Project Overview:

Alvin H. Butz, Inc. is a construction management company in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, that dates to the mid-1800s when the Butz family constructed covered bridges. Alvin H. Butz, Inc.(Butz) has been continuously owned and operated by the Butz family, with its 6th generation in the organization.

Butz pioneered the Construction Management concept in the Lehigh Valley in 1973. They provide exceptional, comprehensive construction management services, led by strong values and complete customer satisfaction. The firm possesses significant experience in the construction of healthcare facilities, colleges/universities, corporate office buildings, hi-tech manufacturing facilities, sports and entertainment venues, government buildings, K-12 schools, and retail buildings.

The B. Braun 939 Expansion Project is part of a $1 billion-plus “Solutions for Life” investment to renovate and construct new manufacturing facilities to provide healthcare workers with supplies for patient care. The expansion project consisted of a 323,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, highly automated, medical device manufacturing facility, creating more capacity to make catheters and extension sets necessary for IV therapy. The project features include eight ISO cleanrooms, data center, and a personal link (building corridor) to the adjacent B. Braun facility, and a detached 10,000 sq. ft. maintenance building.

OSHA Partnership Delivers Positive Results:

Committed to a pro-active safety culture for this project, OSHA and Butz signed a strategic Partnership. During the 38-month Partnership (April 2019 – June 2022), Butz has excelled in its Safety Leadership. The Butz team welcomed the challenge of delivering a Best-in-Class medical device manufacturing facility. The project concluded with a 0.73 OSHA project safety rate, achieved 950 Safe Days without an OSHA Recordable and exhausted only 12% of the entire Contractor Controlled Insurance Program (CCIP) escrow.

Increased Safety Training and Improved Safety and Health Management Programs Lead to Reduced Injury and Illness Rates:

Butz recognized the need to minimize and eliminate injuries and illnesses and invested itself in building the best-in-class safety culture by addressing all potential risks on the project. Adopting the motto, “Managing the Risk”, aided the Butz team in developing and establishing safety expectations up front. Throughout the project when safety guidance was needed, the workforce would ambitiously reach out to the Project Safety Director who was eager to assist and share, the “Why behind the What”.

In addition, only Werner LeanSafe or Louisville Cross Step A-frame ladders were permitted, which basically eliminated the potential of having and using the wrong ladder for the job. Additionally, daily “Stretch and Flex” sessions were conducted prior to the start of every workday, housekeeping was maintained at an excellent level, which aided in reducing numerous potential hazards, including slips, trips and falls, and ergonomic strains and sprains. The site Safety Culture was built with all trades through one conversation at a time. It was sustained through continuous and open dialog, and the trusting relationships were established through proactive and when needed, reactive (but positive) efforts.

† 2017 – BLS Year for Baseline Data Comparison
*TCIR – Total Case Incident Rate
**DART – Days Away Restricted or Transferred
‡ The loss rate expresses the incurred losses per $100 of payroll (Net Incurred / [gross payroll/100])

Nate Bonar, Director, Strategic Projects, B. BRAUN MEDICAL, INC.

“Particularly of note was their commitment to one of B. Braun’s top corporate values which is safety. Their work throughout the project to build and maintain a best-in-class safety culture, OSHA partnership and CCIP program was exceptional. I feel this collaborative culture transcended safety on this project and led to a truly collective commitment of project excellence with all partners involved. With over 1,300 contractors working on the site, the project achieved over 900 Safe Days without an OSHA recordable and a loss ratio of $0.90 per $100 of payroll. This is a remarkable achievement that we are all very proud of”.

Jeffrey A. Spatz, Vice President – Safety Services, The Graham Company

“The Graham Company was honored to work with the exceptional Butz team on the B. Braun 939 Expansion Contractor Controlled Insurance Program (CCIP) project. The Butz team and their subcontractors did an outstanding job of effectively managing risks on the project, bringing the project across the finish line with a sub-$1.00 loss rate—an excellent result by any measure. More importantly, working with the B. Braun team, Butz and their subcontractors demonstrated that safety, quality, and productivity are not mutually exclusive. Most importantly, every worker involved with the project returned home to their families at the end of every shift. Congratulations to all of those involved on this project. You made the difference every day”.

Submitted by:

Scott G. Shimandle, Industrial Hygienist and Compliance Assistance Specialist, Allentown Area Office, OSHA, Region III, and Greg Tate, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Philadelphia Regional Office, OSHA, Region III.