STARTING WITH SAFETY FIRST

Safety is Prime's top priority. All of our employees are trained in workplace CPR and First Aid, and all jobsite superintendents must complete this training before being placed on a project. All project personnel must also pass OSHA's 10-hour Construction Safety training course, and all new employees go through a 4-hour safety orientation. Our Safety Manual covers all types of work that we might encounter, and it is complete with procedures, rules, and OSHA regulations—including all necessary forms and required jobsite postings. This manual is reviewed periodically to ensure it is current with all State, Federal, and local laws. We utilize a professional safety consultant for quarterly audits, and we employ an OSHA trained and certified Safety Director who conducts unannounced jobsite safety inspections. We conduct field video training on various safety topics to keep employees reminded of the importance of safety rules and regulations, and weekly jobsite safety meetings are held to train on construction hazards and hazardous materials. In February 2009, we were awarded a special commendation by our insurer:

Jobsite safety is serious business, to be sure, but never moreso than when children are present. Since we mostly work at school buildings—often while occupied—we found it beneficial to expand jobsite safety at schools by including extra safety barricades and fences around hazards, instituting an ID badge program for workers, implementing the Mr. Yuk poison safety program, and conducting safety awareness assemblies for students. In order to present and drive home this very important safety information without overwhelming the kids, we turn it into a fun and exciting contest for them. We have the students make posters depicting the safety guidelines as demonstrated to them by our project superintendent and Safety Director.

The class with the best poster from each grade wins a pizza party, and we also award certificates for 2nd and 3rd places. This "Starting with Safety First" contest is so popular with the students and teachers that HISD adopted it as the district-wide standard for delivering safety awareness programs to elementary and middle school students. Student safety at all of our school projects is just another area where Prime is continuously advancing the benchmark for construction excellence. After all, we're in this for them: improving their learning environment, building schools that lift their spirits, and making sure they are safe every step of the way. Our children deserve nothing less.