Beyond Prequalification

How do proactive planning and strong relationships create safer, more successful projects?

In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts, CSP, Chief Safety Officer at Highwire, talks with Robert Pieters, Safety Manager at Riley Construction, about how engagement, empathy, and planning form the foundation of Riley’s safety approach.

Robert shares how six-week lookaheads help identify and plan for high-risk work, how leadership walks strengthen trust across teams, and why training moments in the field often make the biggest impact. He also discusses Riley’s commitment to developing the next generation through pre-apprenticeship programs and hands-on learning experiences.

Whether you’re leading crews or managing programs, this episode offers practical ways to improve communication, elevate performance, and build safer projects through partnership.

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What does it look like when a general contractor places relationships and hospitality at the core of project delivery?

In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts, CSP, interviews Barry Stoffel of Gardner Builders to explore how a “green and growing” mindset promotes people-first construction.

Barry shares his career journey, from childhood curiosity to leading with empathy at Gardner. He discusses why "safety is empathy,” how language influences company culture, and what it means to be comfortable with discomfort. You’ll learn how Gardner Builders ensures successful project execution across different markets and how they strategically expand into new industries without sacrificing their culture.

Whether you’re involved in safety, operations, or executive leadership, this episode provides clear, practical ways to “see the human” in every project.

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How can safety and operations leaders align to deliver safer, more successful projects?

In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts, CSP, Chief Safety Officer at Highwire, talks with Michael Brakefield, Director of EHS and Risk Management, and Jon Wood, CHC, General Superintendent at Frampton Construction.

They share how Frampton’s “Future First” mindset shapes a culture of collaboration between superintendents and EHS, where early planning prevents serious incidents and keeps projects on schedule. The conversation explores the power of a unified safety message, supporting trade partners for success, and investing in people, the current and future builders, driving the industry forward.

This episode offers actionable insights for safety and operations leaders seeking to build alignment, enhance performance, and strengthen trust across every project.

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Traditional safety metrics like Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) don’t always reflect the risks that lead to the most serious outcomes on construction sites. In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, hosts Dave Tibbetts and Shayne Gaffney explore why tracking Serious Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs) and SIF-potential events provides a more accurate view of jobsite safety.

They define SIFs and SIF-potential events, explain how to identify high-risk exposures, and share insights from Highwire’s SIF working group on categorizing events, uncovering root causes, and avoiding over-reliance on recordable rates.

Whether you’re a construction owner, general contractor, or safety professional, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of SIFs and learn practical strategies for implementing SIF-potential tracking. 

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In this episode, Highwire's Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts, talks with Joshua Rogove, President, and Trevor Casey, New Business Development Leader at Consolidated Risk Solutions, about how to improve the effectiveness and profitability of wrap-up insurance programs (OCIPs and CCIPs).

They share lessons from years of experience, covering key risk factors during bidding, managing claims mid-project, and boosting safety performance. The conversation highlights the importance of early team buy-in, strong communication, and using technology to drive results.

Whether you're an owner, GC, or administrator, this episode offers practical tips to strengthen your wrap-up strategy.

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What does it take to manage contractors safely and effectively in mission-critical construction? David Tibbetts and Adam Board, Senior Vice President of EHS at T5 Data Centers, break it down in this episode. 

Adam shares how T5’s unique role as developer, builder, and operator shapes their safety culture, and why leadership visibility and trust are non-negotiables. The conversation explores the challenges of labor shortages, onboarding new workers, and partnering with contractors who may be new to data center work.

Whether you’re a GC, trade contractor, or owner, this episode offers practical insights on how to strengthen safety culture while meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding industry.

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In this episode, Shayne and Dave discuss how the role of safety manuals is shifting and how AI is helping teams review and apply them more effectively. They reflect on the old days of binders stacked in jobsite trailers and talk about how modern tools now make it possible to extract key insights from those documents in seconds.

The conversation looks at what makes a safety manual useful, the difference between compliance and true risk management, and how AI gives safety professionals more time to engage with contractors and improve field execution.

Whether you're managing programs or working on site, this episode offers clear takeaways on building smarter and safer project environments.

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Join Matt Buzzetta, Safety Director at NOVO Construction, for a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the Bay Area’s leading GCs uses Highwire to understand subcontractor risk and build a stronger safety culture.

Matt shares a unique perspective as both a Highwire contractor and hiring client, offering insights into how Safety Scores are evaluated by safety and prequalification teams. You’ll learn how NOVO uses both lagging and leading indicators to make informed decisions, and how they are working with their subs to improve safety outcomes across their projects.

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Highwire’s Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts talks with Mike Hennebery, Vice President of EH&S at Torcon, about building inspection programs that do more than check a box. They explore how thoughtful, quality-driven inspections can improve jobsite conditions, uncover meaningful trends, and drive faster hazard correction.

Mike shares lessons from his 30+ years in construction safety, discussing how data can shape internal improvements and build stronger trade contractor relationships. He explains why the value of an inspection program isn’t measured by the number of inspections but by how you use the insights to protect workers and improve project outcomes.

To learn more about Highwire, visit highwire.com.

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Join Highwire’s Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts, as he speaks with Jason Edic, VP of Risk Management at Lee Kennedy, and Ryan Rohleder, Director of EHS at Fortis Construction. Together, they explore why falls remain the leading cause of fatalities in construction and what it takes to change that.

You’ll hear honest stories from the field, strategies for spotting and addressing fall risks, and insights on building a culture that empowers teams, drives accountability, and challenges complacency.

Whether you're a safety professional, contractor, or executive, this episode offers practical takeaways for eliminating fall risks and making safety a non-negotiable.

Learn more at highwire.com.

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