2026 WINNER
Rummel Construction Inc.
Construction Scottsdale, AZ 750 employees | 75 sites | 11 EHS professionals
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liminating time at sites where potential safety incidents could occur is an effective safety management strategy. For Rummel Construction, a general contractor specializing in mass earthworks and paving, preventing safety problems is the best use case of current technologies. For instance, the company employs drones to eliminate the need for a crew to survey work areas. “Thousands of man-hours of crews slogging through work sites have been eliminated by one man and a drone working from a tightly controlled location,” explains Matthew Crosby, safety director. In the harsh conditions of the American Southwest desert, heat-related illness is a formidable risk. Wearable technology can help mitigate this risk. To continue advancing this technology, the company is partnering with Arizona State University to study the effectiveness of two devices: one that monitors heat stress, and another that monitors hydration levels.
West Wind Reinforcing LLC
Construction Hubbard, OR 250 employees | 2 sites | 3 EHS professionals
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t’s not often that safety strategies are viewed as talent development, but construction company West Wind Reinforcing understands this correlation. “We believe that every employee has the right to derive personal satisfaction from their job, and the prevention of occupational injury or illness shall be given the highest priority in all of our operations,” explains Joel McGrath, corporate safety director. To achieve that goal, the company starts with a collective view of safety. “Each individual, from top management to the field employee, is responsible for the safety of those persons in their charge and co-workers around them,” McGrath says. “By accepting mutual responsibility to operate safely, we will contribute to the well-being of our workforce.” Not only will do co-workers watch out for each other, but they will also serve as mentors. “By pairing each new employee with an experienced colleague, the program fosters a two-way exchange of knowledge, reinforces company culture, and promotes safety on the jobsite,” explains McGrath.
“Rather than a general Heat Illness Prevention Plan (HIPP) where everyone is treated the same, we are hopeful that these tools will help us meet individual needs,” says Crosby. Another prevention technology—telematics—is used to address driver safety. It enables supervisors to support safe driving habits. Prior to this technology, drivers were largely unsupervised while out on the road. Technology can also assist in addressing inclusion. The safety team was involved in piloting translation earphones with several Spanish-speaking apprentices to improve communication and accessibility in the field. These technologies are the practical implementation of a core safety value culture, which is embodied in Rummel’s Five Core Safety Accountabilities. They include: executive commitment, management accountability, safety integration, training and employee recognition. Technology, culture and belonging create a strong safety culture. “I consider the safety and health of our employees to be of prime importance and stand firm in my belief that no job is so important and no service so urgent that we can’t take the time to work safely,” says Rod W. Rummel, president. —AS
Elements of the mentor program include: » Providing new hires with a dependable point of contact for questions. » Building confidence, job satisfaction and trust. » Improving retention by creating a sense of belonging. » Reducing stress during the new-hire adjustment period. » Accelerating learning of company policies, procedures and safety culture. » Providing constructive feedback in a peer-to-peer format, which is often more approachable than from supervisors. A unique aspect of how the company views mentorship is that it believes the program can serve as a psychosocial risk control by reducing stress, supporting mental well-being, and promoting psychological safety during onboarding and high-risk work. As part of its drive for safety excellence, the company remains focused on improving employee development, strengthening operational consistency, and enhancing overall workforce engagement. “We believe that protecting employees is the foundation of long-term success and that continuous investment in safety benefits our employees, customers and the communities in which we work,” says McGrath. —AS
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