AGC Safety Excellence Award

Specialty Contractor Over 1 Million Worker Hours.

AGC’s Build Washington Awards celebrates our community’s outstanding projects and safety programs. AGC recognizes members who set standards of excellence in the construction industry. MacDonald-Miller is proud to receive the AGC Safety Excellence Award for Specialty Contractor Over 1 Million Worker Hours!

“Our culture revolves around stop work authority, training, following established safety protocols, consistently utilizing personal protective equipment, and being mindful of potential risks and hazards in our work environment. ” – Lee Pyfrom, Safety Director.

Daily Journal of Commerce:

In the past year, MacDonald Miller has introduced several innovations and best practices aimed at improving both safety and efficiency within its operations. Two key implementations include Stop Work Authority (SWA) and replacing traditional utility knives with auto-retracting knives.

Stop Work Authority (SWA)

MacDonald Miller’s Stop Work Authority (SWA) program empowers every employee — regardless of position or seniority — to halt any task they believe poses a potential risk to health, safety or the environment. This authority fosters a proactive safety culture by ensuring that employees feel confident in speaking up about unsafe conditions or practices.

Deployment: To implement this, MacDonald Miller conducted comprehensive training sessions with all employees, emphasizing that safety is the top priority and that there will be no negative repercussions for stopping work when safety is a concern. The company also trained supervisors to support employees who invoke SWA and ensure that any issues raised are addressed promptly before work resumes. SWA cards were distributed to remind employees of their rights and responsibilities, reinforcing that they are empowered to protect themselves and their peers.

Auto-retracting knives

Another important change the company is currently working on is transitioning from traditional utility knives to auto-retracting knives to reduce the risk of cuts and lacerations, which had been a significant injury trend in MacDonald Miller’s safety data. Auto-retracting knives automatically retract the blade as soon as the blade is removed from the material being cut, providing an extra layer of protection against accidental injuries, especially in fast-paced environments. These knives have a spring-activated blade that automatically retracts when cutting is paused or stopped. Blade retraction cannot be overridden, even when the blade slider is engaged.

Deployment: To make this transition smooth, MacDonald Miller conducted a pilot program on a project and formed a stakeholder committee to gather feedback from workers on different models of auto-retracting knives. Once the most effective design was selected, MacDonald Miller began initiating a company-wide training sessions that focused on proper knife handling techniques and the specific features of the new tools.

Learn more about MacDonald-Miller’s safety values here.

Categories: General

We make buildings work better.