As Granger Construction celebrated its 60th Anniversary in business at the start of 2019, the company was proud to announce its EMR (Experience Modification Rate) was reduced to 0.55. While a tremendous achievement for any construction firm, the reduced EMR rating was additionally noteworthy for Granger given the company’s increasing volume of Self-Perform Trades services.
“One of Granger’s five core values is Strong and Safe Work Ethic,” said Dennis Carignan, (Former Granger Executive Vice President and current President). “Our company has been dedicated to creating a safety culture since its foundation. But we couldn’t have achieved Granger’s lowest EMR ever without our employees’ continued efforts.”
EMR Defined:
EMR is an important measure of a construction company’s approach to safety, and the efforts taken to prevent injuries and accidents before they happen. The U.S. insurance industry uses EMR to adjust an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance premium based on their pre-existing claims history compared to other businesses in the same industry and state. EMRs also provide the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), as well as owners and buyers, with a quick tool for evaluating a constructor’s overall safety performance.
Granger’s 2019 EMR was nearly half the industry average of 1.0, and trend the company continuously works to improve.
Granger’s Safety Champions:
“Achieving this type of EMR is a combined team effort,” said Granger Corporate Safety Director Brian Goodman. “I can think of many individuals who have helped Granger with this achievement, but if I had to narrow it down to a few champions, the following team members made exceptional contributions to our safety culture leading into 2019.”
Carl Lamphere: As a Self-Perform Superintendent with Granger for almost 24 years, Carl put a tremendous amount of thought into his projects, including getting ahead of safety issues or concerns. Teammates who have worked with Carl have stated he never lets anyone do anything he feels might be unsafe. Instead, Carl consistently makes time to plan work in a safe and productive manner.
Riley Thelen: A jobsite Foreman with over 12 years at Granger, Riley was another individual who always showed vigilance for safety. Riley became known for reminding team members and fellow trades-people of potential safety risks and being quick to identify and address hazardous situations on the jobsite.
Rich Grove: A Concrete Superintendent with Granger for over 5 years, Rich was effectively using daily pre-task huddles to remind his team of potential hazards they might be exposed to while completing tasks. He focused on providing proper training for his crew, ensuring they had the knowledge and tools to return home safe and injury-free at the end of each work shift.
“Other team members, like Marti Schrauben (Project Manager), Tiffany Spano (Project Manager) and Greg Brand (Director of Virtual Design and Construction) were additional safety champions,” noted Goodman. “They’d call to get clarification of specific safety standards and ensure not only Granger’s employees, but also our subcontractors, completed tasks safely.”
Granger’s General Superintendent of Operations, Tom Owens, said Granger’s Safety Professionals, General Contracting, Yard/Shop and Self-Perform trades professionals should all feel proud of their contributions.
“These team members stayed diligent every single day, through all types of weather and challenges,” Owens noted. “They kept up on trainings while maintaining project commitments, and held one another to higher standards. It’s this team effort that ensures everyone returns home safely.”
