Safety Archives - Kitchell Progress

The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) recently honored Kitchell with the Exemplary Award for Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) at its annual Industrial Commission of Arizona Day at the Capitol. Kitchell is the first construction company to ever win the award.

“Kitchell has demonstrated a tireless commitment to safety, evidenced by VPP achievement on several of its projects, and the dedication of the company’s entire workforce to actively living and promoting a safety culture,” said ADOSH Assistant Director Jessie Atencio.

Over the past several years, Kitchell has made great strides on weaving safety into the company’s culture, becoming a de facto industry leader in safety and health. This effort extends not only to the company’s direct employees, but also to ensuring its subcontractors are aligned and engaged with safety protocols and procedures. The statistics overwhelmingly show success in this effort, with an OSHA incident rate for the entire company 76 percent lower than the national industry average and trade partner employee injuries decreasing significantly over the past few years.

Kitchell was also recently recognized for its safety efforts at a national level, with a Construction Safety Excellence Award by the Associated General Contractors of America. The awards criteria examines management’s commitment to safety, active employee participation, safety training, work site hazard identification and control and safety program innovation

“Our safety best practices add tremendous value to our culture,” said Kitchell Contractors President Steve Whitworth. “The bottom line is that this commitment extends to our families and our communities. We want everyone home safely, every day.”

Kitchell has achieved VPP designation on several of its job sites in recent years, including Chandler Regional Medical Center, the Center at Val Vista, Phoenix Children’s Hospital Emergency Department expansion and Banner Casa Grande Medical Center. The company also achieved recognition at its Phoenix headquarters to reinforce its commitment to safety beyond project sites, to include locations that house administrative functions.

“Earning VPP Star Status is an accomplishment that is achieved through a deliberate process involving employees and management at all levels,” Atencio said. “Kitchell realizes that this is a journey that never ends.”

VPP is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) highest program of recognition across the United States. Companies and jobsites that are awarded the VPP Star designation demonstrate exemplary and comprehensive safety and health management systems to achieve illness and injury rates that are more than 50 percent below the national average. The VPP program is completely voluntary and a collaborative relationship between ADOSH and business, in which employers must submit an application and undergo a thorough on-site evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals. Sites earning the designation are periodically re-evaluated in order to remain in the program.

Last year’s Exemplary Awards honorees were Raytheon and the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.

Studies have shown that companies with a focus on health and safety experience significantly lower workers’ compensation claims, higher productivity and less turnover.

Kitchell was awarded a big, and very important, gold star on May 15. Kitchell was formally recognized with the state’s highest safety distinction at our Phoenix headquarters. The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) designated Kitchell a “STAR Site” through the Construction Voluntary Protection Program “C-VPP.” Companies and jobsites that are awarded the STAR designation demonstrate exemplary and comprehensive safety and health management systems. Kitchell is one of only three construction companies in the state to achieve this designation.

VPP is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) highest program of recognition across the United States. It recognizes employers and workers in private and federal workplaces who have exemplified effective safety and health management systems to achieve injury and illness rates that are more than 50 percent below the national average.

At Kitchell, the journey to STAR status began 65 years ago when the company was founded but its most recent efforts, starting in 2013, must be singled out. The entire company rallied together, under the direction of Safety Director Josh Welp and Kitchell’s executive leadership, to wow the auditors at ADOSH. Chandler Regional Medical Center was chosen as a “test” job site and the job team’s execution of safety best practices was flawless. “The job site was immaculate,” said Jessie Atencio, assistant director and consultation and training program manager for ADOSH. “That level of housekeeping is an outward representation of the extensive work and commitment behind the scenes to ensure a safe jobsite.” Atencio also spoke highly about the culture of safety at Kitchell. “Safety is built into the culture of Kitchell,” he said. “They don’t just go through the motions, but really take ownership of their safety and the health and safety of those around them.” Atencio and Bill Warren, ADOSH director, commented on the high level of involvement by management—concerns were addressed in a timely manner—and employee willingness to dive into the VPP process, including site inspections, pre-task planning and peer reviews. “Not only does Kitchell look out for ‘its own,’” said Mr. Warren. “But also the trade contractors were just as important, just as valued. They will now bring their safety knowledge to other jobs they work on.”

“Though our business spans a wide range of services in the built environment, safety is ingrained in our culture, encompassing every facet of our organization from construction job sites to desk positions in our IT department,” said Kitchell CEO Jim Swanson.

“When we undertook the effort to obtain VPP designation we knew it would be a collaborative effort so we’ve left no stone unturned with regards to safety and health.”

To qualify for VPP status, employers must submit an application to OSHA and undergo an on-site evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals. VPP participants and sites earning the “STAR Site” designation are re-evaluated every three to five years in order to remain in the program.

Kitchell Progress

Category Archives: Safety

Kitchell receives recognition from the Arizona Industrial Commission

Kitchell designated a STAR site by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health

“When we undertook the effort to obtain VPP designation we knew it would be a collaborative effort so we’ve left no stone unturned with regards to safety and health.”