Safety Excellence

We develop, maintain and deliver programs which encourage and promote education on safe work practices and safety awareness on the job. We make it a priority to promote member awareness of new and changing regulations.

Through utilization of AGC’s safety resources and participation on the Chapter’s Environmental, Health and Safety Committee (ES&H), members gain valuable insight and information to assist them in maintaining a strong safety program and an outstanding safety record.  Lower incidence rates and reductions in lost workday cases contribute to lower experience modification rates (E-Mods).  These rates play a significant role in prequalification submittals on job bids.

AGC members place a high premium on jobsite safety. Individually and collectively, their lost workday incidence rates are some of the lowest in the nation.

• Monthly technical topic luncheon meetings that routinely attract at least 30 members’ safety professionals for sharing of lessons learned, updates on regulations, new products and trends  (2026 Calendar coming soon);

Safety Best Practices

• Heat Illness & Prevention - Read more
• Mental Health & Suicide Prevention - Read more
• Hydrated? -  Downloadable banner
• OSHA's Final Rule - Prevent Workplace Injuries, Illnesses - Read more
• Silica - Read more
• Active Shooter: In light of recent events, both in the United States and abroad, employers are feeling it necessary to inform employees about safety on jobsites and in the office regarding active shooters. Use the following as resources to inform your employees and co-workers.
  • Booklet
  • Pocket Card
  • Video (from the FBI)
  • Active Shooter Response Plan Template
  • Active Shooter Potentially Applicable Policies
  • Active Shooter Presentation
• Trent Safety: Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has published a hazard alert on trench safety. The alert contains vital information about what to do before entering a trench, how to detect an unsafe trench and the dangers associated with a trench. CPWR lists three important factors to consider before entering a trench:The alert also provides additional resources on trench safety including links to an OSHA video on the prevention of trench collapses. Download the alert.
  1. find a competent person
  2. work only in protected areas
  3. check the escape route
• Ladder Safety App for iOS users - click here

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Member Services/Resources include

• Recognition: We recognize and reward our members’ dedication to risk management annually at our safety awards event. 
  • AGC of America offers a National AGC Safety Awards (NASA) program since 1991 to offer AGC members an opportunity to evaluate and be recognized for their safety record. 
• National Newsletter: AGC Safety of America and Health (link is external). Receive the latest news and updates by subscribing to SafetyMatters the AGC Safety and Health Newsletter.
• Conference: AGC Safety and Health Conference (link is external). Join more than 200 industry professionals and participate in the development of regulatory and legislative activity on both a national and local levels, assist in the development and creation of new safety training programs and products and hear the latest initiatives from OSHA and other industry experts at this semi-annual conference.
• AGC Safety Publications & Products(link is external). AGC offers more than 100 safety products, such as videos, publications, and training designed to improved safety and health on construction job sites.
• Safety Training: AGC provides a variety of safety and health training courses for the construction industry. Our classes, which are offered live and online, offer participants instruction and training that will allow them to return to their firms understanding the paramount function safety plays in the workplace.

CHASE Program—Cooperative OSHA Partnership Program

One of the primary safety resources offered by AGC New Mexico is the opportunity to partner with NM OSHA through the Construction Health and Safety Excellence Cooperative program (CHASE). This cooperative NM OSHA partnership offers benefits to those AGC members who qualify, in exchange for following prescribed standards in their safety programs and maintaining low incidence rates.

The CHASE program was first signed in 2001 and was the second such partnership in the country as well as the first such partnership between an AGC Chapter and an OSHA state plan.

The continuing goal of CHASE is to encourage outstanding safety performance by employers and employees alike, to decrease injuries and fatalities in the construction industry and exceed NM OSHA regulations on every job.

Interested in participating in the CHASE program? 

• Download the CHASE program agreement and application here. Members are invited to apply for Red, White or Blue level. 

Construction Industry Crime Alliance

This private-public partnership between the construction industry and law enforcement began in 2009 and provides for rapid response to property thefts from jobsites, lay-down yards, warehouses and company vehicles.

Construction Industry Crime Alliance (CICA) program registered members file a simple one-page incident report online, and an email blast is sent to all program members including Albuquerque Police Department detectives, traffic, and street officers.  This partnership has significantly reduced construction industry property crime thefts in the greater Albuquerque area.

We issue individual member company Identification Numbers to CICA partners they can engrave on equipment to help in identifying and returning their stolen or pawned items.  CICA members have an opportunity to meet monthly with Albuquerque Police Department Officers and Detectives to share case histories, learn of recovered property and receive pertinent tips and guidelines from law enforcement.

Learn more about the Construction Industry Crime Alliance.

Construction Jobsite Safety Specialist

The AGC Construction Jobsite Safety Specialist (CJSS) offers an opportunity for member employees to self-document their safety training, validate their commitment to safety, and increase their value as a competent safety resource for their company.

What It Is

The CJSS designation was developed in 1995 by the AGC New Mexico, to recognize those construction workers who work for AGC members and have:

• Completed required safety classes of the construction industry
• Taken specialized classes
• Take an active part in their company safety programs
• Are favorably recognized by their employers.

The designation was developed to help employers identify those who have the training and commitment to be the individual jobsite contacts for safety for their companies.

How to Get It

Required Classes: The following classes must be completed within a two-year period:

• OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour class;
• Hazard Communication (first time or refresher if a first time class has been completed);
• Four competent person or qualified person classes (such as scaffolding, trenching and excavating, confined space entry, etc.);
• Two specialized classes (such as electrical, ladders, Commercial Drivers’ License, lead exposure, preventing back injuries).

Copies of completion cards are required with application.

I have been involved in the AGC Safety Specialist program for the last 10 years, and I am proud to be part of it. This program has taught me the value of safety at the jobsite. The program has offered many safety classes with different safety consultants which has increased my knowledge of safety tremendously. I highly recommend this program to anyone, and would be honored to help anyone interested in becoming a safety specialist.”
 
---George Garduno, superintendent, J.B. Henderson Construction co., Inc., and lifetime AGC Construction Jobsite Safety Specialist.

Involvement in Company Safety Programs: The prospective AGC jobsite safety specialist must show evidence of his or her involvement in their company’s safety programs. Examples can be delivering tool-box talks, facilitating company safety programs, and/or serving as a safety mentor for new employees.

A letter from the applicant’s employer must accompany the application supporting the employee's commitment to safety and participation in company safety programs.

Renewal: Once a worker qualifies for the AGC Construction Jobsite Safety Specialist designation, he or she must renew it every three years. After having renewed three consecutive times (nine-year total), he or she is eligible for a lifetime CJSS designation.

Renewal requirements include being current in First Aid/CPR and HazCom training, evidence of having taken a 10-hour OSHA and three competent person/qualified person classes within the past three years, and a letter of support from the employer.

Download a nomination form here.

It’s so important for supervisors to have the AGC jobsite safety specialist distinction. The training helps us recognize hazards during our walk-throughs of jobs and do something about them. Every supervisor should have this designation.

“I saw the advantages of this designation in 1995, when it started, and knew that it would be good for the future. Now, with the increases in workers’ comp costs and the safety demands of owners, the future is here.”

---Albert LeFebre, superintendent, Summit Construction, Inc., and lifetime AGC Construction Jobsite Safety Specialist