Balfour Beatty US Kicks Off Construction Safety Week 2018 with “One Second, One Choice” Campaign

As part of the company’s never-ending commitment to accepting nothing less than Zero Harm for anyone coming into contact with its work, Balfour Beatty has kicked off its Safety Week 2018 campaign. Balfour Beatty joins over 80 construction firms from across the country with the collective mission of reinforcing the industry’s dedication to eliminating injury, and fostering a shared culture of care, concern and the belief that every week must be Safety Week.

As an annual sponsor of the week-long campaign that runs May 7-13, Balfour Beatty teams and trade partners across the country are taking a stand for safety and reflecting on what’s most important – going home safe to their families every day. Themed One Second, One Choice, Balfour Beatty’s 2018 campaign focuses on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) “fatal four” with an emphasis on falls being the leading cause of fatalities.

“This year, our campaign theme really hits home for me because it provides an important reminder that a split-second choice can change a life forever,” said Leon Blondin, chief executive officer of Balfour Beatty’s buildings operations in the United States. “As we reflect on Safety Week, I encourage all of our project teams and trade partners to always be on the lookout for each other. By making safety personal, remembering the importance of split-second decisions and empowering people to speak up when something doesn’t look right, we can move closer to zero harm and save lives.”

According to OSHA, the leading causes of construction industry deaths are falls, struck-by-object, electrocution and caught-in/between. Consider that out of the 991 total construction industry deaths reported by OSHA in 2016, 384 were due to falls, 93 due to struck-by-object, 82 were electrocution, and 72 were caught-in/between. Eliminating the fatal four would save 631 lives in America every year.

Safety Week provides an opportunity for Balfour Beatty to thank its workforce and partners for supporting safety year-round and to recognize their commitment to remaining injury free. Throughout the week, Balfour Beatty teams across the country will recognize safety heroes, hold safety stand-downs, conduct safety trainings, and reflect on what Once Second, One Choice means to them.

With falls being the leading cause of fatalities in the industry, the campaign will include a video featuring Balfour Beatty safety, health and environment experts focused on fall arrest, staying 100 percent tied-off, 100 percent of the time, from anchor point to anchor point (watch the video).

About Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty is an industry-leading provider of general contracting, at-risk construction management and design-build services for public and private sector clients across the United States. Performing heavy civil and vertical construction, the company is part of Balfour Beatty plc (LSE: BBY), a leading international infrastructure group that provides innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. Consistently ranked among the nation’s largest contractors, Balfour Beatty is the No. 6 Domestic Building Contractor in the United States as ranked by Engineering News-Record. To learn more, visit www.balfourbeattyus.com.

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Balfour BeattyMatt Averitt, [e-mail]