Stellar Wins 2022 National Safety Award from Associated Builders and Contractors

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 17, 2023) — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has recognized Stellar with a 2022 National Safety Excellence Award. Neil Ross, Vice President of Safety, accepted the award on behalf of Stellar’s Safety Team at the 33rd annual Excellence in Construction^® Awards during the ABC Convention 2023 in Kissimmee, Florida, on March 16.

The Jacksonville-based fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services, was recognized for the third consecutive year with a Pinnacle award, the highest of three categories, placing Stellar among a select group of ABC contractor members whose achievements in the field of construction safety are considered exceptional.

“Safety is essential for each employee at Stellar; it's the heartbeat of our organization,” Ross said. “We are proud to be recognized among the safest contractors in the nation and will continue to set the industry standard for safety best practices.”

Despite working in high-risk categories such as roofing and welding, Stellar’s safety record is notably better than the industry average in at least three major safety benchmarks:

• Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
• Experience Modification Rate (EMR)
• Days Away Restricted Transfer Rate (DART)

Historically, Stellar’s safety rates are less than half that of other firms in the industry.

The 2022 National Safety Excellence Award winners were selected from ABC member firms that achieved Diamond, Platinum and Gold status in ABC’s Safety, Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) Safety Management System in 2022. Awards are based on data submitted via the STEP applications, essay questions and interviews with company executives about their corporate safety culture.

During the selection process, national safety winners were judged on:

• Self-evaluation scores
• Lost workday case rates
• Total recordable incident rates
• Leading indicator use
• Process and program innovations
• Video interviews conducted by members of ABC’s National Safety and Health Committee

“World-class safety and total human health are essential pillars of the culture of ABC member companies — and those priorities are exemplified by these contractors,” said Milton Graugnard, 2023 National Chair of the ABC Board of Directors. Graugnard is executive vice president for Cajun Industries LLC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “Stellar prioritizes taking care of its employees — their greatest asset. Among the NSEA winners are several ABC Top Performers, leading contractor members ranked by work hours, demonstrating the positive impact of implementing strong safety programs.”

ABC presents the National Safety Awards in three major North American Industry Classification System code categories: NAICS 236 – Construction of Buildings; NAICS 237 – Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction, and NAICS 238 – Specialty Trade Contractors.

The standard for developing world-class safety management systems in construction, STEP is designed to help both large and small contractors evaluate every aspect of their corporate safety and health programs as well as identify opportunities for improvement.