Construction Safety Week: “Recognize - Respond - Respect”

Each year Construction Safety Week continues the industry-wide commitment to creating safer jobsites and strengthening a culture of care across every phase of construction. This year’s theme, “All In Together: Recognize - Respond - Respect,” emphasizes the shared responsibility every team member plays in identifying hazards, implementing direct controls, and protecting one another on the jobsite.

This year’s initiative encourages teams to proactively recognize high-risk activities, respond with effective planning and controls, and respect every person’s role in maintaining a safe work environment. As large-scale projects continue across multiple markets at KPRS, we’re sharing how our teams are demonstrating strong safety practices and collaborating to create safe outcomes for everyone on site.

Homeboy Commissary

Located on North Main Street in a busy Lincoln Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, the KPRS TI Team is currently constructing the 15,500 square foot Homeboy Commissary Kitchen. This involves the conversion of a historic warehouse into a commercial kitchen space for Homeboy Industries; a non-profit offering rehabilitation programs for prior gang members.

Due to the adaptive reuse nature of the project, it came with some safety concerns from the start. The existing structure had a leading edge with little to no parapet protection, along with some serious structural issues, including degrading bond beams, cracked girders, undersized footings, and major cracking in the exterior brick.

Early on, the KPRS team set out remedy many of these concerns by coordinating with the design team and owner to get proper guardrails in place at exposed edges. KPRS also worked to stabilize the structure, provide shoring where needed and adding bolted C-Channels. They further built-up bond beams, injected cracks with Sika, and replaced and enlarged footings.

“This took some extra time and money, but the building is now safe and solid. The client is happy and the job is done the right way,” said Tim L, Project Manager. “Every project throws different challenges at you, but a lot of what we put in place here will carry over to future work.”

7815 Van Nuys Blvd

The KPRS Industrial Group is constructing a new 78,990 square foot industrial building in Panorama City for Rexford Industrial, aiming for LEED Gold certification. The former retail site at 7815 Van Nuys Blvd will be transformed into a warehouse with 7,000 square feet of office space. Features include nine dock-high doors, HVLS fans and up to 4,000-amp power capacity, along with solar and EV-charging, with convenient access to the 405, 5, 101 and 170 freeways.

Due to the building’s 32-foot clear heigh, fall hazards and access hazards have been among the most common safety challenges on the project. From the roof to the mezzanine to exposed trenches, all need to be identified and managed as safety concerns and mitigated for any foreseeable accidents.

Site management for these concerns starts with identification then moves into preparation procedures, such as proper access, perimeter controls, or elimination of the hazards all together.

For the management team at 7815 Van Nuys, proper prior planning was key to identify and control jobsite hazards. Subcontractor preconstruction meetings have also been an exceptional tool for KPRS and trade partners to collaborate before the work even starts.  

1401 Quail Street

The new luxury mid-rise condo community at 1401 Quail in Newport Beach is underway. Located near the Upper Newport Bay Nature Reserve, the podium-constructed, 67-unit complex will include five levels with subterranean parking, courtyard entrance, high-end lobby, club room, and pool with lounges.

A particular safety challenge for the project is maintaining a safe perimeter around the layback of the building. The solution for this was water-filled K-Rail barrier along with the use of delineators with caution tape. All team members are constantly reminding each other about Safety First.

“We’ve had great success with all eyes on safety, along with eight months of zero injuries since the project began,” said Sean D., Project Manager.

ECHELON at 1200 N. Cahuenga

Combining new and existing structures to form a multi-use, community-oriented environment, ECHELON at 1200 Cahuenga will contain a mixture of offices and production studios in the heart of Hollywood. Plentiful outdoor space including a landscaped courtyard and rooftop terrace will allow tenants to gather in a variety of settings.

For the project team, safety has remained the foundation of every phase of work performed in one of the most active urban environments in Los Angeles. With heavy pedestrian traffic, continuous vehicle circulation, limited staging areas, and ongoing structural operations, the KPRS team has faced and successfully overcome significant safety challenges through planning, communication, and strict adherence to safety protocols.

One of the primary challenges on the project has been coordinating numerous concrete pours requiring multiple concrete pumps and crane operations within active public streets. These activities demanded extensive logistical planning and collaboration between field supervision, trade partners, traffic control personnel, and local agencies to ensure operations could proceed safely while minimizing impacts on the surrounding community.

Daily coordination meetings have been conducted to review lift plans, pumping operations, delivery sequencing, and emergency access routes. These proactive measures allowed critical operations to be completed safely while protecting the public. Trade partner safety remained equally critical as the structure progressed vertically. Crews routinely performed work at elevated heights requiring robust fall protection systems and strict compliance with site-specific safety procedures. Guardrail systems, perimeter protection, engineered tie-off points, horizontal lifelines, and controlled access zones were utilized to reduce exposure to fall hazards.

The success of the project’s safety program has been driven by consistent communication, active participation from all trade partners, and a shared commitment to ensuring every worker returns home safely each day. Through detailed pre-task planning, daily safety meetings, and ongoing field supervision, the team has demonstrated that even in one of the most challenging construction environments, operational excellence and safety can go hand in hand.