Construction at DISA's New Headquarters Surpasses Safety Milestone

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, announced Wednesday, March 3, that the construction project for the DISA headquarters facility at Fort Meade, Md., surpassed the milestone of 1-million-exposure man-hours without a lost-time injury last month. DISA headquarters is relocating to Fort Meade no later than September 2011 in accordance with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation of 2005.

The Corps of Engineers awarded the $400 million design-build contract on the DISA project to Hensel-Phelps Construction Co. of Chantilly, Va., in February 2008, and construction began in March 2008.

"One million hours without a lost-time accident is a big deal," said David Bullock, DISA's BRAC executive. "We have structured our Award Fee Process for the Hensel Phelps construction contract to make safety one of only four factors the contractor is evaluated against to determine his quarterly award fee. Clearly Hensel Phelps has accepted the challenge and worked hard to ensure they run a safe and accident-free job site."

"I can personally attest to the thoroughness of the safety training they require of everyone who regularly accesses the DISA job site. It's only upon completion of that training that you are issued a badge that allows you to enter the job site without an escort. We review the status of Hensel Phelps' STOP [Safety Training Observation Program every week at the Tuesday progress meetings. They have a site superintendent that attends each progress meeting to review current status, discuss trends, address new initiatives, and problems they've experienced with various subcontractors." Bullock said.

Hensel-Phelps' safety program focuses on indoctrination, housekeeping, training, compliance, and enforcement. One way they showed their emphasis on safety was by establishing a monthly safety council and incentive program. Also, STOP, which is marketed by DuPont Chemical Co., helps organizations build a strong safety culture by encouraging team members to observe, analyze, correct, and prevent unsafe acts that are the major causes of more than 90 percent of all injuries.

Hensel-Phelps has consistently been ranked among the top general contractors and construction managers in the nation by Engineering News Record. The company has also received the H.B. Alexander Award for Safety from the Associated General Contractors for the highest work-hour exposure without a construction lost-workday case, in addition to numerous other awards including Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognition.