Clark Construction Superintendent Recognized


Creating a safety culture on his projects is the number one goal of Art Vasconcelos, construction su- perintendent for Clark Construction Group, CA LP and winner of the AGC of California Construction Safety Ex- cellence Award for individual safety


effort of a project superintendent. Vasconcelos joined Clark Construction 15 years ago as a


project engineer with a degree in construction management. Since then, his career has spanned many notable Southern California projects, including the LA Live! Complex, the Los Angeles and Long Beach Courthouses, and three new schools for LAUSD. He currently supports some of the com- pany’s most complex projects, including Amazon’s Project Bruin and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art expansion. Taking the view that trust is the top issue impacting safety


culture, Vasconcelos makes trust-building a top priority. He takes time to introduce himself to every worker on his jobsites and establishes a two-way dialogue that helps him understand issues from the workers’ point of view. “I thank them for their hard work and talk to each person


with the respect they deserve, empowering everyone to help solve safety problems. It’s not just a top-down thing,” Vasconcelos said. He is a strong supporter of Clark’s “Stop, Talk and Ac-


cept” program, which gives anyone on the jobsite the author- ity and responsibility to stop unsafe work. “Art is particularly successful at instilling a safe work-


16


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023


LEFT: On Project Bruin in Oxnard, CA, the decision to use a top-down panelized deck installation process allowed workers to prefabricate panels at a height of less than 6 feet, eliminating the need for fall protection. RIGHT: Art Vasconcelos led a suicide prevention all-hands meeting on Clark Construction’s Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) project during Suicide Prevention Week.


ing environment because he fosters a culture where every person is empowered to make the project safer,” said Clark Construction Division President Carlos Gonzalez in rec- ommending him for the award. “The result of his personal commitment to safety is an exemplary incident record of performance with minimal and minor injuries and ZERO loss- time incidents for several years running.” When establishing the schedule for Amazon’s new 2.3


million-sq.-ft. distribution facility in Oxnard, CA (Project Bruin), Vasconcelos brought in key trade partners to gain input on the best safety strategies for the job. Adopting an innovative approach suggested by the metal deck installers to help lay the heavy, sharp sheets of metal deck, along with other unique solutions, he led the project team to complete the job six days early with an excellent safety record. Project Bruin completed over 460,000 work hours with zero record- able injuries. Vasconcelos’ willingness to lead by example, his respect


and appreciation for others and his ability to serve as a bridge between teams to build alignment and help resolve issues have all contributed to his strong reputation within the industry and earned him this prestigious award from AGC of California.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28