BrownWinick Law

BrownWinick Law Firm 666 Grand Ave., Ste. 2000 | Des Moines, IA 50309 Phone: (515) 242-2400 www.brownwinick.com

BrownWinick is a dynamic business-focused law firm based in Des Moines, Iowa serving a diverse client base with a variety of legal and business issues. We help leading companies advance complex business interests. Our attorneys work with many of the largest and most innovative companies in the Midwest, delivering tailored commercial solutions through its dedicated and uncompromised approach to quality and service.

Our attorneys not only protect your interests from a legal perspective; we use the law as a tool to help you achieve your goals and put your business in a stronger competitive position in the marketplace. We leverage our connections and our industry-specific expertise to be your valuable partner, studying your business and anticipating your needs. We bring the courage, vision, and understanding that you would expect from a good business partner and complement it with deep legal knowledge, so you can be bold and be wise. That’s BrownWinick.

Master Builders of Iowa strives to be the essential resource for Iowa’s construction industry and a valuable component of that effort are those companies who support MBI’s programs and events. Through the exclusive “Essential Partners” recognition program, MBI strives to recognize our industry supporters, while adding value to those companies’ sponsorship dollars who take leadership roles in sponsoring MBI events and educational opportunities. The company listed has contributed over $3,000 in sponsorships to the Master Builders of Iowa in the past year. These companies are an important part of MBI’s success and we couldn’t do it without them! For more information on becoming an MBI “Essential Partner,” please contact Chad Kleppe at CKleppe@MBI.Build / (515) 657-4382 or visit www.mbi.build/essential-partners. MBI appreciates BrownWinick Law Firm’s gracious and continued support!

10 Years

20 of Safety

Since 2012, WORKSAFE has been providing contractors an additional set of eyes on many construction sites throughout Iowa. The premise has always been to help coach contractors on safety with a greater emphasis on changing safety behaviors. As you know, MBI and Construction Safety Specialists, Inc. (CSSI) created a unique partnership with Iowa OSHA Consultation. No other state safety agency has this type of relationship with an industry construction group. Focused on providing a coaching perspective to job site safety, the safety professionals of CSSI and Iowa OSHA want to give contractors a comprehensive view on how to make their construction sites safer. This helps keep workers healthy, while reducing lost work hours and benefiting production. In the last 10 years there have been over 900 projects that have been enrolled in WORKSAFE. Though certain aspects of the program have changed during this time, the basic goal of creating a safety program that is project-centric has remained the same. As we move forward to our next decade of service to the Iowa construction industry, MBI and CSSI leadership are looking at ways to improve the service to better meet the needs of clients. Here is a list of initial changes:

1. All inspections shall be unannounced. All of the leadership within MBI and CSSI agree that to get a true sense of safety on a project, each inspection shall be unannounced. Obviously, CSSI safety professionals who are conducting audits will work with each client from a scheduling perspective to ensure that there is an active worksite. However, specific time and date parameters will no longer be requested. As is normally the case, OSHA Enforcement doesn’t provide a head’s up, so then it is in the interest of WORKSAFE clients for CSSI safety professionals to do the same. 2. Unless otherwise noted, all kick-off meetings shall be conducted via Zoom. Recently, CSSI has done some kick-offs via Zoom and surprisingly, we have seen increased subcontractor participation.

3. Number of audits should align with duration of the project. The MBI and CSSI Boards believe that the WORKSAFE banner should mean something and that the project takes safety to a higher standard. With this in mind, CSSI has put forth audit recommendations that follows a standard of one audit every other month during the construction phase. Finally, in working with the Regents we are putting forth recommendations on the minimum threshold in which WORKSAFE applies to a respective project Currently, the threshold of $500,000 is the determining factor on whether a WORKSAFE requirement is included in the project’s contract documents. We are looking to increase that threshold, while also providing some guidance on the specific type of project. There are many instances in which a large proportion of a project’s cost is equipment and it did not make sense for a project like a Roof Top Unit replacement to be required to utilize WORKSAFE. We hope to have these new parameters finalized with the Regents very soon.

Be it project-centric; company-centric; or employee-centric, MBI and CSSI are well prepared to be the best safety solution for Iowa’s construction industry. To learn more about the services offered through CSSI, please contact Joe Melton – CSSI’s Director of Operations. He and his team of safety professionals are well equipped to meet your safety and risk management needs.