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Photo Courtesy of Hensel Phelps

"One size fits all" doesn't work.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is partnering with construction technology provider Autodesk to launch a one-time grant program that addresses the need for better-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) for women who work at heights.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of private sector worker fatalities in the construction industry. Everyone who works at heights, whether it’s on a roof, scaffolding, or the edge of a tall building project, should have properly fitting safety harnesses, yet not all contractors have the supply they need to better protect women in construction. To help address this, Autodesk is providing $75,000 in grant funding to one of the largest construction trade organizations – the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) – to supply in-need contractor members with fall protection harnesses sized for women. The grant program will fund the purchase of approximately 300 fall protection harnesses.

“One of the most effective ways to successfully recruit more women into high-paying construction careers is to make sure firms are able to provide safety equipment that keeps them even safer. We want to leverage these grants to encourage our member firms to provide a wider range of safety equipment and continue to expand the diversity of our workforce.” - Stephen E. Sandherr, Chief Executive Officer, Associated General Contractors of America

To learn more, read the complete press release here.

Eligibility

The grant is available to AGC member companies whose work exposes their female employee(s) to fall hazards that require the use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS). To find out if your company is an AGC member, click here or contact Nazia Shah, Director of Safety & Health Services, by phone at (703) 837-5409 or via email at nazia.shah@agc.org.

Process

Submit application by 11:59 pm on January 10, 2020. Applications will be judged by experienced safety & health and diversity & inclusion professionals who are active AGC members. Grant funds will be awarded on a sliding scale, based on the percentage of female employees whose work exposes them to fall hazards that require the use of PFAS. Grant recipients will be required to: Show proof of purchase of harnesses; Schedule manufacturer, distributor or in-house training on the use of the new harnesses; Schedule and conduct employee training on the importance of proper fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) and fall protection, as it relates to their scope of work. This can be as simple as a toolbox talk or as complex as organizing a stand down dedicated to the topics; Notify Autodesk, and partner with them, on any efforts to promote the grant received; and Either attend the 2020 AGC National Convention in Las Vegas, NV, where you will be recognized during the opening ceremony, or assist with the development of a commemorative video.

Timeline

Deadline to submit application: January 10, 2020

Judging: January 13 - 17, 2020

Grant award notification: January 20-24, 2020

Deadline to fulfill grant requirements: March 8, 2021

Application

The application will collect the following information:

Applicant information - company information, contact person and scope of work. Injury & illness incidents and frequency rates for 2017 - 2019, if applicable. Why are you applying for this grant? Description of your safety program as it relates to fall protection. Diversity and inclusion efforts.

The application period is now closed.

Grant Recipients

On March 2, 2020, during Women in Construction (WIC) Week, AGC and Autodesk issued a joint press release announcing the names of the safety harness grant recipients. Together, the 21 firms winning the grants employ 22,000 people. The firms are:

Hughes General Contractors (North Salt Lake, Utah) Hurckman Mechanical Industries (Green Bay, Wis.) Swalling General Contractors, LLC (Anchorage, Alaska) Mid-Valley Commercial Construction (Salem, Ore.) Wayne Electric, Inc. (Houston) Christman Constructors, Inc. (CCI) (Lansing, Mich.) Faith Technologies (Menasha, Wis.) Thompson Electric Company (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Newkirk Electric Associates, Inc. (Muskegon, Mich.) Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc. (Aiea, Hawaii) Capital Electric Construction Co., Inc. (Kansas City) Snyder Roofing of Oregon (Tigard, Ore.) Elcon Corp. (Everett, Wash.) W.S. Bellows Construction Corp. (Houston) McGough Construction (Roseville, Minn.) Tarlton Corp. (St. Louis) McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (Dallas) Wanzek Construction, Inc. (Fargo, N.D.) Med-Tex Services (Philadelphia, Penn.) Rosendin Electric, Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) Performance Contracting Inc. (Pasadena, Texas)

To read the complete press release, click here

News Releases from Other Outlets

Program Contacts

Any questions regarding instructions, rules or policies should be directed to AGC.

Kevin Cannon, Senior Director of Safety & Health Services, (703) 837-5410, kevin.cannon@agc.org

Nazia Shah, Director of Safety & Health Services, (703) 837-5409, nazia.shah@agc.org

Media Contacts

Media inquiries should be directed to the AGC and Autodesk contacts listed below.

Brian Turmail, VP of Public Affairs & Strategic Initiatives, AGC, (703) 459-0238, brian.turmail@agc.org

Allison Masci, PR Manager, Autodesk, (857) 409-6500, allison.masci@autodesk.com

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