Hensel Phelps of Greeley, Colorado, was recognized for having the nation’s top construction safety and health program in 2022 by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association, which oversees the prestigious AGC-WTW Construction Safety Excellence Awards, an annual ranking of construction safety and health programs, noted that 47 other companies were also selected as winners for their commitment to safety and occupational health management and risk control.
“We invest so much time and energy in organizing what is a very rigorous awards program because this is a vehicle for elevating the safety and health of the industry,” said Dan Fordice, the association’s president and vice-president of Fordice Construction Co. in Vicksburg, Mississippi. “By finding and highlighting some of the very best industry safety and health programs, we are seeking to elevate safety and health within the entire industry.”
Hensel Phelps was judged and selected as the grand award winner from among 18 first-place winners across six occupational divisions. Seven other Colorado-based firms received awards in the Building, Utility Infrastructure and Specialty divisions. The firms developed and implemented exceptional safety and risk control programs through continuous improvement and maintenance of their safety and health management systems.
In addition to Hensel Phelps, other Colorado companies included Aurora’s Adolfson & Peterson Construction winning third place in the 400,000-600,000 work hour category in the building division; Centennial’s Haselden Construction winning third place in the over 800,000 work hour category in the building division; Centennial’s Iron Woman Construction & Environmental Services winning second place over 400,000 work hour category in the Utility Infrastructure division; Denver’s Carlton Electric, Inc. winning second place in the 175,000-325,000 work hour category in the specialty division; Commerce City’s Industrial Constructors/Managers, Inc. winning third place in the 325,000-1 million work hour category in the specialty division; Lakewood’s Encore Electric winning first place in the 1 million-2 million work hour category in the specialty division and Centennial’s Weifield Group Contracting winning third place in the 1 million-2 million work hour category in the specialty division.
Fordice noted that there are multiple winners because the awards are distributed for several divisions and categories, based on the amount and type of work performed. He added that the AGC-WTW Construction Safety Excellence Awards winners are selected by a panel of five independent safety and health professionals within the construction industry. Final judging for the awards program took place during the contractors’ association’s annual convention in Las Vegas.
“WTW is proud to be a partner in safety with AGC by sponsoring the Construction Safety Excellence Awards,” said Mike Fredebeil, CSP, Senior VP and Executive Director of Construction Safety and Risk Control at Willis Towers Watson. “For over 30 years, this partnership has supported the construction industry by recognizing construction companies that go above and beyond minimum safety and risk control standards. These contractors are leaders in the construction community.”
