Tag Archives: construction safety

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Safety Is Not a Metric – It’s a Mindset

Posted on by Karen

Brian Fordon
Director of Safety

Safety isn’t something we achieve once—it’s something we choose, reinforce, and live every single day. Our record reflects that commitment, but our culture is what sustains it.

Railcar Dumper System Inspection

Read more about a project where our team required additional safety training

At Valdes Architecture & Engineering, safety isn’t a line item or a quarterly goal. It’s a commitment that shapes how we plan, execute, and deliver every project. As the Safety Director, I have the privilege—and responsibility—of helping lead that commitment across our organization. And while our numbers tell a compelling story, what matters most is the culture behind them.

Still, those numbers are worth pausing on.

We have achieved more than 4,675,000 hours worked without a single injury. We have maintained zero OSHA recordables for over 15 years, and our Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) remains at zero. Along the way, our teams have earned over 44 safety awards, recognizing not just outcomes, but the consistency and discipline required to sustain them.

But safety excellence is not built on statistics alone—it’s built on habits, accountability, and shared ownership.

A Culture That Starts with People
Every employee at Valdes plays a role in maintaining our safety culture. Whether in the field, in the office, or supporting projects behind the scenes, safety is never someone else’s responsibility. It belongs to all of us.

We reinforce this through our weekly all-company safety meetings, where teams come together to discuss real-world scenarios, lessons learned, and evolving best practices. These conversations keep safety top of mind and ensure that knowledge is shared across disciplines and job sites.

Discipline in the Details
One of the most overlooked drivers of safety performance is documentation. At Valdes, we emphasize thorough, consistent reporting—not as a formality, but as a critical tool.

Daily job reports, for example, provide visibility into site conditions, activities, and potential risks. They create a record that allows us to identify trends, address concerns early, and continuously improve how we operate. Documentation turns experience into insight, and insight into action.

Leadership and Accountability
Having a dedicated Safety Director is not about oversight—it’s about alignment. My role is to ensure that safety expectations are clear, resources are available, and accountability is consistent across every level of the organization.

But leadership doesn’t stop with one role. Project managers, supervisors, engineers, and field personnel all contribute to setting the tone. When safety is reinforced at every level, it becomes embedded in how work gets done—not something added on at the end.

Earning Trust Every Day
Clients trust us with complex, high-stakes projects. That trust is earned not only through technical expertise, but through our ability to deliver work safely and reliably.

A zero incident rate doesn’t happen by chance. It is the result of planning, communication, vigilance, and a willingness to speak up when something doesn’t look right.

Looking Ahead
We are proud of our record. But safety is not something we look at in the rearview mirror. It’s something we actively build every day.

Our goal isn’t just to maintain zero incidents—it’s to strengthen the systems, behaviors, and culture that make that possible. Because in the end, safety is about people going home the same way they arrived: healthy, confident, and ready for tomorrow.

That’s the standard at Valdes. And it’s one we intend to keep.

Contact [email protected] to discuss your project needs.

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Turnarounds & Safety

Posted on by Karen

A successful turnaround requires more than efficient scheduling and technical execution—it depends on disciplined safety management and consistent communication across every level of the organization. Drawing on years of field experience, these best practices outline proven approaches to strengthening safety performance and control of work (permits) during a planned turnaround.

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The following are some best practices I have seen regarding safety and control of work (permits) during a planned turnaround (TAR):

    • A safety strategy and a statement of requirements should be defined and reviewed with all contractors. For work that is bid, this should be part of the bid specifications and contract.
    • When agreeing on the objectives, and then during the planning, shutdown, execution, start-up, lessons learned sessions and close out, repeat and repeat that the priorities for the TAR are safety, quality, duration and cost, in that order!
    • Safety training should be required to meet company and regulatory requirements for entry permits, lock-out-tag-out, hot work, and control of environmental issues. Documentation of training should be required and where feasible linked to personnel badges.
    • Safety orientations and indoctrinations should be carried out for both company and contractor personnel.
    • Prepare the arena! As you start preparing for the TAR put some work into the physical condition of the area where the people will be walking to and from the TAR, as well as the areas where they will be working, including the shop. To minimize the chances of slips and falls make sure the walkways to and from the TAR, including those from the parking lots, are flat (and properly lit for the night shift). Also ensure all areas are clean, free of obstacles, free of oil or grease. Permeable asphalt would work great in these areas but if you are using gravel, make sure the stones are small to minimize the chances of ankle injury. And all the above will also increase efficiency.
    • On the walkways to and from the TAR and to and from the parking lots as well as the areas where the workers will be doing most of the work and walking, place signs with pictures of some of the worker’s family members; the real families, not generic ones from the internet. Consider putting new ones every week during the event.
    • Have safety meetings with giveaways such as iPads, smart watches, TVs, Yeti Coolers, plane tickets, etc. on Mondays to incentivize attendance and safety.
    • Safety audits with quick, visible corrective actions should begin early and continue throughout the TAR. Communicate to all workers regarding safety audit results, near misses, first aid or injuries.
    • Incident reports should be done as soon as practical following the audit or incident, but preferably within 24 hours.
    • When you get observations, near misses, first aids or injuries, be of the mind of learning to avoid these. Do not scare the workforce as they watch our every move. We as leaders set the tone and environment to bring the most out of everybody.
    • Ensure you have fully equipped medical services at the TAR location. And make sure they are very visible, so they also serve as a reminder of safety.
    • Get your leaders to show constructive presence. They should walk around and interact with the workers, but ensure the interactions are constructive and encouraging.
    • Put your strongest supervision at night, for safety, quality and efficient execution’s sake, again, in that order!
    • Use one permit for each specific job throughout the entire TAR but renewed daily for gas testing.
    • Contractors should do their own risk assessment. Risk assessments should be a one-page checklist. What’s important is the assessment itself. Make sure this is audited for quality.
    • Install battery limit blinds and avoid system isolations. Use equipment blinds for vessel entry and hot work as necessary.

Contact [email protected] to discuss your project.

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