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Q&A: A Safety Manager's Insights on Construction Safety Week

This article is included in the Great Things: Issue 7 edition of the DPR Newsletter.

A group of construction workers stands in front of a jobsite, laughing together.
"Construction Safety Week reinvigorates our efforts and allows us to show gratitude to our teams for choosing to work safely," says safety manager, Amy Duck. Courtesy of Jennette Campbell

DPR safety manager Amy Duck recently shared her thoughts on the importance of participating in Construction Safety Week 2022 and how it fits into DPR’s overall EHS culture.

If safety is a value every day at DPR, why the need to participate in Construction Safety Week?

Construction Safety Week is an opportunity to celebrate our craft employees and partners and raise awareness on important safety messages. It’s an opportunity for the whole company to come together to acknowledge accomplishments and recognize that safety must be a part of everything we do. This week reinvigorates our efforts and allows us to show gratitude to our teams for choosing to work safely. 

The theme for this year’s Construction Safety Week was “Connected. Supported. Safe.” What does that mean?

We are all connected. The things we do affect not only us, but also those around us. Working in a supportive environment fosters a sense of teamwork and shared success, along with an open door of communication that empowers us to speak up and drive positive change on jobsites. Safety is what unites us. 

Is mental health safety an important part of DPR’s EHS culture?

Mental health safety is a crucial part of our culture at DPR. Our industry is fast paced and ever-changing. We have all experienced many unexpected changes in the last couple of years. Asking for help can be very hard to do and we want our team to know that we care, we are here to help, and we have resources to support you. Our culture is one that respects the individual and takes care of people. If our workers are not okay, we as a whole are not okay. 

Fundamentals of EHS: Safe Mindset, Engagement, Integration, Competence, Planning, Leveraging Data, Continuous Improvement

How do you and your teams focus on the Fundamentals of EHS in your daily work?

The Fundamentals of EHS are really a way of thinking to help us navigate our days—a focused effort to be deliberate in our approach and to do the right thing for the good of the whole. Each one is just as important as the other. I do love that the first listed fundamental is Safe Mindset because we have to believe in safety, in its value and in our value. 

Every day, I learn something new from someone. I learn why they are here, why they believe in safety and what is important to them. When I make that connection, it drives me to continuously improve and create change.