Turner Leads Lean and Safe Training Program on Construction Projects Across the Country

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Work will be suspended on September 4^th on every Turner Construction Company job as Safety Managers deliver an important safety message: Lean and Safe: Material Management for a Safer Work Environment.

With a commitment to improve project outcomes through the integration of innovative practices and technologies, Turner's annual Safety Stand-Down presents a unique opportunity to introduce the more than 40,000 subcontractors working on Turner projects to the principles and methods of Lean construction. In doing so, Turner will not only educate project team members about Lean material management, the company will also communicate a vision for the future of Lean at Turner and throughout the industry.

Lean Construction is an operating philosophy that emphasizes the use of proven methods and tools in a cycle of continuous improvement. Lean seeks to deliver the greatest value to its clients through reduction and elimination of activities that waste time, material and other resources. The results can be striking: with better collaboration and communication, jobsite organization, and scheduling through use of tools such as the Last Planner System™, Turner project teams across the country achieve dramatic cost and time savings, and see a reduction in site safety incidents.

Safety Stand-Down presentations, and subsequent discussions, will focus on how project team members can improve overall project safety with Lean methods, including how equipment, tools, and materials are delivered, received, distributed, and stored throughout a project site.

"One adaptation of Lean is a program we call 'Nothing hits the Ground' where subcontractors use rolling carts and racks, dollies, and pallet jacks in order to prevent many of the strains, sprains and repetitive motion injuries associated with material handling. At the same time this increases worker productivity, which can lead to improved schedules and lower costs. This is the real power of Lean: a cycle where a focus on a better environment for workers leads to better results," said James Barrett, Turner's Director of Integrated Building Solutions.

Cindy DePrater, Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety said, "Holding these Stand-Downs is one way Turner demonstrates how safety is integrated into our corporate strategy." She continued, "But being a leader in the construction industry is more than just programs, procedures, metrics and initiatives. It's about continuous improvement, empowering people to find and suggest solutions, and an unwavering commitment, on the part of every project team member, to sending every worker home safely every day."

About Turner Construction Company

Turner is a North America-based, international construction services company.  Founded in 1902 in New York City, Turner has 5,200 employees worldwide and works on 1200 projects each year for an annual construction volume of $8 billion. As the largest general builder in the United States, Turner ranks first or second in the major market segments of the building construction field, including healthcare, education, sports, commercial, telecommunications, and green building. The firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, a publicly traded company, and one of the world's leading international construction service providers.

For more information please visit www.turnerconstruction.com.

About HOCHTIEF

HOCHTIEF is one of the leading international providers of construction-related services. With more than 75,000 employees and a sales volume of EUR 23.28 billion in FY 2011, the company is represented in all the world's major markets. The Group's service offering in the fields of development, construction, services, concessions and operation covers the entire life cycle of infrastructure projects, real estate and facilities. In the USA, the biggest construction market in the world, HOCHTIEF is the No. 1 general builder via its subsidiary Turner and, with Group company Flatiron, ranks among the most important players in the field of transportation infrastructure construction. With its subsidiary Leighton (HOCHTIEF share around 54 percent), the Group is market leader in Australia. Because of its engagement for sustainability, HOCHTIEF has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes since 2006. Further information is available at www.hochtief.com/press.

SOURCE Turner Construction Company