On Tuesday, April 12, N.C. Department of Labor (NCDOL) Commissioner Josh Dobson presented Messer Construction Co. with a Building Star award at the Cabarrus County courthouse worksite in Concord. Cabarrus County contracted Messer to complete a renovation and expansion to the courthouse, and this is the initial Building Star award presented to Messer’s Charlotte region.
“I’d like to congratulate Messer Construction Co. for achieving Building Star certification. It’s always significant when a business reaches that milestone for the first time,” Labor Commissioner Dobson said. “For a business to go above and beyond to meet these tough requirements, it shows Messer’s deep commitment to creating and maintaining a safe workplace for their employees.”
Messer is committed to creating and maintaining a “Zero Injury Culture,” which focuses on ensuring each worker’s safety and the safety of those around them. The Messer 5S Program—which stands for Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize and Sustain—is a main component of Messer’s Zero Injury Culture, and seeks to eliminate slip, trip and fall hazards related to housekeeping around the jobsite.
“We believe no job, task or schedule is more important than the health and safety of people on our near our jobsites, and we are committed to returning every person home to their families every day,” Messer Senior Safety Manager Paul Garbon said. “Enough cannot be said about the cleanliness and safe working conditions on our Cabarrus County Courthouse project and throughout Messer’s projects in Charlotte. Thank you to our project leadership, to our craftforce, and to all of our subcontractor partners for embracing our safety values every day.”
Approximately 175-200 workers are on the site, representing approximately 20 different subcontractors working for Messer. The worksites evaluated during the certification have a Total Recordable Case rate 76% below the industry average, and a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Case rate 63% below the industry national average.
For four consecutive years, Messer has been recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas as a STEP Diamond contractor (the association’s highest level for safety performance). Additionally, Messer won Associated General Contractors’ national Construction Safety Excellence Award in 2021 in the Building Division (over 850,000 work hours).
The Building Star Program is created solely for the construction industry. It recognizes construction worksites and/or companies (including general contractors and subcontractors) that have Carolina Star quality safety and health programs but require demonstration of approaches and procedures that differ from current Carolina Star requirements. Building Star participants are proactive and partner with the NCDOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Division in an effort to prevent fatalities, injuries and illnesses through a system focused on management commitment and leadership, employee involvement and participation, hazard identification and evaluation, hazard prevention and control and safety and health training.
More information about the NCDOL’s Carolina Building Star Program is available by calling 919-707-7852 or emailing LaMont Smith, Carolina Star's recognition program manager, at lamont.smith@labor.nc.gov.