With construction industry fatalities reaching more than 1,000 in 2023, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Alabama is taking proactive steps to ensure worker safety through hands-on training and emergency preparedness. As part of its ongoing commitment to reduce on-site risks and reinforce safety protocols, ABC of Alabama partnered with the University of Alabama, Harrison Construction, and local emergency agencies to conduct a simulated structural collapse on the UA campus.
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The training exercise was designed to mimic a real-life construction accident, offering emergency responders, construction professionals, and safety officials a realistic environment to test and improve response procedures. It featured a specially constructed elevated platform built from scaffold bases, aluminum beams, and plywood topped with foam to simulate a concrete floor. Additional hazards, such as a simulated gas leak using compressed air and water-spraying copper lines, were included to closely replicate actual job site conditions.
The scenario included live actors portraying injured workers and members of the media to simulate a comprehensive emergency response, including medical aid and crisis communication.
Tim Harrison, President of Harrison Construction and Chairman of the ABC Board, emphasized the significance of the event. “Safety is paramount in Harrison Construction’s approach to every project. Our employees’ families deserve their loved ones’ home each night, both physically and mentally, the same way they left the morning before,” he said.
“This event brings together numerous entities engaged in preventing accidents and promoting safety awareness in our industry. These types of exercises make our employees, subs, owners, and vendors safer.”
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ABC of Alabama President Jay Reed echoed the importance of collaboration in achieving safety goals.
“It is our duty to be front and center at events like this. Ensuring that construction workers get home to their families every night is the most important thing we do. I greatly appreciate this collaboration with the University of Alabama, Harrison Construction, and our local emergency response partners.”
Sherri Blevins is a writer for Mountain Valley News and a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
