Construction Risk Engineering Success Stories

Man in a hard hat at a construction site

Proactive Risk Engineering for Construction Companies

Explore how construction companies partner with The Hartford’s Risk Engineering team to identify jobsite risks, improve safety practices and help reduce losses across complex projects.
Man in a hard hat at a construction site

Avoiding Silica Exposure Loss Through Simple Safety Investments

By identifying silica exposure risks and implementing straightforward safety improvements, this construction customer helped reduce the potential for costly losses.

The Risk

During construction of a sports arena, workers performing concrete cutting and grinding were potentially exposed to crystalline silica, a recognized lung health hazard. Existing controls included local exhaust ventilation and the use of respiratory protection.
 
To better understand exposure risks and assess the effectiveness of these controls, risk engineers conducted an industrial hygiene assessment focused on measuring silica exposure levels and evaluating current mitigation efforts.

Implemented Solutions

The assessment identified exposure levels above accepted safety thresholds.

We recommended: 
  • Using the correct hose adaptor on grinders
  • Installing an improved filter
  • Providing upgraded respiratory protection
Total investment: $200

Success

With just a $200 investment, the customer reduced silica exposure to acceptable levels, improved efficiency and avoided over $1 million in estimated losses, demonstrating the impact of proactive risk management.

More Success Stories

When open-flame heaters created a persistent fire hazard across jobsites, a shift to indirect-fired heating systems removed the risk entirely. The change improved efficiency, eliminated the need for fire watch and delivered significant labor savings project after project.
 
The Risk  Implemented Solutions  Success 
The customer was using open-flame temporary heaters inside wood-frame structures, creating a significant fire hazard at multiple locations.  The Risk Engineering consultant recommended they switch to indirect-fired heaters placed outside and ducted in, improving safety, efficiency and costs by eliminating fire watch labor and downtime.   The customer invested $20,000 and adopted the solution across all jobsites, banning open-flame heaters and updating their safety manual. This change eliminated the exposure and generated approximately $54,000 in labor savings per project. 
When shared locks created a risk of accidental re-energization, the customer transitioned to individualized locks and controlled key access. The change improved OSHA compliance, strengthened worker safety and delivered measurable financial return.
 
The Risk  Implemented Solutions  Success 
A large retail packaging plant’s use of keyed-alike locks in its lockout/tagout program allowed multiple employees to access the same locks, creating a risk that equipment could be unintentionally re-energized while someone was still working on the machinery. Together, the customer’s leadership team and the consultant decided to implement individualized locks and keys for authorized employees and introduced lockboxes to secure spare keys, with controlled management access.  These improvements enhanced the customer’s OSHA compliance and reduced the risk of accidental energization, delivering an estimated ROI of $158,162. 
After a significant storm-related loss, the customer implemented a water damage prevention plan and installed site-wide sensors. The enhanced controls helped detect issues early, preventing additional incidents and avoiding substantial losses.
 
The Risk  Implemented Solutions  Success 
A customer experienced a $4M loss after a severe storm damaged their building materials, resulting in project delays.  The customer and consultant worked together to implement a Water Damage Prevention plan and install water sensors across the site. Oversight and support during implementation ensured the system was properly deployed and operational. The improved controls proved effective. Water sensors triggered alerts that helped prevent two additional incidents. These avoided losses were estimated at $2M. 
When existing fall protection didn’t account for total fall distance, the customer implemented self-retracting lifelines and reinforced proper use through training. The change reduced risk, improved safety practices and helped avoid a potentially severe loss.
 
The Risk  Implemented Solutions  Success 
At a customer’s biosolids facility, workers in scissor lifts were using fall protection that did not account for total fall distance, creating a serious risk of injury or fatality.  A safer fall protection system was implemented by replacing lanyards with self-retracting lifelines (SRLs), which dramatically reduce free-fall distance and impact. The change was reinforced through a formal recommendation and a site-wide safety stand-down and retraining.  The customer quickly adopted the improved controls, mitigating the fall hazard and sustaining proper use through follow-up verification. This proactive action prevented a potentially severe loss, delivering an estimated $204K in cost avoidance with minimal investment. 
When the customer looked to enhance their telematics program with video, a tailored solution helped them move forward with confidence. The implementation strengthened visibility into driver behavior and supported a sustained period without auto claims.
 
The Risk  Implemented Solutions  Success 
A landscaping and hardscaping contractor expressed strong interest in adding video to their telematics system but felt overwhelmed by the available options.  The Risk Engineering consultant partnered with The Hartford’s telematics specialists to discuss the best telematics solution for the customer that included video and met their needs.  Since implementation, the account has experienced at least seven months without an auto claim. The implementation cost was approximately $28,600, with an estimated ROI of $425,400.