Foundations of Safety: How True North Prioritizes People, Planning, and Progress
True North Companies places safety and a collaborative approach at the core of its mission. Creating a safe and healthy environment is central to delivering projects that prioritize the well-being of everyone involved—from employees to the communities they serve. For True North, it is all about people. The company believes everyone it works with, for, or engages with is part of an extended family. True North provides experienced safety representatives who collaborate with operations experts to plan and execute safe practices, forming the foundation of True North’s strong safety culture.
True North’s Safety and Health Program is guided by the following principles:
Leadership’s Commitment to a creating a Safe Environment At True North, safety starts and ends with leadership. CEO Walt Gill, President Mickhal Locklear, Senior Vice President of Development Joshua Hall, and Vice President of Construction Tom Underwood are fully committed to fostering a culture of safety and collaboration. The expectation is that all True North employees, along with trade partners, will design, plan, procure, and perform with safety as the top priority. By focusing on detailed planning, applying best practices, and continuous learning, the company ensures the well-being of everyone involved in its projects and beyond.
True North’s leadership reflects this dedication to safety at every level of the organization, with a clear goal of achieving consistent results and zero incidents. Management provides unwavering support for continuous improvement, ensuring every individual goes home safely to their families. Positive safety behaviors are celebrated, and the collaborative safety culture is strengthened by the efforts of all team members who aim to meet or exceed expectations.
Planning Safe Works – Design and Procurement True North’s Preconstruction and Operations teams are keenly focused on planning for proper safety resources on each project leveraging innovative systems and technologies to create the best possible outcomes.? Every one of our team members is empowered to voice concerns, engage, and actively participate in creating safe and healthy work environments. Key priorities include identifying potential hazards, reporting incidents, and applying lessons learned to improve safety practices. This approach extends to daily operations, where hazards and work plans are reviewed with project and crew leaders.
Leading in Safety – Starting Right and Staying Focused True North leads in safety by ensuring that every team member is aware of how each project is planned, designed, and executed. The company’s rigorous onboarding process for trade partners ensures that safety is embedded in every aspect of the project. Weekly safety meetings and in-person training on relevant topics keep the team focused on identifying and mitigating risks, ensuring everyone returns home safely at the end of each day.
Focus on Continuous Learning – Assess, Adjust, and Grow True North believes in coaching positive behaviors and treating every incident, no matter how small, as a learning opportunity. By identifying root causes, assessing approaches, and implementing new precautions, technologies, and methods, the company moves closer to its goal of zero incidents. Continuous learning is a crucial aspect of True North’s safety culture, ensuring growth and improvement with each lesson learned.
True North firmly believes that the greatest benefit we can provide to the communities we serve, our associates, trade partners, and vendors is to create and foster a healthy and collaborative safety culture by leading through behaviors, celebrating those that do things the right way, and focusing on continual learning and opportunities for each individual to grow.