April 17, 2026
Odin Recognized for Industry-Leading Safety Performance Through ABC STEP Program
Odin is proud to announce that we have achieved Diamond in Associated Builders and Contractors’ STEP® Health and Safety Management System.
STEP participants at this level demonstrate safety performance significantly stronger than the industry average, reflecting Odin’s ongoing commitment to protecting its workforce and delivering work safely across complex project environments. This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting our people, our partners, and the communities we serve. But recognition isn’t the goal – it’s the result.
At Odin, safety isn’t something that shifts with schedules or project demands. It is a core value built into how we plan, how we work, and how we show up every day.
Safety Starts Before Work Begins
Across our projects, we focus on identifying and addressing risks early, especially when it comes to high-energy hazards that can lead to serious injuries. Through detailed planning, hazard analysis, and coordination across teams, we work to design risk out of the work wherever possible.
This means evaluating subsurface conditions, sequencing work thoughtfully, and putting the right controls in place before crews mobilize. The goal is simple: set the job up for success before it even begins.
“We value the people that we work with and for. We measure the success of our projects by the level of safety achieved within our organization and the positive impacts we have on the communities in which we work,”
– Louay M. Owaidat, Odin’s President & CEO
Ground Zero³: A Framework That Guides Everything We Do
Our approach to safety is grounded in our Ground Zero³ program, which is embedded across every project, office, and work location. Ground Zero³ represents our commitment to achieving zero incidents, zero injuries, and zero illnesses by integrating safety into every level of our organization, from executive leadership to the field, through shared responsibility, proactive planning, and continuous improvement.
Through leadership involvement, training, and accountability at every level, Ground Zero³ gives our teams a clear and consistent framework for approaching safety. This is not a one-time initiative, but an ongoing effort that we actively manage, evaluate, and improve every day with support from our Safety Steering Committee and executive leadership.
Empowering Teams to Speak Up and Take Action
Through programs like STARR (Stop, Talk, Accept, Revise, Resume), every employee is empowered and expected to stop work if something doesn’t feel right. There is no hesitation and no penalty for doing so. In fact, we see it as leadership in action.
Work does not move forward until the issue is understood, the plan is adjusted, and everyone involved is aligned on a safer way to proceed.
This mindset is reinforced through our behavior-based safety program and peer-to-peer observations, where employees regularly engage with one another in the field to identify both safe and at-risk behaviors. These observations are conducted in person and are focused on open conversation, starting with what is being done well and reinforcing positive behaviors before addressing opportunities for improvement.
Just as important, these interactions are not punitive; they are not used for discipline or performance evaluation. Instead, they are designed to build trust, encourage communication, and help teams learn from one another in real time.
Observations also serve as leading indicators, helping us identify trends, inform training, and prevent incidents before they occur. By involving employees at every level, from field crews to management, this process creates a strong sense of ownership and accountability across the organization. That kind of environment doesn’t happen by accident. It is built through trust, respect, and the understanding that speaking up protects everyone.
A Culture Built on Accountability and Care
Another paramount aspect of our safety program is our SHIELD workshop. Our SHIELD (Safety Heroes Initiative for Employee Learning & Development) workshops create space for open conversation, peer accountability, and shared learning. These are not just training sessions. They are opportunities for teams to build trust and take ownership of safety together.
Programs like “Why I Work Safe”, where employees share photos of their loved ones, serve as daily reminders of what matters most. Because at the end of the day, safety is personal.
“The heart of any strong culture is empowerment. At Odin, we empower every employee with confidence, responsibility, and ownership to lead in safety. When employees feel true ownership, safety becomes a shared value, not just a priority,”
– Chad Guerrero, Director of Environmental Health & Safety at Odin
We also recognize the impact safety has beyond the jobsite, especially when it comes to the next generation. We encourage our team members to have conversations with their families about the importance of safety in everyday life. Our annual Safety Superstars calendar helps spark those conversations, featuring children’s artwork centered around safety and bringing those messages into our homes as well as our workplaces.
What Safety Looks Like in the Field
All of this planning and culture comes to life in the field.
Our Key Safety Rules (KSRs) define how we approach the most critical risks in our work, from excavation and equipment operation to fall protection and confined space entry. They set a clear baseline for how work gets done safely every time.
Day to day, our teams rely on:
- Pre-task planning and hazard analysis
- Ongoing communication and observation
- Real-time adjustments as conditions change
- Behavior-based safety practices
Even simple routines, like daily stretch and flex, play a role in keeping our teams safe and ready for the work ahead.
“Odin’s safety culture is built from the ground up, powered by people who know their value and show it by looking out for one another every single day,”
– Scot Kinney, Regional HSE Manager, Gulf Coast Region at Odin
Always Improving
Programs like ABC’s STEP help us benchmark where we are, but just as importantly, they push us to keep improving. Internally, we support that through tools and programs like incident review boards, observation tracking, enhanced audits, and ongoing recognition of strong safety performance. We also use technology, such as GPS tracking and dashcams, to improve visibility and accountability in the field.
All of this feeds into a continuous loop of learning, adjusting, and improving.
Beyond the Jobsite
The work we do often takes place in complex, high-risk environments, whether it is heavy civil infrastructure, environmental remediation, or disaster recovery. In those settings, safety is not just about protecting our workforce. It is also about protecting the communities around us.
More Than Recognition
Recognition through programs like STEP is meaningful, but it is not the finish line. What matters most is the standard we hold ourselves to every day:
Every worker goes home safe. Every day.
We will continue to plan, invest, and lead in ways that make that expectation a reality.