Written by Scott Grimes, Executive Director of MICCS

Would you get in a car and not wear a seat belt?  Would you climb on the nearest object instead of using a sturdy step ladder to reach something? Would you work off of a ten-story building with a frayed fall arrest harness?  Sometimes it is easier or quicker to forego the proper precautions, but unfortunately, these bad choices can lead to an injury, or possibly even worse. 

Nearly 19 years ago, a community was developed that had a strong desire to provide standards and education to help employers battle these bad choices employees make.  Through that formation, Indiana has seen a dramatic change in construction and facility maintenance safety.  One major reason for this change is the Metro Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety’s (MICCS).  Many lives have been saved and injuries have been prevented as the coalition strives to meet its mission – to eliminate construction and facilities maintenance jobsite injuries and illnesses with the ultimate objective of returning construction and maintenance workers home to their families, friends, and communities free from harm.

According to Wikipedia, a coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause.  The founders of MICCS were very conscientious in making the organization a coalition so that there was a balance of all industry segments.  That gives the ability for all stakeholders to be represented in the process of advancing construction and facility maintenance safety. 

In the early years, despite the balance, MICCS was not an entirely popular organization.  It made people change the way they had always done business, which included a lack of understanding and, possibly, regard for employee safety.  Through the hard work of many volunteer and staff hours, the organization has seen a great change in that perspective; a positive change that shows a respect for MICCS and a respect for employee safety.  It is not recognized across the board, but it is significant.  Think of the old Empire State Building pictures with construction workers eating their lunch 1,000 feet in the air with their legs dangling off the steel beams while a guy is pictured in the background doing a balancing act on one of the beams.  In the early 1990’s, we weren’t quite that bad, but had plenty of room for improvement. 

As MICCS exists today, there are 200,000 worker records within the MICCS Substance Abuse Program.  Hundreds show up to the annual MICCS Awards banquet that recognizes companies and individuals for their safety achievements.  The MICCS Certification Program, a safety prequalification tool that also helps to enhance and guide company safety programs, has grown to over 1,000 contractors, many of them reaching high levels of achievement within the program.  MICCS has partnered with the Indiana Department of Labor and now has a close working relationship with free-flowing communication and a constructive agreement for members.  MICCS is now producing video tool box talks and other resources for companies. MICCS has even started a foundation that provides money to families of member companies if an unfortunate event does occur on a jobsite.   

These are only some of the ways MICCS is working to improve safety, but the point is that none of it would have been possible without MICCS being set up as a coalition…a community coming together for the common good of everyone.  Union companies sit in the same room with merit shop companies and are able to work together.  Fierce competitors sit in the same room and partner on the very programs previously mentioned.  The modus operandi for MICCS members is that when you walk through the door to a MICCS function, everything stays outside that door except the concern for employee safety. 

What does this teach us?

Each and every jobsite should work in the same manner.  From the owner, to the GC, to the third tier subcontractor, everyone should be involved in the planning and execution of a safety program.  It is not the sole responsibility of one entity on a site – they may demand certain things, but it is up to each and every person to set and maintain a safe environment.  It has been proven.  MICCS is the case study.  Communities can come together and make a huge difference if everyone is involved in the process.  MICCS has much more to do and will continue to work towards achieving zero injuries – TOGETHER!

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The opening session "There's Always Something - An Owner's Perspective on Safety" will be presented by Tom Lingafelter, Program Director of Dow AgroSciences. He will talk about what it takes to develop a safety culture for his employees as well as those that work on his jobsites. In addition, Lingafelter will provide insight on an owner's expectations for a project and how they develop and implement a safety program.

The Town Hall session will address a hot topic in the construction industry - EMR as it relates to construction safety. A diverse panel of industry leaders will discuss EMR as a pre-qualification tool as well as the successes and failures in using EMR as a safety performance indicator.

The Town Hall will be moderated by Scott Grimes, Executive Director of MICCS. The panel will include:

• Paul Lee, Eli Lilly and Company
• Kevin Potter, Shiel Sexton
• J.D. Kyle, ERMCO
• Ron Cooper, Indiana Compensation Rating Bureau

The Keynote Address "Developing a Positive Safety Culture" will be presented by Dr. Dominic Cooper, owner of B-Safe Management Solutions (BSMS), an international behavioral safety consultancy operating in the Americas, Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. Dr. Cooper will share his astute analysis of what it takes to develop a safety culture in an organization. As a world renowned safety guru, Dr. Cooper has published books and articles on the topics of personnel selection, motivation, quality, risk, safety culture and behavioral safety. This is your chance to learn from one of the premier experts in construction safety.

In addition to these great educational sessions, there will be a Safety Expo where you can learn about the latest safety innovations from our Safety Sponsors:

Badget Daylighting
Commissioning Agents
Finch Constructors
Industrial Electric
Pillar Group
SSI Services
Safety Management Group
Trinity Safety Group

Don't miss this exciting educational and networking event!

When:   Thursday, November 3, 2011

Where:   Marriott East Conference Center
               7202 E. 21st Street
               Indianapolis, IN  46219
               (I - 70 and Shadeland Ave.)

               Complimentary On-site Parking

Schedule:
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.      Registration/Networking/
                                          Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.      Opening Session

9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.    Option 1: Town Hall
                                          Option 2: 2012 MICCS Awards
                                          Program Launch

11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  Safety Expo/Lunch Buffet

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.    Keynote Address

Cost:   $55 MICCS Association Member
            $75 non-member

A Limited Number of Sponsorships are Still Available 
See Flyer for Details

Click here to view flyer

Click here to register 

Governor Mitch Daniels with MICCS Association Manager
Marcy Watson prior to "Cruisin' for Construction Safety"

The MICCS Foundation "Cruisin' for Construction Safety" Motorcycle Ride had a special guest join them on Saturday, September 17th. Governor Mitch Daniels rode in the first leg of the ride as a guest of MICCS Foundation Committee Member David Ford of REI Construction.

The Motorcycle Ride included two poker runs - one starting in Indianapolis and one in Lafayette. Each run had four stops where participants had to get a stamp on their poker run cards. The riders drew cards at the final stop at the Blue Crew Sports Grill. Bob Frazier of F.A. Wilhelm won $500 for having the best hand for the Lafayette ride. Kim Rose, wife of F.A. Wilhelm's Matt Rose, finished second and won $250. Mark Heller of Meyer Najem took first place for the Indianapolis ride winning $500 with Andy Slye, also of Meyer Najem, receiving $250 for finishing second.

All proceeds from the event went to the MICCS Foundation which provides assistance to individuals or families affected by a construction or facilities maintenance related incident or loss of life beyond that of worker's compensation, other insurance, or settlements.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Buckingham Companies

F.A. Wilhelm

Meyer Najem Construction

REI Construction

Click here for more information

Mark McGuire, Project Manager for Shiel Sexton and Chairman of the MICCS Awards Committee, offers that unique angle on what has become the premier annual event in the local construction scene.

“We all know that the economy has been struggling and that construction has been particularly hard-hit. Companies have had to make cutbacks, in some cases severe cutbacks, but Shiel is similar to most companies that support MICCS and the Celebration: we have refused to cut back on safety; it has remained a high priority.

“This year’s Awards Celebration, perhaps more than any other in the past, offers an opportunity to show our employees, workers, customers and the public that this industry has and will remain committed to the safety of everyone on the jobsite even through the most difficult of economic times.”

That McGuire often has such a “big picture” perspective was one reason he was named to Chair the Awards Committee three years ago, according to MICCS Executive Director Scott Grimes.

“With the Celebration now in its eighteenth year, it is increasingly important that it remain fresh and relevant in helping companies become ever better in the safety arena. Mark has been able to keep us ahead of the curve, always looking for ways to make the event continue to be a valuable service to the industry and our members,” said Grimes.

McGuire cites the committee’s efforts to revise the submission documents to make certain that they reflect current best practices as one of the most important recent accomplishments.

“When the competition first started, MICCS came up with questions that reflected that time period. Today, everyone has a drug program and a written safety program, for example. So, the questions have changed in recent years in that they assume that most, if not all MICCS-member companies have at least a basic, sound safety program. The questions today strive to determine whether it would be fair to characterize them as ‘world class.’”

Another improvement made during his tenure has been the inclusion of the residential building industry in the awards process. “The residential sector is as close to the hazards of construction as are the commercial and industrial sectors. As more are implementing great safety programs and giving workers the benefit of increased training and better resources to improve their safety, the leaders in that industry are realizing the side benefits of greater productivity and increased profit margins that comes along with safety improvements. That is important in every sector but even more critical in the housing sector, which has arguably been hit even harder than others by this economy.”

Each year during the evening’s program, the roughly 1,000 industry leaders in attendance are reminded of the men and women who died on construction accidents during the previous year.  The names of those that have fallen are somberly read aloud. While a difficult moment for everyone, McGuire thinks it is a tradition that is important to keep.

“It reminds all of us in the most poignant fashion possible, of the reason that we are all in that hall that evening. MICCS and the Celebration are all about protecting our workers so that everyone on the jobsite returns home safely at the end of the day. We have not accomplished this goal and it is important for us to be reminded that we have much to do before we can claim true success.”

Asked what the primary benefit of the Celebration is to Shiel Sexton, McGuire cites the annual inventory of their safety program which is made necessary by MICCS’ submission questions. “This provides the opportunity for us to see our trends and to look within and ask what we did better this year than last. How have we improved our program? Of course, our Safety staff knows that this question is asked every year so they are very motivated to show substantive progress year in and year out.”

McGuire also believes that companies can and should listen to the reasons why their competitors may have won major awards and then seek to adopt their practices in a way that fits their own company. “The Safety Celebration is a way to showcase your best efforts in safety and everyone shares the same commitment. So, this is one area where this normally very competitive industry shares their secrets and helps others improve, too.”

The marketing benefits of participating are also clear, according to McGuire. “We have not only gotten new business from participating, but this event helps us maintain existing relationships, particularly those owners and contractors who view safety as a high priority. Our participation also gives a very strong message to the hundreds of fine subcontractors on our job sites. It reinforces to everyone that when you step onto a Shiel job, there will be measures in place to protect workers and everyone exposed to hazards on the project.

“And, as a very practical matter, there is no better place in our industry to network and reinforce existing relationships than in the ‘feel good’ atmosphere of this event.”

McGuire is completing his seventh year on the MICCS Awards Committee. That is seven years of monthly meetings, normally expanding to meeting every two weeks as the event approaches, as well as meetings away from the committee with various vendors and industry insiders. Why has he spent so much of his professional time on this committee?

“That’s easy,” said McGuire. “It is the one committee where no one on it is there to compete. We all have one goal and one cause. Whether you are sitting across from Wilhelm or Meyer Najem, we are there to find the best way to reward companies and people for their safety efforts. We don’t have to hold back as we sometimes have to for other causes because we are dealing with competitors. We are all on the same team on this committee.

“Through the years, people on this committee have taught me many great things. If, as professionals, we are always dealing only with construction, and we don’t take on other causes such as putting on a great event that inspires people to do better, then we would not be growing as people and as a professionals.”

And that coincidentally is what many believe the MICCS Safety Celebration is all about: to inspire the industry, by rewarding the best of the best, to reach beyond their current practices in construction safety and to adopt a process of constant improvement in this critical area.



Service to the construction industry has been Price's life work and passion. He began that service in December, 1983.

Price believes that he has been blessed with so many professional opportunities through the years, but stated that he is most proud of having facilitated with volunteers the creation of both MICCS and ICR, each of which were once just ideas and both of which have become mainstays in the industry. When MICCS began to form in 1991, many did not believe it would last beyond what some considered a “passing fad” of interest in construction safety. Today, MICCS is in its 18^th year with vital programs such as the Substance Abuse and Certification programs which have become models for others and which have helped protect the wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of workers. Price is proud to have worked with volunteers in creating and administering these programs since the mid-90’s.

The Indiana Subcontractor’s Association (ISA) hired Price in 1991 when they had just 13 members and $4500 – today their annual budget is $300,000 and 185 companies are members. The Design-Build Institute of America, Great Lakes Chapter (DBIA-GLR) the Electric League of Indiana (ELI) and the Indianapolis Chapter of the Indiana Facilities and Maintenance Association’s (IFMA) round up Mattison’s construction clients and all are vigorous, active associations that are experiencing growth in members and activities and are receiving national recognition even during trying economic times of recent years.

The Mattison Corporation, which prides itself in being near-invisible to most of the people that it serves, is an association management and public relations/video production company that Price began in his second bedroom in 1988. As Mattison's clients grew in resources and programs, Price made the most important decisions in his career by hiring Scott Grimes and Chris Price, who now serve with distinction as Executive Directors of MICCS and ISA (Grimes) and ICR, DBIA-GLR and ELI (Price). In selling the company to these two energetic and experienced, caring men, Mattison and its clients are sure to experience continued growth and an expansion of the services and value that our current clients provide to the industry.

Early in Price's career, he adopted a philosophy of knowing that “our” associations do not belong to us, that they belong to the volunteers who willingly give of their own time and resources to provide the true impetus for the success of all of the associations. He stated that the largest blessing of his life has been to be able to work with and become friends with, hundreds of the best people and volunteers on this planet. Price made it clear in his recent announcement that he is so very grateful for their support and for the opportunity for service and a meaningful, productive life which he has enjoyed.

Of course, life is not over and his service to this great industry is not over. His email address remains the same (gprice@MICCS.org) but his role has changed. Price looks forward to continuing his service to members even as he embarks on other career opportunities.



Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors!