BOSTON, MA — Shawmut Design and Construction, a national construction management firm, announces a new leadership role and unveils new safety innovations in a move to enhance its safety program. The company has promoted Shaun Carvalho to Vice President of Safety, adding safety representation at the executive leadership level. Carvalho, previously the firm’s Safety Director, will lead Shawmut in piloting and implementing programs and technologies.
“I’m pleased to welcome Shaun Carvalho to our executive leadership team,” said Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut. “Throughout his tenure with Shawmut, he has been a driving force behind our industry-leading safety programs and initiatives. By spearheading new safety innovations and task forces, his leadership will allow us to create an injury-free environment and help shape best practices for the industry at large.”
With over 16 years of experience in construction safety, starting off in the field as a Site Safety Manager, and working his way up to a leadership role, Carvalho has been instrumental in developing, implementing and managing safety policies, programs and procedures. This year, Carvalho launched new task forces and pioneered software platforms that identify and document hazards in real time, allowing teams to immediately address issues and prevent incidents.
To proactively respond to the opioid crisis, Carvalho has mobilized the cross-functional Opioid Task Force, which provides resources for the construction industry to combat the epidemic. By partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield to pilot an opioid toolkit program, Shawmut trains all office services staff and superintendents on opioid overdose recognition and emergency response, including the administration of Narcan. The teams communicate opioid recognition and provide information on resources nationally, to everyone on all project sites, by way of safety orientation, as well as site signage and toolbox talk trainings.
Shawmut has also rolled out new technologies, including SmartVid.io, which reduces risk by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence technology that automatically detects safety performance in jobsite photos, measures trends, provides workflow analysis and allows the teams to drive desired on-site behaviors. The system can spot PPE compliance, environmental hazards, fall protection, electrical issues, access issues and other potential hazards.
Similarly, ConstructSecure allows project teams and safety managers to make informed decisions that help improve performance based on incident data in real time. This safety monitoring app facilitates site inspections and tracks incidents, identifies gaps in safety and training programs and utilizes project-specific subcontractor incident data to monitor trends and create corrective action plans.
To further monitor safety and provide instantaneous data for on-site job conditions, Shawmut is piloting the use of the Triax Spot-r Clip, a wearable device that automatically connects to the Spot-r network when workers arrive on site, tracking workforce location by floor and zone. This device detects falls at the jobsite and sends immediate, detailed notifications to supervisors, improving injury response time by up to 91 percent. Additionally, anyone wearing the device can alert the site teams to a hazard by hitting a button.
Additional Shawmut safety initiatives include the mobilization of the Fire Safety Task Force to help teams identify exposure areas and solutions to prevent fires on job sites. During the Safety Blitz, which is deployed during critical times to provide additional support and resources to project teams, senior leadership visits and reviews project sites for compliance. Shawmut also has a Safety Incentive Program, with the goal of celebrating and rewarding positive safety behaviors.