The Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry has awarded Minneapolis’ Ryan Companies US, Inc. a Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program certification for the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. The seven-story, 600,000-square-foot building is located in Fort Snelling, Minn.
Ken Peterson, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry commissioner, presented the Ryan team with the certification and flag at an award ceremony and luncheon held at the Whipple Building April 3. Ryan will also be recognized at the Governor’s Safety Awards Luncheon on May 16.
The program, started in 1996, recognizes companies whose managers and employees work together to develop safety and health programs that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards.
“The safety of all workers on Ryan jobsites will always be our first concern. We make safety a part of the everyday routine. It’s just how we do things. It’s part of our culture,” said Scott Beron, Ryan’s safety director, in a written statement. “Statistics and awards are great but they don’t mean a thing if we don’t send everyone home to their families at the end of every day.”
The $163 million Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is scheduled to be completed in 2014. The scope of the project includes lead and asbestos abatement, the removal and replacement of all mechanical, plumbing, fire protection and electrical systems, and the installation of a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system. The system will be one of the largest installed in the upper Midwest and will be about 72 percent more efficient than traditional electric heating and air-conditioning systems.
Ryan is providing full preconstruction services on the project.
