SafeCon Consulting To Provide Risk Management And Safety Services For San Diego Community College District Projects
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SafeCon Consulting has been selected to provide a range of risk management and safety services for the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) construction projects that are funded under Proposition N (2002) and Proposition S (2006). The 23 planned projects at City College, Mesa College, Miramar College and the San Diego Community College Continuing Education campuses are valued at $1.5 billion and will be constructed over the next six years.
Citizens of the State of California approved the SDCCD construction bond program, an investment in education that will prepare California's children for the 21st century by reducing classroom sizes, providing access to appropriate learning tools and technologies and ensuring safe and secure learning environments. The bond initiative calls for construction of new classrooms, labs and facilities as well as repair of existing buildings and infrastructure across the San Diego Community College District system.
SafeCon, a safety solutions provider for the construction industry, is widely known and recognized for its proactive programs to eliminate costs associated with construction incidents and injuries. SafeCon will work with Gafcon, the SDCCD construction program manager, for the duration of the program to provide risk management and safety services on a range of projects, which include constructing classrooms, learning centers, labs and amenities, renovating dilapidated buildings, repairing roofs and upgrading infrastructure throughout the system.
Enhancements at San Diego City College will include construction of a child development center and a general classroom building. Mesa College will gain a student services center, a social sciences building, a math & science building, a temporary technology center and a cafeteria/bookstore. Miramar College is slated for a new library learning resource center, a technology building, and an arts & humanities building as well as an automotive technology career instructional building, a cafeteria/bookstore, a student services center and various safety facilities. The Continuing Education Campus will benefit from a new district service center and various other facilities.
"The SDCCD's adoption of a district-wide construction safety program puts it way ahead of other community college districts," said Mark Cho, Gafcon Program Manager for the District's $1.5 billion propositions S and N construction bond program. "When the District first asked about developing this program, we went directly to SafeCon, considered the best construction safety inspection consultant in the country."
SafeCon will oversee safety guidelines; provide supervisory personnel with safety and risk management training and support; undertake site safety surveys; conduct safety training classes for district personnel, provide contract reviews, and insurance consulting; and provide preconstruction safety services.
Sam Iler, president of SafeCon, noted that the SDCCD construction safety program will be a comprehensive, leading-edge safety and risk management program. "While the contractors participating in the construction process all have good safety and risk management programs individually, SafeCon will bring cohesiveness and uniformity at the program level on behalf of the owner," he said.
"To put it in contractor terms, we are acting as a ‘CM' with respect to risk and safety management representing the owner across the entire bond program," Iler continued. "Providing safety and risk management services at the program level will result in a coordinated, efficient and economical approach," he said.
"Our program structure is very similar to that of the Navy in its management of multibillion-dollar projects," said Gafcon's Cho. "Inspections are conducted at random, with thorough written and photographic documentation, along with details about any needed preventive or corrective measures or where additional monitoring may be advisable. Effective safety measures are also documented.
"The addition of SafeCon as an independent safety inspector to the District's construction program has already made a difference. Our campus project managers report a greater level of awareness and responsiveness on the part of their contractors and construction teams," Cho said. "The District takes its level of accountability to the public very seriously on these projects, and this includes construction safety practices at our job sites."
About SafeCon Consulting:
SafeCon is a San Diego-based safety services provider for the construction industry. Founded in 2002, SafeCon offers a wide variety of risk management and loss prevention services, including pre-construction services, on-site services and forensic services, and creates customized risk-management and loss prevention programs for construction clients. SafeCon has developed assessment and implementation tools to assist contractors in understanding the cost of poor risk management and has helped construction companies achieve award-winning levels of adherence to safe building practices. Three of SafeCon's construction clients – T.B. Penick & Sons, Erickson-Hall Construction Company and Roel Construction – received national recognition from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) for their exemplary safety practices and accident-free records. They were among only 19 companies in the nation to receive this prestigious designation. SafeCon has also been selected by the 1200 members of AGCSD to represent their interests in the Cal/OSHA regulatory process and provide safety services to the membership.
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