9/16/2020 – While construction is known for being a dangerous business, one major Connecticut project is getting an extra dose of safety focus. The Bradley International Airport (BDL) Consolidated Rental Car Facility project now under construction in Windsor Locks is the newest site of a Safety Training Partnership. The partnership is between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) federal and Hartford Area offices, Austin Commercial (design-builder for the project) and KBE Building Corporation (general contractor for the project).
This is the sixth invitation-only Safety Training Partnership that Farmington, CT-based construction services firm, KBE Building Corporation, has partnered on with OSHA since 2014.
The partnership is officially underway at the BDL Consolidated Rental Car Facility project, which is now under construction in Windsor Locks. The Austin Commercial/KBE Building Corporation project is slated to be complete in May 2022.
“We’re extremely proud of all our OSHA safety partnerships,” said Mike Kolakowski, CEO of KBE. “The partnership at Bradley International Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility is no different. These partnerships fit in well with our ‘relationships are everything’ corporate philosophy at KBE.”
When completed, the 1.4 million sf consolidated rental car facility will house car rental services, add public parking, and incorporate public transit connections. The project includes a 4-story building and garage complex for six rental car agencies, along with 830 public parking spots, with half of those under cover. A second 4-story garage will provide service areas for the rental agencies, including fuel, vacuuming, window washing, fluid replacement, car washes, and maintenance bays for routine car work.
“It’s always great to work with our partners at Hartford Federal OSHA and Connecticut OSHA on these safety partnerships,” explained Adam Peters, KBE’s Corporate Safety Director. “We have high expectations for its success and look forward to the significant impact it has on the jobsite.”
The partnership between Austin Commercial, KBE, Hartford Federal OSHA, and Connecticut OSHA has been established to formalize a cooperative effort between these entities. The partnerships encourage companies to voluntarily improve their safety and health performance, provide methods to assist them in their efforts and recognize companies with exemplary safety and health programs.
As part of the partnership programs, KBE’s onsite safety manager will work with trade contractors to develop pre-task plans and to help them recognize and eliminate any safety issues. In addition, KBE’s Safety Department, Hartford Federal OSHA, Conn-OSHA, or an outside vendor provides safety awareness training on various topics each month for all trade contractors. Conn-OSHA is a huge resource in these partnerships as well performing all types of consultation services for subcontractors.
The focus is not only on creating a very safe jobsite, but on fostering a more knowledgeable construction workforce that is well-educated in safety protocols.
OSHA has recognized KBE with six partnerships over the last six years. Each is part of OSHA’s nationwide Strategic Partnership Program (SPP), which develops contractor/government partnerships that will encourage involvement of the general and subcontractors in the improvement of safety and health performance.
KBE’s previous safety partnerships include: the 105,000 sf renovation and addition to the City of Waterbury, CT’s Consolidated Public Works Facility; the 291,150 sf expansion and renovation of Seabury Active Life Community in Bloomfield, CT; the 211,000 sf Peter J. Werth Residence Tower for the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT; the new 183,000 sf Litchfield County Judicial District Courthouse in Torrington, CT; and the 372,000 sf Jewish Senior Services senior living campus in Bridgeport, CT.
About KBE Building Corporation
Located in Farmington, CT; Norwalk, CT; and Columbia, MD, KBE Building Corporation is a full-service, single-source commercial construction company strategically positioned to serve the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Founded in 1959 and incorporated in 1966, the firm provides preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to clients in the retail, educational, senior living, federal, corporate, hospitality, health care, and institutional markets. KBE has managed more than $2.5 billion in construction volume over the last decade and is ranked among Engineering News-Record magazine’s top 400 construction companies nationally. Learn more at www.kbebuilding.com.
KBE is one of the KBE Companies, which includes KBE-NY, serving metropolitan New York, and New Valley Construction, serving the Western US. Through this affiliation of full-service construction management firms, the KBE Companies serve clients throughout the US in the senior living, higher education, retail, corporate, government, hospitality/entertainment, and health care markets.
About Austin Commercial/Austin Industries
Austin Commercial is part of Austin Industries, one of the nation’s largest, most diversified U.S.-based construction companies. With more than 6,500 employee-owners, Austin Industries provides nearly every type of civil, commercial and industrial construction services through the expertise of its operating companies: Austin Bridge & Road, Austin Commercial and Austin Industrial. Today, Austin has an annual volume of $2.7 billion.
Media Contact: Jonelle Lawhorn | KBE Director of Marketing
t: 860.284.7431| c: 860.836.7517 | e: jlawhorn@kbebuilding.com