Local Leader Josh Zoerhof to Keynote EV Construction’s 2023 Safety Symposium

HOLLAND, Mich., February 1, 2023 —EV Construction, a leading West Michigan construction management firm, is hosting their eighth annual Safety Week. The 2023 event, “Safe and Sound: Ensuring Physical & Mental Health,” will be held Monday, March 13, through Thursday, March 16, at Watermark Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich., and the West Michigan Construction Institute.

The week will kick off with a Safety Symposium on Monday, March 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Watermark Country Club. Josh Zoerhof, a local and well-respected pastor, leader and counselor, will present this year’s keynote, “Self-care Isn’t Selfish.” Zoerhof will speak to the audience about the importance of every member of a team being healthy, both mentally and physically.

“Construction and skilled trades workers rank among the highest levels of anxiety and depression in the US and are additionally among the highest risk rates for burnout and suicide,” said Zoerhof. “In our post-pandemic reality, the need for new and adaptive practices addressing emotional wellness and safety are needed more than ever.” He also shared that we have people who rely on us – family members, friends, employees, coworkers, etc. – and that in order to take care of others, we need to first take care of ourselves. His keynote will offer guidance for self-care as well as tips for recognizing when somebody around us needs help.

Participants of the Safety Symposium will then have the opportunity to attend one of three break-out sessions offering deeper dives into mental health-related topics:

1. Recognizing the signs of depression and suicide awareness and prevention, hosted by Josh Zoerhof;
2. How to support somebody who has experienced a significant loss, hosted by Dave McGovern of Winning at Home;
3. Building a healthy team culture, hosted by Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.

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 seven 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.”

Joe Novakoski, Vice President of Operations and Safety Director, shared that Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss has recognized the week of the event as “EV Construction Alive 365: Safety Week 2023,” a notation EV Construction also received in 2017 and 2022. “We are pleased with the Mayor’s endorsement and recognition of just how vital safety protocols are in the workplace,” he commented.

Later in 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, Burn Out in the Industry & Mental Health Awareness, Conflict Management, Setting Up a Safe Project Site, Hot and Cold Weather Safety and Lunch with MIOSHA.

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 in an effort to increase safety standards and reduce those numbers.

For more information on EV Construction’s 2023 Safety Symposium or to register for the event, please visit https://ev.construction/safety-week/.