90 Business View Magazine - October 2016
training through an NCCER-accredited program or a
state or federally approved apprenticeship program.
As part of efforts to ensure a bright future for the in-
dustry, ABC also offers a Young Professionals Program
to create opportunities for young leaders.
Building the merit shop
Throughout its history, ABC has advocated for poli-
cies that help preserve a merit shop environment so
our members can excel. Specifically, ABC focuses on
policies that create the conditions for innovation and
productivity and that guarantee fair and open competi-
tion on construction projects. By the end of 2014, 21
states had government neutrality policies in place that
allow ABC members and merit shop contractors the
right to bid on more than $60 billion worth of taxpayer-
funded construction. On a federal level, ABC’s efforts
led to 1,024 out of 1,034 large-scale projects from FY
2009-2013 to be bid without clauses restricting open
competition and ABC members were directly hired to
build $40 billion worth of large-scale federal contracts.
Taking best-in-class safety to
world-class safety
One of ABC’s most important goals is to help mem-
bers create incident-free jobsites. ABC’s Safety Train-
ing Evaluation Process (STEP) provides a benchmark
for members to evaluate their safety programs against
their peers in an effort to continue to develop world-
class safety practices. STEP participants boast a to-
tal recordable incidence rate 51 percent below the
Bureau of Labor Statistics average—and the top STEP
levels, Platinum and Diamond, are even lower.
Before achieving any STEP level, members must take
the pledge for a drug- and alcohol-free workplace at
drugfreeconstruction.org. This industry effort launched
by an ABC-led coalition aims to address the issue that
up to one third of all workplace incidents are drug- and
