Please tune in to this episode of The Building BITE Podcast, as we hear from industry experts about key topics to help you be successful. The Building BITE hosts Chris Epps, LEED AP, and Mike Diercksen, CRIS, welcome Peter Ukstins, Head of Construction Risk Engineering at AXA XL.
We begin the episode by learning about Peter and his career path leading him from his time as a claims adjuster, to contractor, and now leading the talented team of Risk Engineers at AXA XL. With his expanded responsibilities, our topic of quality has become an even bigger focus for Peter and his team. Peter stresses that “If quality is everyone’s responsibility, then that means no one specifically is responsible” which allows for the very real bystander effect to impact projects. Before leaving, Peter gives our audience his three key takeaways on the topic of quality.
1. Practice What You Preach: Having a formal quality strategy and plan/procedure is great, and should be the starting point for all contractors, but it is not enough on its own. The plan needs to be routinely checked, verified, and potentially even adjusted for unique project requirements if necessary. This should be an ongoing process; quality is an ongoing endeavor and not a stagnant process.
2. Build A Strong Culture: While nothing will ever fully replace one’s technical knowledge, the soft skills and communication abilities of your team are of growing importance in the modern workplace. Be sure to encourage communication and respect, which will drive better results through streamlined process handoff.
3. Use Your Resources: A good resource is a terrible thing to waste. You should always look to engage early and often with your Risk Engineers from your insurance provider, as they can help assist and update your current strategy. This will not only benefit your team and processes, but also helps to inform the carrier of your existing process which can lead to your RE advocating with underwriting to get you better policy coverages, endorsements, and pricing.
To learn more about how you can better prepare your firm for the opportunities ahead, listen to our full podcast episode with Pete on “The Keys to Advancing Quality.”
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