Stuart, Florida (November 12, 2018)—Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL) staff has earned multiple advanced Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Awareness Training Certifications. On September 22, VCGFL held an OSHA awareness staff training from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their Stuart office. The OSHA awareness training session included fall protection, forklift operations, scaffolding and flagger operations. All staff were required to attend, including administrative staff, field superintendents, production managers, roofing crews and sales staff.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 percent of total worker fatalities in the private industry in 2016 were in the construction industry, equating to one in five worker deaths. The leading causes of worker deaths in the construction industry were falls, followed by struck-by object, electrocution and caught-in/between. These are known as the "fatal four" by OSHA and were responsible for nearly 64 percent of total construction worker deaths in 2016. Eliminating the fatal four would save 631 workers' lives in America every year.

"Safety is our number one priority. As the owner of three construction companies, these statistics are pretty staggering. The numbers don't lie. Safety is an absolute necessity, every second of every day, on every single jobsite. We are committed to achieving the highest OSHA training standards for all of our staff members and having each and every staff member trained on the most advanced safety protocols in the industry. Prevention is key, and that starts with education. This OSHA awareness training covered mitigation protocols for some of the most cited issues in the construction industry," says Stephen Shanton, president, Venture Construction Group of Florida.

According to OSHA, four out of the top 10 safety violations in 2017 were in the construction industry. Fall protection ranked first; scaffolding ranked third; ladder usage ranked sixth; and fall protection training requirements ranked ninth.

VCGFL recently added three full-time, OSHA-certified staff to their award-winning team. OSHA Senior Safety Officer Lou Haddad joined the team in January. Haddad brings 23 years of experience in critical safety protocols and a career in law enforcement. In May, VCGFL added two OSHA Safety Monitors, Neal Bateman and Larry Ingwell. Bateman was an emergency first responder rescue diver for 5 years and has a passion for safety and risk mitigation. Bateman holds the O2 Provider Certification and expertise in numerous construction jobsite safety hazards.

Ingwell possesses over 30 years of experience in safety and previously worked with a consulting firm as a safety advisor to major corporations and construction companies throughout the nation. Ingwell holds a bachelor's degree in safety from the University of Wisconsin. Haddad, Ingwell and Bateman have managed safety personnel and complex processes, in numerous scenarios, and possess the high-level detail, skills and expertise paramount for construction industry safety. The VCGFL OSHA safety team holds OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Certificates, the OSHA 100 Management Certificate, and CPR/AED certifications.

"We are revolutionizing the safety of construction by putting safety first and construction second. A delay is better than a disaster," says Haddad.

In 2017, VCGFL senior staff earned the OSHA 30 Certificate. OSHA 30-hour training courses provide advanced tools regarding health and safety awareness and educate supervisors and employees on increased methods to reduce the risk of workplace hazards. Benefits of OSHA 30-Hour training include safety and risk mitigation, prevention of potential worksite hazards, and information on workers' rights, employer responsibilities and more.

"We're committed to safety, every step of the way, every second of the day. We are committed to having each and every staff member OSHA trained and certified," said Sandra Lawson, director of operations, VCGFL.

For more information, visit vcgfl.com.