ASCCSAFE- Spring Edition

Director of Safety Services Message

Joe Whiteman, CSP, CHST

ASCC’s annual Safety Awards program has officially entered a new era — one focused not only on recognizing achievement, but on fostering a deeper culture of learning, leadership, and innovation across the concrete construction industry. With a new digital platform, updated award criteria, and two major program additions, the 2025 awards process has been reimagined to better reflect what safety excellence looks like today.

At the core of this evolution is ASCC’s commitment to moving beyond traditional evaluation methods. While we will continue to honor member companies in our core categories — Recognition (for incident rates below the industry average), Improvement, Zero Lost Time, Fleet Safety and Outstanding Safety Performance — the program now places greater emphasis on culture, engagement, and proactive best practices. The aim is to create a more holistic picture of how safety is embedded throughout an organization.

Our top honor, formerly known as the W. Burr Bennett Award for Safety Excellence, has been renamed the ASCC Vanguard Award for Concrete Safety Excellence. As in years past, this award remains by invitation only. Following initial submissions, a panel will invite select general and specialty contractors to move forward with a deeper review of their overall safety approach. The new submission platform provides an enhanced opportunity to demonstrate performance by including supporting materials — from images and documents to embedded video clips that bring a company’s values and leadership practices to life.

One of the most exciting features of the new platform is the option to include video testimonials. These can be a powerful tool for showing how safety is embraced throughout an organization. Members are encouraged to capture authentic voices from across all levels — including field personnel, superintendents, project managers, and company leadership. Whether reflecting on what safety means to them personally, sharing their onboarding experience, or explaining why their approach stands out, these testimonials provide real insight into culture and commitment in a way written words often cannot.

These video submissions will also play a role in enhancing the Safety Awards Ceremony at ASCC’s Annual Conference, the organization’s highest-attended event of the year. Featuring select clips during the ceremony allows ASCC to highlight award recipients in a dynamic and visual way — turning the ceremony into a larger platform for recognition and sharing. This not only elevates the work being done by member companies but also creates a powerful opportunity for others to see and learn from proven field practices, leadership philosophies, and cultural strategies.

In addition to refining the submission process, ASCC has launched a brand-new category: the ASCC Safety Innovation Award. This award celebrates bold, forward-thinking efforts that challenge industry norms, improve jobsite safety and culture, and shape the future of our industry. Submissions may include innovations in training, mental health, equipment use, digital tools, or any impactful solution that leads to measurable improvements. Entries can be submitted in either written format (up to 2,000 words) or video (up to five minutes), depending on what best tells the story.

New in 2025 — ASCC Associate Members are encouraged to submit for the Safety Innovation Award.- We recognize that our Associate Members often face unique safety challenges and work environments that may differ from dynamic construction job sites. Whether operating in manufacturing, fabrication, or more fixed settings, these members are still developing innovative safety practices that deserve to be shared and celebrated. Safety leadership can emerge from any setting, and we believe there's great value in showcasing how Associate Members are contributing to a safer industry overall. This is a powerful opportunity for Associate Members to highlight their own innovations, share lessons learned, and help inspire safety improvements across the entire ASCC community.

To support the new process, ASCC has partnered with FactorLab to deliver a streamlined web-based submission experience through SmartTagIt. The mobile- and desktop-friendly platform makes it easier than ever to participate, allowing companies to attach media, provide narrative, and track their progress. Submissions for this year’s awards are due June 15, 2025.

For those looking for guidance, a detailed walkthrough webinar — hosted by Teresa DeVore from FactorLab and ASCC Safety & Risk Management Council Director John Messing — is now available on the ASCC website. To view the archived session, log in and navigate to the Members tab, click Webinars, and scroll to the Safety section where it’s listed first.

To access the platform, members will need login credentials for both the ASCC website and SmartTagIt. If you don’t yet have access, reach out to Sayde Hindelang at shindelang@ascconline.org, ASCC’s Membership and Administrative Coordinator. Sayde can assist you in getting both sets of credentials so you can begin the submission process without delay.

Above all, this revamped program reflects ASCC’s longstanding belief that our members are our greatest resource. When companies share their efforts — whether through safety improvements, innovations, or cultural practices — they provide insight others can learn from.

A key benefit of the new platform is anonymous benchmarking. Participants will be able to compare their performance against both fellow ASCC members and the broader construction industry. This not only offers a valuable internal assessment tool but also provides ASCC with aggregated data to demonstrate that its members truly are among the safest contractors in the industry. This benchmarking capability transforms the awards process into a strategic opportunity — helping members identify growth areas while reinforcing the collective strength and safety leadership of the ASCC community.

Participation is the key to unlocking the full value of this effort. The more companies that submit, the richer the collective knowledge becomes. ASCC encourages all members — including Associates — to not only start their own submissions but also remind their peers to get involved. The ripple effect of more voices, more stories, and more innovations will elevate safety across the industry.

So don’t wait. Log in, get your credentials, and begin your submission today. Let’s raise the bar together and make 2025 the year we collectively redefine what safety leadership and excellence look like in concrete construction.