Construction Safety Week 2022: Why Businesses Should Prioritize Inclusion in their Approach to Safety

Safety in the construction industry rightfully focuses on the proper handling of materials and machinery through process, documentation and oversight. But businesses looking to take their approach to safety to the next level should prioritize building a culture of inclusion.

Building Inclusion into Safety

Safety is essential in the construction field, and there are countless ways to ensure crews remain safe on the jobsite. Providing necessary protective gear, properly functioning tools and crew objectives are conventional ways of providing workers with physical protection on the site. However, there is one factor that is often overlooked in contributing to the safety of a jobsite: inclusion.

Inclusion in the workplace is about creating an environment where everyone, no matter their background, is empowered to contribute to their full potential. If diversity is about getting a seat at the table, inclusion is making sure everyone at the table is valued and heard. From a safety perspective, this focus can help construction crews build a culture where everyone is comfortable speaking up regarding potential hazards.

Safety, Construction and Semiconductors

Intel’s leadership in the semiconductor manufacturing space is often recognized, especially here in Arizona where we’ve been innovating and investing for more than four decades. To enable that tremendous growth, Intel has invested significantly in developing construction expertise as well. Our latest expansion in Arizona, a $20 billion investment in Chandler to bring up two world-class factories, will support 7,000 construction jobs over the several years it will take to build them.

Construction of these two factories is well underway, and you can bet we are prioritizing partnering with construction companies that also value safety and inclusion. Anyone working on our site is empowered to stop the job if they have a safety concern — after all, the health and safety of our people is our top priority, which directly supports our corporate responsibility goals.

And safety is Intel’s top priority across the company as well. Intel ended 2020 with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable rate of 0.75, compared to a published U.S. semiconductor industry average recordable rate of 0.9. Our days away case rate was 0.16, compared to the semiconductor industry average of 0.4.

Inclusion Benefits beyond Safety

The benefits of focusing on inclusion go far beyond safety; allowing employees to have a space where they feel comfortable speaking up will improve company culture and retention, and improve the overall safety on the job. Inclusive workforces tend to see less turnover, so this focus on inclusion can also help companies prevent future labor shortages. As society progresses and demand for inclusivity continues, the construction industry must be able to adapt to the evolving needs of their clients.

Future of Inclusivity in Construction

There are many factors that influence the overall safety on the construction site, including a focus on inclusion. In the workplace, having a sense of community and feeling as though you belong in the space and that your voice will be heard greatly impacts the overall safety of the job, which can influence a company’s overall safety score and help meet safety objectives.

For those considering integrating inclusion more tightly with their approach to safety, fostering a culture that celebrates everyone enables innovation to grow. By including new perspectives and ideas, you may be able to see a new viewpoint on how to approach potential projects. Providing a culture that allows employees to speak up about potential safety issues trickles down to improve overall safety metrics.

To stay competitive in the construction industry, it is essential to ensure that your company prioritizes inclusion. While there are a multitude of benefits from embracing diversity and inclusion, safety should be incentive enough to prioritize these efforts. An inclusive company culture will lead to better safety practices and objectives, which will help companies stay competitive, win contracts and scale to meet the growing construction needs across various markets.

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Dominic Greensmith is a construction project director at Intel Corporation. Greensmith has spent 20 years at Intel, where he has furthered his career to become an integral part of the company’s continuous construction. Dominic Greensmith holds a BSc in construction technology and a master’s in project management.