America's Safest Companies of 2025: Sevan Multi-Site Solutions, Inc.

Editor's Note: The 2025 class of America's Safety Companies will be recognized Tuesday, October 21, during the Safety Leadership Conference 2025 in Glendale, Ariz. More information about the conference, including registration, can be found at www.safetyleadershipconference.com.

Sevan Multi-Site Solutions, Inc.

Commercial Building Construction

Downers Grove, IL

371 employees | 2 domestic Sites | 5 EHS professionals

Safety compliance sets the floor, not the ceiling, at Sevan Multi-Site Solutions. In addition to aligning with the ANSI/ASSP Z10 framework, Sevan’s safety management system incorporates numerous best practices that exceed regulatory requirements.

“At Sevan, we go well beyond OSHA compliance by setting elevated safety standards that drive accountability, consistency and care across every project,” says Chris Carter, vice president of safety at Sevan. “Our approach emphasizes prevention over reaction and empowers teams to take ownership of safety in real time.”

The veteran-owned construction company requires employees to go above and beyond in several areas, including:

Daily check-ins. All trades personnel and contractors must sign in/out daily and participate in a pre-task risk assessment (STARRT Process) before beginning work, ensuring proactive hazard identification and crew alignment.
Fall protection. Sevan enforces 100% fall protection for all mobile elevated work platforms and scaffolds, including military-specific requirements, such as self-retracting lanyards over less reliable systems.
Scaffold and ladder safety. There are stricter requirements in place for work at heights, including height limits on baker scaffolds, restrictions on metal ladders near energized systems and minimum ladder rating standards to reduce risk.
Eye protection. ANSI Z87.1 compliant eye protection is mandatory outside of break and office areas.
Ergonomics. Sevan enacted lifting limits and team/mechanical lifting protocols to reduce strain injuries.
Work attire and visibility. All personnel are required to wear high-visibility clothing and long pants.

“At Sevan, we believe true safety leadership means proactively protecting people, not waiting for compliance to catch up,” Carter says.

Sevan also uses a cloud-based safety data sheet electronic library with barcode scanning and has made substantial personal protective equipment upgrades (e.g., type 2 safety helmets, dorsal impact protection, cut resistant gloves and dual self retracting lifelines). The company is in the process of developing a job hazard analyses (JHA) creator tool that will allow users to generate task-specific JHAs that align with real project conditions.

Furthermore, Sevan has identified its safety absolutes, the non-negotiable expectations it has set to prevent life-altering injuries and fatalities for high-risk activities, including work at heights, lockout/tagout, trenching and excavations, cranes and rigging, and confined space entry.

“In addition to our safety absolutes, we've implemented critical provisions like expanded exclusion zones, stricter fall protection standards, enhanced heat illness protocols, revised emergency response plans, and underground utility avoidance procedures, just to name a few,” Carter says.

Should an incident occur, it is reported immediately to the employee’s supervisor and the safety department. Executive leadership—including the CEO—is also informed within 60 minutes. Accident records and summaries are reported and totaled (for the project and entire company) each time they happen.

About 82% of Sevan’s workforce has completed OSHA’s 30-hour safety course, a requirement for all supervisors, including executives and the CEO. In fact, CEO Jim Evans begins most all-hands calls, safety leadership meetings and safety committee meetings, reinforcing the importance of safety to the company’s operations.

“Jim sets ambitious targets for our safety program and regularly reviews progress to ensure we are on track to meet these goals,” Carter says. “He personally evaluates all changes to safety policies and procedures, providing his endorsement when they align with his high standards. This hands-on approach ensures that our safety initiatives are both effective and consistently improved.”

To recognize safe work, Evans founded the Sevan Annual Safety Excellence Awards. The awards, which are presented at the company’s yearly symposium, recognizes Sevan employees, clients, contractors and business partners who have made contributions to safety.

“Jim's creation of these awards highlights his dedication to celebrating and encouraging safety excellence across all levels of our organization and among our external partners,” Carter says.

These are just a few examples of how Sevan puts safety at the forefront of how it does business but are far from its only efforts to sustain and grow a culture of safety. Here are a few more:

Sevan’s training is built in-house by authorized OSHA instructors.
Through its internal learning management system, Sevan University, the company provides learning plans for each position tailored for the job duties as well as professional development. Sevan even provides management training.
Sevan’s Elevate Safety Program is a company-wide initiative focused on proactive awareness, training and behavioral ownership to aid in its quest to zero injuries and illnesses.
The company has ongoing safety recognition campaigns and programs to highlight employees who have made a difference.
Sevan Salute awards badges and prizes for employees who complete safety training, report near misses and demonstrate company values.
Last year, Sevan launched the Near Miss Challenge. The company awarded $7 for every near miss reported, and the proceeds were donated to the Construction Association for Suicide Prevention. This initiative not only incentivized reporting—the company saw a record number of near misses reported—but also contributed to a meaningful cause.
The Safety Task Analysis Risk Reduction Talk Process (STARRT Process) streamlines the planning and communication of safety measures by guiding teams through predefined scopes and tasks using intelligent logic. It simplifies documentation and ensures that appropriate controls are effectively discussed and implemented before work begins.

“At Sevan, safety isn’t a requirement; it’s a responsibility, a differentiator and a commitment we live by daily,” Carter says.

It’s no wonder, then, that Sevan has been recognized as a best workplace for its safety program by Associated Builders and Contractors and Fortune, among others.

But Sevan isn’t stopping there. The company has expanded into safety consulting and is helping other organizations elevate their own safety performance through an assortment of tailored assessments, trainings and program development.

“…[S]afety is not just part of our operations," Carter says. "It’s the foundation of our culture, strategy and identity. Our safety performance is a result of deliberate investment, innovative tools and a people-first approach that prioritizes accountability at every level.”