Austin Bridge & Road Awarded AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award

COLUMBUS, OH - Austin Bridge & Road was honored by Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) on Thursday, April 10, with its national 2025 Construction Safety Excellence Award (CSEA). The CSEA recognizes contractors who consistently excel at safety performance, and closely examines each candidate's commitment to safety.

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AGC recognized Austin as its first-place finisher in the highway and transportation division in the two-million-plus manhours classification, one of 137 national firms competing in all divisions. Austin Bridge & Road was selected as a finalist based on the AGC CSEA organization's safety program and process review that identifies "the best of the best" in the construction industry.

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The finals competition included a presentation and Q&A with Austin Bridge & Road President Joe McLaughlin, Senior Project Manager Isaac Tello, Senior Vice President Bill Heathcott, Safety Director Bill Pedigo, and Chaplain Matt Hollensworth in front of a panel of five judges. In its presentation, Austin covered several aspects of its unique safety culture:

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- Onsite leadership involvement and planning
- Focus on effective Austin Craft Engagement (ACE) groups and employee-owner empowerment to speak up
- Investment in artificial intelligence-driven technology that supports safe environments around heavy equipment
- ABR's chaplaincy program to support employee-owner mental health

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"This award is recognition of the hard work and engagement from our craft employee-owners, working together, with a common goal of safety excellence." said Austin Bridge & Road Safety Director Bill Pedigo, who accepted the award along with Safety Area Manager Cheyenne Urban. "We are honored to accept this award. It represents a lot of planning, focus, and execution to keep our employee-owners safe."

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McLaughlin echoed Pedigo's statement, thanking ABR's 700-plus craft employees for keeping safety their first priority every day.

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"The CSEA is significant validation of ABR's commitment to safety every day, at every jobsite. We're honored to be recognized by AGC and want to thank our employee-owners for their commitment to Austin's core value of safety."