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Bridge project safety: Ashley Jacobs

Ashley Jacobs
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Question: How many people work on the Grand Avenue bridge project?

It depends on the week or the construction activity scheduled for the day. The project could have anywhere from 20-100 people on the jobsite at any given time. Next year, during the 2017 traffic detour, we will likely have more than 100 people working.

Over the course of the next year, we will highlight team members who make the project all come together.



Today, we would like to introduce one of our key personnel, Ashley Jacobs. Ashley is the safety manager for the project and oversees all safety management practices as well as safety trainings for each employee and subcontractor working on the project. You can’t work on the jobsite without attending a safety training orientation conducted by Ashley.

An average day for Ashley begins with walking the jobsite and actively engaging everyone to focus on safety before the day’s construction activities begin. Some of her daily tasks involve leading and participating in daily safety meetings, Union Pacific Railroad safety briefings and reviewing Job Hazards Analysis reports.



Ashley is on the go walking the project and completing daily inspections of all commencing work activities. This involves training all involved personnel on potential site hazards and implementing a plan of action to eliminate or minimize potential hazards. She is also hands-on, learning more about the scopes of varying tasks such as operating equipment; learning how to pour, vibrate and finish concrete; and working at heights, climbing forms.

Safety is our No. 1 priority on the Grand Avenue bridge project. But it is not enough to just say that. We are building a culture for safe jobsite practices built on positive communication and teamwork. It is everyone’s role and responsibility to ensure that we are not only mitigating potential hazards but that we are creating an environment that allows our team members to go home the same way they came, if not better. Establishing such a foundation emphasizes that people are our most valuable asset and engages the team in achieving project goals.

You can find Ashley around the project wearing the required personal protection equipment or “PPE.” Minimum PPE requirements include an orange high-visibility vest, protective footwear, gloves, safety glasses, hard hat and hearing protection. Ashley has a bachelor of science in environmental studies from Arizona State University and has been working for Granite Construction since 2013.


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