When Martin Lopez joined GCON Inc. as the Safety Director, his mission was clear: build the company’s safety department from the ground up.
“I was the first full-time safety professional for the company,” Lopez shares with Highwire.
Lopez brought nearly two decades of safety experience to the Arizona-based construction management firm, which recently earned Highwire’s prestigious Platinum Safety Award. This recognition is awarded to companies that achieve a score of 95 or higher on the Highwire platform, reflecting excellence in various safety metrics, including leading and lagging indicators, EMR, DART rate, and overall safety management systems.
Hiring the right people
Building a safety department from scratch required Lopez to modernize standard operating procedures and ensure buy-in from all staff members, including executives. Once these processes were in place, his next priority was hiring top talent.
For Lopez, this meant leveraging his network. He emphasizes the importance of hiring with loyalty and longevity in mind.
“I have a very strong team of folks that I’ve worked with, some of them for twenty-plus years, who trust myself and the company,” Lopez says. “We hire for life, and that isn’t common.”
Today, GCON’s safety team has grown to 12 members, managing operations across several states. The newest hire will be stationed in Oregon, with the next focused on commercial projects.
Embracing feedback and continuous improvement
Lopez’s people skills have been instrumental in his career.
“The whole thing about safety is that your people skills are as important—if not more important—than your technical skills,” Lopez explains. “Because we deal with people every day. We’re trying to understand human behavior and change mindsets. That’s been my strategy.”
Lopez’s fascination with the trades further shapes his approach. He spends considerable time in the field, building relationships and understanding each trade’s unique challenges.
“I’m often amazed by what our teams can accomplish,” he says. “The key to our success has been understanding the trades and the challenges they face.”
A commitment to constant improvement also drives GCON’s success. When the company started using Highwire, management took the software’s feedback seriously, making necessary corrections to their safety systems.
Lopez praises Highwire’s thorough analysis of safety systems and performance metrics.
“It speaks volumes about Highwire’s extensive review of not only our safety record and OSHA logs but our entire program,” he says. “We take that feedback to heart.”
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