Waterford Today

The Construction Safety Research Center at Lawrence Technological University has announced the addition of four new member companies.

The new members are:

• Barton Malow, the Southfield-based contractor and construction manager with a long history of major projects in Michigan and elsewhere, from the Pontiac Silverdome to major auto assembly plants.
• CAB Engineering LLC, a Northville-based provider of government certification, procurement, and contracting consulting services.
• MISS DIG 811, the Michigan non-profit corporation that operates the underground utility safety notification system for the state of Michigan. Since its inception in 1970, it has received more than 26 million location requests.
• Frank Rewold & Sons, the Rochester-based construction firm with major projects in education, commercial and office space, hospitality, housing, health care, municipal, and recreational buildings.

“Barton Malow is proud to be a part of the CSRC Team and is looking forward to advancing safety in the construction industry,” said Tim Tokarz, safety manager at Barton Malow.

Jim Foucher, president of CAB Engineering, said: The LTU Construction Safety Research Center has expanded on their already diverse group of founding board members with some great additions to the team for this second year. The bolstered roster for year two is represented by organizations representing both small and large businesses, local agencies, Michigan-based construction firms, energy companies, non-profits, and a leader in apparel for the trades. In addition, the group will again be led by an academic team that continues to be on the forefront of innovation that can only be expected from Lawrence Tech. To say that I am excited to continue to be involved is an understatement.”

Joseph Guadagnino, MISS DIG 811 interim CEO, said: “MISS DIG 811 has been on the front lines of saving lives and reducing injuries to individuals around construction projects since 1970. We are the first step to any digging project; it is our mission to protect the state’s vital buried utilities as well as to protect our citizens. MISS DIG 811 serves as the link between buried utility owners and the construction industry. As a member of the Construction Safety Research Center, MISS DIG 811 hopes to provide its unique perspective. In addition to MISS DIG 811 learning about risks involved with construction activity, we can provide five simple steps to help workers go home safely each night.“ 

And Adam Gut, vice president and senior project manager at Frank Rewold & Sons, said: “In 1918, our company's founder, Frank L. Rewold, began performing construction services for one of the automotive aristocracy’s most remarkable women, Matilda Dodge Wilson, at what is now Oakland University. Four generations and 105 years later, Frank Rewold & Sons (FRS), still family owned, is building on university campuses throughout Southeast Michigan. Having successfully completed multiple projects at Lawrence Technological University for over 10 years with zero incidents, FRS is honored to be a part of the Construction Safety Research Center at LTU. The safety and well-being of our employees, field personnel, and the public is job number one. FRS builds safely or it does not build at all.”

“We are happy to welcome new members to the CSRC as it continues its efforts to make Michigan construction workplaces safer,” said CSRC Executive Director Ahmed Al-Bayati, assistant professor of civil and architectural engineering at LTU.

The Construction Safety Research Center is a membership-driven collaboration of companies, municipalities, associations, and agencies that aims to reduce work-related fatalities and injuries by providing innovative safety practices derived from groundbreaking research. The CSRC has a process that helps industry leaders transfer their knowledge and extensive experience into training that saves lives, prevents injuries, and improves the overall performance of construction industry companies. The CSRC’s founding members are:

• Bouma Corporation, a Grand Rapids construction contractor
• Carhartt, Inc., a Dearborn-based maker of work apparel
• DTE Energy, Michigan’s largest utility
• RBV Contracting, Inc., a Detroit construction firm
• The City of Kalamazoo
• The City of Southfield

Also contributing to the CSRC effort is Michael Darga, partner at Giffels Webster, the Detroit civil engineering firm, who graduated from LTU in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in construction management.

For more information on the CSRC, to become a CSRC member, or to participate in future CSRC research projects, visit www.ltu.edu/csrc, or contact Al-Bayati at aalbayati@ltu.edu.

Original source can be found here.