Putting Safety First

In Every Aspect of Our Work

Putting Safety First

In Every Aspect of Our Work

At Opus, safety is both a priority and a value.

Promoting a safe environment is an essential part of our corporate culture—the physical, psychological and technological safety of people, our jobsites and our workspaces is top of mind through all levels of our organization. We value the safety of everyone who comes into contact with our work and our associates.

While safety is the responsibility of every associate, we also have an Operations and Safety Team and a Facilities Team that help support worker health and safety across all jobsites and offices.

Our Proactive Commitment to Safety on the Jobsite

We believe we make the greatest impact by talking about, reinforcing and supporting safety consistently over time. Safety then becomes the result of doing things consistently every day and maintaining focus on the jobsite.

We look for ways to work with the government entities responsible for enforcing safety and participate in consultation programs with them, including the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety & Health, Colorado State University Occupational Health and Safety Consultation, Idaho Safety and Health Consultation Program, Illinois On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program, INSafe Consultation Services, IOSHA Consultation & Education, Kansas Division of Industrial Safety and Health, Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP), Missouri On-Site Safety & Health Consultation and NJ OSHA Consultation. These are intentional and strategic collaborations to support jobsite safety.

Maintaining a safe jobsite also depends on everyone knowing and understanding safe work practices. We have a dedicated safety team, subcontractor standards and practices and required training. On every project, we bring in external safety consultants for a fresh set of eyes and to create more safety touches on the jobsite. During high-risk work, we engage these consultants more frequently.

The efficacy and strength of our safety programs are evidenced by several projects receiving MNSHARP certifications and an insurance Experience Modification Rating (EMR) of 0.65, which is significantly better than the national industry average of 1.0. Because EMR is a lagging indicator, we track leading indicators on each project, which we recognize the success with our annual safety award.

Continued Training for Safety Awareness

We provide ongoing safety training to maintain our commitment on jobsites. Each jobsite superintendent completes OSHA 30-hour training, receives monthly refreshers and is encouraged to pursue additional safety-related training based on the jobsite's specific needs. Our jobsite supervisors are also qualified and experienced in identifying and controlling hazards. Additionally, many associates beyond those who are required—including our Executive Leadership Team—take OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour training to build their own safety awareness and support our jobsite practices.

A group of people in construction personal protective equipment PPE including bright vests and hard hats stand in front of a building holding a banner.

Award-Winning Safety Program

Many of our projects with longer schedules have received MNSHARP certifications, including Corsa, Vesi North Loop, The Loden, Oxbō and our redevelopment of Nicollet Mall (The Nic on Fifth®, Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet and 365 Nicollet).

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