia and the Middle East, who value the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise.
- Key infrastructure markets include transportation (roads, rail and airports); social infrastructure (education, specialist healthcare, and various types of accommodation); utilities (water, gas and power transmission and generation) and commercial (offices, leisure and retail).
- The Group delivers services essential to the development, creation and care of these infrastructure assets including project design, financing and management, engineering and construction, and facilities management services.
- Balfour Beatty employs 50,000 people around the world
