ABC Greater Houston is continuing to advocate for merit shop contractors as the City of Houston considers proposed construction safety policies similar to those adopted by Harris County.
Members of the ABC Greater Houston Board of Directors: Roger Pombrol of Emerald Standard, Rich Fanning of TDIndustries, and Darryl Samuels of D. Samuels & Associates, joined Ross Winkler, Jordan Guidry, and Danielle Hardy for a meeting with Council Member Alejandra Salinas to discuss the potential impact these proposed policies could have on contractors, employees, workforce development, and the delivery of public construction projects.
During the meeting, ABC representatives emphasized that member contractors are firmly committed to protecting their employees and maintaining safe, productive jobsites. However, safety policies should be practical, measurable, and developed with input from the contractors who will be responsible for implementing them.
ABC members already invest extensively in proactive safety programs and practices, including:
- ABC’s STEP® Health and Safety Management System
- Participation in cooperative programs such as the OSHA Partnership
- Daily and weekly toolbox safety talks
- New-hire safety orientation
- Job hazard analyses and pre-task planning
- Supervisor safety meetings
- Employee participation and stop-work authority
- Incident investigations and corrective-action procedures
- Substance-abuse prevention programs
- Ongoing craft, equipment, leadership, and jobsite safety training
ABC’s research demonstrates that these proactive safety practices deliver measurable results. According to ABC’s 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report, top-performing contractors participating in STEP achieved incident rates 686% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction industry average and reduced their total recordable incident rates by 85%. The report analyzed more than 1.3 billion hours of work performed in 2025 by contractors in construction, heavy construction, civil engineering, and the specialty trades.
The report also found that companies conducting daily toolbox talks reduced total recordable incident rates by 59% and days away, restricted or transferred rates by 61%, compared with companies conducting toolbox talks monthly. Companies following best practices for employee participation reduced those rates by 55% and 57%, respectively, while effective health and safety meetings lowered them by 52% and 54%.
Established in 1989, STEP provides contractors and suppliers with a no-cost framework to assess their safety programs, measure performance, benchmark against industry peers, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement. It focuses not only on outcomes, but also on leading indicators such as leadership engagement, project safety planning, employee participation, behavioral observations, incident investigation, and ongoing communication.
The ABC delegation reinforced that effective safety policy should recognize contractors with proven safety systems and encourage the use of leading indicators that prevent incidents before they occur. Policies should strengthen safety without creating unnecessary administrative burdens, duplicating existing requirements, restricting qualified contractors from competing for public work, or unintentionally reducing opportunities for small and emerging businesses.
ABC Greater Houston appreciates Council Member Salinas for meeting with industry representatives and listening to contractors’ concerns and recommendations. Constructive dialogue between public officials and the construction community is essential to creating policies that protect workers while supporting fair and open competition, workforce development, and Houston’s continued economic growth.
As the City considers its next steps, ABC Greater Houston will remain engaged, keep members informed, and advocate for balanced, data-driven policies that recognize the strong safety cultures already present throughout the merit shop construction industry.