Awards Connecticut People

KBE Receives Prestigious ABC CT Safety Award

Adam Peter

Adam Peter

Farmington, CT – Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. – Connecticut Chapter recently awarded KBE Building Corporation with the “Best of the Best Safety Award for a General Contractor.” The most prestigious safety award in Connecticut was presented to the $300 million construction firm at the 14th Annual Excellence in Construction awards ceremony, held at the Aquaturf in Southington.

In 2015, KBE underwent eight OSHA inspections that resulted in zero citations. KBE racked up 2 million man-hours on 38 projects and only reported 10 lost-time accidents. This onsite incident rate is roughly 50% lower than the national average.

Last August, KBE entered into two new strategic partnerships with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hartford Area Offices to add to the existing partnership with the Bridgeport Area Office.

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OSHA partnerships are designed to create the safest possible working environment for all subcontractors. KBE utilizes this partnership by performing monthly safety awareness training for the onsite employees. KBE also implemented onsite safety committees for all trades and a third party training program for employees who require refresher training on scaffold, aerial lift, scissor lift, forklift, and much more.

“These partnerships are beneficial to all involved,” said Adam Peters, KBE Corporate Safety Director. “They keep everyone sharp and help all companies involved strengthen their safety programs.”

The judging format for this year’s Best of the Best Safety Award was first of its kind. The panel of judges not only considered the standard safety statistics, but companies were also able to submit a narrative to explain the specifics of a safety program and its successes. ABC wanted to give the award to a company that was truly dedicated to implementing and enforcing a safety program on all projects.

“We are thrilled to receive this award from ABC Connecticut,” said KBE owner and CEO Mike Kolakowski, who bought the firm in 2007 with long-time senior executives Eric Brown and Simon Etzel. “Safety on all of our project sites is our top priority and it is an honor to be recognized for the precautions we take with our employees and our subcontractor workforce.”