H.B. Neild Construction joined more than 120 other general contractors recently for the GCI Risk Control Workshop in Austin.
The multi-day event allowed company leaders to gather and understand as much information as possible concerning all issues in the safety realm, especially how it relates to risk management.
“A big key component as a general contractor is vetting your subcontractors,” Safety Director Quais “Q” Savoir said. “Previous efforts general contractors used were based off prior relationships. If I have had this relationship with a subcontractor for 10 to 15 years, I know the expectation.
“But vetting goes further than that. It goes into what your OSHA logs look like, what is your EMR (experience modification rating), anything in coordination with paperwork and additional paperwork that should be done on an annual basis, no matter how tight that relationship is.”
As general contractors grow, so do their clients, and Savoir said many clients ask to vet subcontractors before even being invited to the bid process.
The large-scale event also provided plenty of industry connection to professionals whose sole focus is workforce safety.
Savoir appreciated the level of information afforded by the one-on-one interactions.
“There is a level of groundwork with in-person sharing,” he said. “Give me an example of what you are currently doing. Then you start to realize, ‘I am dealing with the exact same thing. How do you fix that?’ Then you have this individual with another general contractor, and these are the steps that were taken.”
Savoir and H.B. Neild Construction CFO Jason Gay were able to share helpful tips for other general contractors, one of which utilized a fleet of approximately 100 vehicles.
None of those vehicles were installed with cameras or trackers monitored by Equipment Share, which is an H.B. Neild practice.
“What you start to realize while taking part in these workshops is this specific insurance group wants you to (utilize vehicle trackers) and gives you incentives,” Savoir explained. “They will pay. They will refund you.”