9th Annual Safety Week Returns with Free Training Opportunities

EV Construction, a leading West Michigan construction management firm, is hosting its ninth annual Safety Week. The 2024 event, will be held Monday, March 11, through Thursday, March 14, at Prince Conference Center at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., and the West Michigan Construction Institute.

The week will kick off with a Safety Symposium on Monday, March 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Prince Conference Center. Richard McElhaney will present this year’s keynote, “The Real Cost of Safety”. Rich McElhaney has been in the Health and Safety Management field for over 30 years. He has provided safety consulting services for many companies on a global scale. Mr. McElhaney has presented and worked in Australia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Panama and Africa.

McEllhaney will host a candid discussion about the effects of traumatic injuries not only on the employee but on the family, coworkers, and the company. He will speak about six accident reduction techniques that had the greatest impact over his 26 years in the health and safety field.

The event will also include vendor exhibits, networking and a little friendly competition.

“The Symposium always includes the best of the best in industry safety,” said Tony Roussey, COO of EV Construction. “After eight years of hosting the event, we continue to make it bigger and better in hopes of reaching even more professionals than in previous years. Increasing the safety of our industry requires all of us to work together; we need to hold one another accountable, learn from each other and communicate goals. By unifying in the mission of fewer workplace accidents, we are more likely to experience success.”

Any person corporately responsible for managing the safety of their employees should join us for the Safety Symposium. The Symposium focuses on high-level safety programming and arms attendees with the knowledge they need to bring their program to the next level.

Throughout the week, EV Construction will offer free training sessions to industry professionals in several practice areas, including First Aid, CPR and AED, Lift Training, OSHA 10-Hour, Qualified Rigger, Hilti Powder Actuated Tools, Site Specific Safety Plans, Safety Roadmap Workshop and Lunch with MIOSHA.

Employee training comes at a cost, the opportunity cost of time at work, but more so, the registration fees associated with training and certification programs. However, not training employees may have a greater cost. EV hosts the training and certification sessions for boots-on-the-ground personnel who need the training for their safety, and the safety of those they work with.

According to OSHA, the construction industry is known for being one of the most dangerous fields to work in. 4,764 workers died on the job in 2020 (3.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers). Workers in transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations accounted for nearly half of all fatal occupational injuries (47.4 percent), representing 1,282 and 976 workplace deaths, respectively.

These risks led EV Construction to host annual Safety Weeks to increase safety standards and reduce those numbers.

Increasing workplace safety in West Michigan requires all corporate leaders to work together, particularly those in the construction, manufacturing and industrial fields. All events associated with Alive365: Safety Week are free to attendees.

For more information on EV Construction’s 2024 Safety Symposium or to register for the event, please visit  https://ev.construction/safety-week-2024/

About EV Construction

EV Construction is a leading provider of construction services. Headquartered in West Michigan, the company specializes in delivering the highest quality construction management and consulting services to a wide variety of industries across the U.S. EV Construction is built around people; clients, employees, and community members. Founded in 1945, the company recently achieved 79 years in business. EV has completed work in 35 states, is nationally recognized as the Top 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, and recently was named the 2024 Michigan Contractor of the Year by the American Subcontractors Association of Michigan. Learn more at www.ev.construction