CF Jordan Construction LLC, a commercial construction contractor based in El Paso, Texas, holds a lost-time injury rate that is a mere sixth of the industry average, an accomplishment spurred on by a corporate decision 8 years ago to improve the safety process.
“Everyone in the company is involved [in safety],” explained Patricia Kagerer, vice president of risk and safety management. “There's accountability and expectation for everyone to take responsibility for safety and actively be involved in the process.”
Safety at CF Jordan is integrated as a core value with a focus on management commitment. The company has established Jordan University, which offers 1,100 online courses to employees, including 100 hours of safety education and OSHA 10- and 30-hours courses. The company also has embarked on a leadership training initiative for all foremen, superintendents and the management team.
The company's Five Minutes to Power initiative is incorporated into daily safety processes to provide anything from 5-minute stretch and flex activities to safety messages, including those workers can take home to share with their families. CF Jordan Construction also requires subcontractor prequalification, hosts biannual safety stand-downs and more.
“We're consistent and resilient,” Kagerer said of CF Jordan and the company's 420 employees. “We continuously improve. We are continuously changing and making sure [safety] is a constant focus in our organization.”
THE HISPANIC WORK FORCE
CF Jordan Construction is proactive in protecting the health and safety of its Hispanic workers and boasts a bilingual safety program.
“The lifeblood of our organization is our Hispanic work force,” Kagerer said. “It's extremely important to us that our training and education for safety really reaches them.”
That means going beyond merely translating the training into Spanish. The company takes this process a step further by having superintendents assist the safety department in delivering the OSHA training to workers.
“We wanted to make sure that our employees not only received the training, but that they were retaining the information and that they understood it as well,” Kagerer continued. “It's really about how can we deliver it and make it to where they can apply it in the field.”
When discussing what the ASC award means to her and to CF Jordan Construction, Kagerer is quick to point out that this accomplishment is one the workers earned together.
“We're extremely proud that it is definitely a team effort and that everyone is involved,” Kagerer said. “We've got buy-in from the top. We've done a lot of education and training at the field level. And we've gotten leadership and support from not just the executive committee, but every employee has to be a leader related to safety,” she explained. “So we're extremely proud that we've been able to create that culture.”
CF Jordan Construction is in the process of applying for VPP for its El Paso infrastructure and concrete division, something Kagerer acknowledges is “a lot of work and a lot of commitment,” but believes it is the next step for the company.
“We're in a tough business,” Kagerer said. “It's a tough job market, but our heart's in the right place. We really care about our people and it's nice to make a difference.”