ARLINGTON, Va. (Oct. 1, 2021) — Linbeck Group was honored for having the nation’s best construction safety and wellness plan in 2020 by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association, which oversees the Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards, an annual ranking of construction safety programs, noted that 43 other companies were also selected as winners for the quality of their safety programs.

"Having a successful construction project starts with having a safe workplace for your employees. It is crucial, now more than ever, for a firm to build its safety culture," said Bob Lanham, the association’s president and president of Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. in Houston, Texas.  "These award recipients are leading the industry by showcasing the safest worksites in the country.”

Linbeck Group was judged and selected as the grand award winner from among 17 first-place winners across six occupational divisions. Lanham noted that the company’s commitment to going beyond compliance obligations and their adoption of technology to collect and analyze safety data, to proactively identify deficiencies and improvements, is where the construction industry should be headed. In addition, Linbeck demonstrated that with a team of knowledgeable leaders and workers, they can achieve the ultimate goal of keeping workers safe from inherent hazards of construction.

Another Houston-based firm, Peterson Beckner Industries, was selected as the first-place winner in the under 300,000 work hours category. The firm developed and implemented an exceptional safety and risk control program through continuous improvement and maintenance of their safety and health management systems. Lanham noted that the firm’s commitment to protecting its most valuable asset, the workforce, makes them a leader in the industry.

Lanham noted that there are multiple winners because the awards are distributed for a number of categories, based on the amount and type of work performed. He added that the AGC-Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Award winners are selected by a panel of five independent safety professionals within the government, corporate and insurance industries. Final judging for the awards program took place during the contractors’ association’s annual convention in Orlando.

“Willis Towers Watson is proud to be an AGC partner in safety and to sponsor long term the AGC’s Construction Safety Excellence Awards, a partnership that began over thirty years ago,” said Mike Fredebeil, CSP, North American Director Construction Safety, Willis Towers Watson. “The last 19 months have been tough for our country and the construction industry, but we will get through this together stronger than before, thanks in large part to the work firms like these are doing to protect workers, their families and the public.”

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