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With a chill in the air and the clocks turning back, there’s no doubt about it: winter is approaching, and the fall season will feel surprisingly fleeting. At Callahan, our thoughts about frozen ground and impending blizzards begins when many are planning barbeques and visits to the beach, as we believe it’s never too soon to start prepping for wintertime operations.

For clients and owners, winter conditions may seem like a fact of life, and sometimes, an inconvenience that threatens progress. While both can be true, the Callahan team also sees the winter season as an opportunity to power through challenging conditions that ensure jobs stay on-time and avoid costly overruns that can occur due to poor planning.

Prepping for the winter season involves multiple stakeholders, and the entirety of the project team working together to share insights and information that ensures decisions made as early as July pay dividends in January. Let’s take a look at the Callahan approach to winter site preparations.

Planning Now Avoids Pain Later

Yes, we really do begin sketching out our strategy for winter shortly after the fourth of July holiday. Why, you ask? One of the biggest reasons involves heat sources. Callahan’s Operations and Self-Perform Division (NESB) begins soliciting input from any project that is out of the ground in the summer months for the quantities of heaters and BTU they will need and clarifying which fuel source the project intends to use. Additionally, if a diesel heater is requested, and a fuel cell is required, NESB will need to construct a jersey barrier “farm” around it, which necessitates ordering the requisite number of barriers in advance of winter’s arrival. A liquid propane heater configuration requires a similar tank “farm” surrounding the heater and propane tanks.

However, prep work goes well beyond just the number of heaters and fuel sources, as placing an order for over 2,000 gallons of propane requires an actual license from the town where the project is located. If you haven’t tried to get a license versus a permit lately, you may not be aware that procuring a license takes significantly longer. At the moment, Callahan is in the process of securing multiple licenses, an effort that began in the summer months. In addition, our team notifies abutters that we have applied for a license to have heat sources on site, which offers a glimpse into how technical a seemingly simple process is.

Other efforts our site division and operations team collaborate on include procuring ground thaw heaters, one of the “hottest” items for any construction team working in winter conditions; servicing and testing Callahan-owned equipment, including excavators, loaders, and bulldozers; determining which job sites need rock salt versus urea (a natural and concrete safe way of melting ice); and of course, compiling winter conditions budgets and sharing with project owners so they have a transparent look into pricing and how decisions that are made now can save money later on.

Safety – A Four-Season Approach

The Callahan safety team is just as active during the summer months and works together with NESB and operations to prep jobsites for colder conditions. When it comes to heating in-progress buildings to ensure pipes don’t freeze, required temperatures are maintained for building materials and so that workers are not subject to working in freezing temperatures. Other steps include fireproofing and temping in windows, and this preparation goes hand-in-hand with installing heaters. However, when a storm hits, the safety team kicks into high gear.

If a blizzard or other serious weather event is in the forecast, our teams implement a clear-it or close-it approach. This translates to clearing primary ingress/egress areas and closing off all other access points to the in-progress building. The primary goal is to direct workers to entering via one central location(s) for accessing the structure, which limits the potential for slips and falls. By keeping workers to one path when the snow hits, crushed stone can be spread to ensure maximum traction and cleared continuously throughout the workday. In addition, Toolbox Talks are held to discuss how workers can maintain a constant body temperature, dress appropriately, and protect themselves from falls from the upper floors. It may seem elementary, but repeatedly discussing safety strategy protects jobs from downtime and added costs. At Callahan, a culture of continuous improvement ensures that the work we do all throughout the year pays dividends when it matters most. From pre-construction planning that protects allowances for winter conditions in project budgets to proactive planning that ensures critical equipment and licenses are procured well in advance of the first flake of snow, the Callahan team works tirelessly to keep jobsites active and safe during the winter season. Learn more about our approach to pre-construction and safety on our website.

By Adam Ringo, CSP, Safety Director, Callahan Construction

This year, Construction Safety Week bears a theme of “All in Together,” which undoubtedly speaks to the need for the entire team – from the building owner to the smallest subcontractor – to have a stake in keeping the project and its people as safe as possible.

However, what if safety could go farther? What if the team can go all-in on technology, communication, and accountability in a way that raises the bar beyond expectations? Oftentimes, when expectations are raised, there’s a reluctance to take on the additional work that goes along with it. But when technology is introduced in a way that makes the quality of the work better without a stiff time or effort penalty, everyone wins.

At Callahan, we’ve found ways to raise the bar that simultaneously increases the quality of our jobsite for our peers and partners, all to the benefit of our valued client base. Below are some of the key ways we’re raising awareness and expectations around construction safety:

1. Culture building:

   The best ways are often the simplest ways. At Callahan, we know the happier people are to work for us, the quality of the work will only improve. Temperature controlled breakrooms, fridges for lunches and energy drinks, places to congregate with fellow subcontractors and team members – those are all standard on Callahan jobsites. It’s a simple first step in driving support for safety initiatives and demonstrates a commitment to being all-in on a collaborative culture, whether a subcontractor or a Callahan superintendent. 
   

2. Mitigating trade stacking:

   On a daily basis, a representative of every trade and team on the jobsite has a 15-minute window to discuss potential trade stacking issues and how to avoid them. From concerns about the staging of materials to maintaining access in heavy work areas, understanding the possible roadblocks and devising a plan to keep different trades working in harmony on the jobsite helps avoid unnecessary delays and safety issues.
   

3. SiteForm integration:

   Technology drives much of the innovation Callahan has introduced on the jobsite, and safety is perhaps one of the most significant ways new software and tools make a difference. SiteForm has enabled Callahan to provide training and site plans in a variety of languages delivered to workers’ mobile devices and dramatically increase accountability by tracking when training tasks remain incomplete. It also makes it far easier to send out warnings and alerts when conditions materialize on the jobsite that impact safety, such as high winds when cranes are active. SiteForm has had a pronounced effect on building an “all in” safety culture at Callahan. 
   

4. Using cmBuilder for safety:

   In addition to investing in new technology, Callahan has also found new uses for platforms already in use. For instance, its pre-construction experts now use cmBuilder to apply the same level of sophisticated planning capabilities used in other phases of work to jobsite safety. By bringing its safety leaders into the pre-con phase as soon as possible, jobsite hazards are engineered around virtually to minimize disruptions and enhance worker wellbeing once ground is broken.

At Callahan, we’re proud to celebrate Construction Safety Week but also recognize our responsibility to constantly enhance our safety strategies through deployment of innovative tools and training – making our team and subcontractors “all in” on safety, all the time. For more information on our safety program, click here.

Associated Builders and Contractors system recognizes contractors that maintain robust safety programs in jobsite operations

BOSTON – February 22, 2024 – Callahan Construction Managers (Callahan),a full-service construction management company based in Bridgewater, Mass., announced today it has achieved Platinum-level certification in the Associated Builders and Contractors’ STEP Safety Management System. Founded more than three decades ago, STEP is a proven system that provides the framework to measure, strengthen and build industry-leading safety programs that enable top-performing ABC members to achieve incident rates nearly seven times safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction industry average.

Callahan’s senior leadership is committed to a zero-incident safety culture that empowers employees to solve real-world safety problems via comprehensive pre-construction planning, daily jobsite safety meetings, and direct interaction with building owners and occupants. With over 50 years of combined experience, the company’s safety team is responsible for multiple job site visits per week to assist with inspections, incident management, and job safety meetings with subcontractors.

“At Callahan, we have placed a priority on safety to ensure the well-being of our workers as well as seamless operations on our clients’ project sites,” said Adam Ringo, director of safety, Callahan Construction. “Thanks to every member of our team, from pre-construction managers to jobsite supervisors, we have built a culture of safety that everyone takes pride in. We are grateful to ABC for providing an impressive framework that helps contractors make safety job 1.”

STEP participants measure their safety processes and policies on key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing health and safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents. Callahan earned high marks in several categories, including its low EMR and incidence rate, the latter of which is less than half of the national average; a robust new hire safety orientation for employees, which includes a review of company rules, NFPA hot work training, and fall protection training; and leadership team participation in safety programs, from preconstruction planning to conducting hazard analysis within each scope of work.

“Safety is a journey, and that journey is possible because of systems like STEP, which enables ABC member contractors like Callahan to actively build health and safety into their culture, creating industry-leading, holistic safety programs to protect their workers and deliver for their clients,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development. “STEP measures performance on key components, strengthens and expands best practices and builds safety culture. Our people are our greatest asset, and I commend Callahan for consistently fulfilling those commitments to raise the bar of safety performance.”

According to ABC’s annual Safety Performance Report, STEP participants, regardless of company size or type of work, can reduce recordable incidents up to 85%, making the best-performing companies 688% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average. Ratings range from Diamond, the highest, to Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participant.

To learn more about the STEP program, visit abc.org/step.

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About Callahan Construction Managers
Callahan Construction Managers is a full-service construction management company based in Bridgewater, Mass., with a regional office in White Plains, NY.  Callahan has served the New England and Northeast regions for over 65 years. As one of the region’s largest open shop construction firms, Callahan provides a wide range of preconstruction and construction management services to local, regional, and national clients. Callahan’s markets include multi-family residential, senior housing, affordable housing, hospitality, life sciences, corporate office, educational, retail and tenant fit up. Callahan was voted a 2021 “Top Place to Work” by the Boston Globe and “Best Place to Work” by the Boston Business Journal. Visit www.callahan-inc.com for more information.

Media Contact
Jeff Lavery
Pedigree Public Relations
[email protected]
508.361.7539