For my construction safety class, I was paired with a mentor from Turner Construction in order to complete a site safety visit and subsequent report. This document details Turner's above and beyond compliance with OSHA regulations on The Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center project.

1. CSM 2600:
Construction Safety
& Health
Spring Semester 2013
Turner Construction’s
OSUWMC Project
Jobsite Abatement Paper
April 8, 2013
Joshua Shoemaker

2. For the purposes of CSM 2600, I was assigned to a mentor/mentee relationship with
David Stanton, a project manager for Turner Construction. On Friday, February 22, 2013, I
attended a jobsite safety visit with David and another of Turner’s employees (Peter Hughes) at
Turner Construction’s OSU Wexner Medical Center project. The project is a new, state of the
art, comprehensive cancer treatment center located on the university’s medical campus, on 10th
avenue between Cannon Drive and Medical Center Drive.
During the jobsite safety visit, I observed many safety practices that met and exceeded
compliance with OSHA regulations. Turner Construction has exceled in creating a safe and
healthy occupational environment for their employees, subcontractors, and other business
associates. According to David, Turner is one of the first companies to adopt a ‘Ladders Last’
type of policy. I would like to address this policy as well as some of Turner’s other programs
and the safety innovation involved in these important steps to constructions injury eradication.
On the road to creating a safe and healthy working environment, Turner has innovated
many internal programs, such as ‘Building L.I.F.E.,’ ‘Ladders Last,’ and ‘Nothing Hits the
Ground,’ which have been implemented, to some degree, on all of Turner’s construction sites.
Turner Construction also has more than thirty training programs for individual employees, which
includes their online OSHA thirty-hour course, annual safety days, and toolbox talk programs.
Turner’s safety innovation is rooted in its philosophy on the subject: ‘Building L.I.F.E.’
(Living Injury Free Everyday). The ‘Building L.I.F.E.’ program attempts to eradicate all
construction injury on Turner jobsites. This policy, accompanied by existing company standards
and the aforementioned training programs have created a cutting edge safety organization
structure for the construction industry. ‘Building L.I.F.E.’ incorporates the key ideas of

3. preventable injuries, safe job assessment and performance, working safely as part of the job
description, and observance of safety every day in every way.
‘Ladders Last’ is a policy which limits the number of ladders on a job site, or eliminates
them entirely. It has been one of Turner’s most effective means of accident and fall prevention.
According to OSHA statistics discussed in class, thirty three percent of all construction fatalities
are a direct result of falls from elevations. The ‘Ladders Last’ program seeks to increase
worksite safety by simply eradicating the use of all ladders unless necessary. Falling from
ladders is a leading cause of construction falls, and most ladders falls happen under the six foot
elevation.
All of the latter methods are observed with a company-wide idea of lean construction in
mind. Another example of a program that meets this lean need is the ‘Nothing hits the Ground’
program. ‘Nothing hits the Ground’ is a policy implemented in order to require subcontractors to
use rolling carts, racks, dollies, and pallet jacks. This program helps to prevent many of the
strains, sprains, and repetitive motion injuries associated with material handling. In addition to
improving the safety and health of employees and subcontractors, ‘Nothing hits the Ground’ also
improves site neatness and increases site efficiency.
Inferring from David’s explanations and insights on safety practices, Turner Construction
is a perfect model for how safety can be integrated into the corporate structure and strategy of a
company. They initiate numerous programs, policies, and procedures in order to solidify their
leading safety standards and outline their commitment to sending every worker home safely
every day. In my opinion, this incorporation of safety is one of the main reasons that Turner
Construction is a leader in the industry and will continue to be regarded as such.