Demonstrating industry benchmarks for safe practices, this project for a 1.27-mile-long elevated rail system at Miami International Airport achieved "world-class results," according to the experts who judged ENR's first-ever "Best of the Best" award for project safety.
Dubbed the MIA Mover project, it logged nearly 1.5 million man-hours and attained an Occupational Safety & Health Administration incidence rate of 0.27. Emphasizing management leadership and employee involvement, the safety program included weekly project-executive safety walks with a documented follow-up process; weekly one-on-one meetings between the project executive and the safety manager; an employee feedback program; a monthly, all-hands safety meeting and detailed hazard analysis for every work activity.
In 2011, OSHA recognized the project with its Voluntary Protection Program Star award, considered the top federal distinction for safety, said Doug Shelton, who led the safety program for Parsons-Odebrecht. It was the first time that OSHA's Southeast region recognized a construction project with its Star award, he added.
ENR's safety judges, who are all experts in the field, are similarly impressed. Says one, "This safety program exceeds my expectations in detail, content and execution, rendering excellent results."
Adds another, "This project's focus on keeping people at all levels engaged, accountable and recognized is how world-class results are achieved. This project is first [in safety] not based on hours, but on leadership and execution of safety systems that work."
Project Team
Owner Miami-Dade Aviation Dept., Miami
Architect M.C. Harry Associates, Miami
Designer/Contractor Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture, Miami
Civil Engineer NOVA Consulting, Doral, Fla.
Structural Engineers TY Lin International, Miami, and SZA Corp., Miami
MEP Engineer Fraga Engineers, Coral Gables, Fla.
