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The N.C. Department of Labor (NCDOL) and Barringer Construction celebrated the completion of the safety and health construction partnership for the building of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry in Oakboro. Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson presented company officials with a certificate at the closing ceremony on March 28 after giving brief remarks.

“It was an honor to be invited to the new site of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry and see this project come to completion,” Dobson said. “One of the things I have noticed as I have traveled this state, is that at some organizations safety and health is part of the culture but it’s not the culture. At Barringer Construction and Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, safety and health is not just part of the culture, it is the culture.”

The project consists of new construction from the ground up of a 505,000-square-foot foundry building, including six other buildings constructed on the land that add another 50,000 square feet of constructed space located on approximately 135 acres of land. The partnership began on Oct. 29, 2020, and consisted of quarterly consultative walk-throughs to identify hazards, promote best practices and education for both Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) personnel and the construction workers.

“We created this culture that made safety a high priority and really gave everyone ownership in the process,” said Chris Frye, partner at Barringer Construction. “It allowed for an environment where people looked out for each other with the common goal to send everybody home safe every day.”

Barringer Construction completed this project with four recordable injuries and illnesses during the project, which consisted of approximately 1,121,877 man-hours with 502 total sub-contractors.

“The NCDOL appreciated the opportunity to partner with Barringer Construction as the partnership helped both the employer and NCDOL OSH employees grow their knowledge of construction hazards and reduce the injury and illness rate in the construction industry,” said Bruce Pearson, safety consultant.

The NCDOL team members that participated as part of the partnership team were Ted Hendrix, Jill Warren, Nelson Edwards, Lori Kees, Tyrone Taylor and Bruce Pearson.