Q&A &A


Q&A with Jason Kunz


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when I spent four years in sales for their Personal Safety Division (the custom- er-facing side of the business), selling respiratory, fall protection, head, eye, and face protection to customers across various industries, construction included. During those four years, I drove across


the Midwest (and beyond), putting about 80,000 miles on the company vehicle every year and making about 4,000 in-per- son, customer-facing sales calls. A lot of that time was spent with our construction clients. I began to understand that, statis- tically, it’s more dangerous to work in the construction industry in the United States than it is to get deployed to the Middle East as an American soldier. I started to learn about the significant strain and stress construction professionals can face from a mental health perspective. Te data shows there were 1.6 million


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s a nationally recognized consultant, advisor, keynote speaker, and change maker in


the health and safety arena, Jason Kunz brings a strong passion and unique per- spective to his work helping organizations and leaders reduce serious injury and fatality (SIF) risks in the construction industry. A co-author and contributing architect of the newly updated ASTM standards that address SIF prevention, Kunz was named a Rising Star of Safety by the National Safety Council in 2025. He launched his Minneapolis-based firm, Te Kunz Company LLC, in 2024 after more than a decade in health and safety-related roles at 3M Company. During his October 8, 2026 keynote ad-


dress to several hundred attendees at AGC of California’s Construction Safety Excel- lence Awards (CSEA) in Palm Springs,


6 CALIFORNIA CONS CONSTRUCTOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 2026


Kunz shared strategies, approaches, and insights to help contractors improve safety leadership within their companies and the industry at large. California Constructor spoke with


Kunz before his CSEA address to learn more about his professional journey, what he planned to share, and the biggest takeaways for his audience. Excerpts from that interview follow.


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR: You’ve delivered sessions and keynotes to more than 40,000 people across 40 countries on various safety topics since you began this work. What sparked your interest in using your voice to amplify the topics of safety and leadership?


JASON KUNZ: I spent about 15 years at 3M, where I cut my teeth in safety and health. What really opened my eyes was


suicide attempts in 2023 – that’s just what’s reported. Tere is six times the likelihood for a construction worker to die of an opioid overdose compared to any other industry. And I believe that’s down from what it used to be. So, there’s been progress, but it’s still clearly a problem. I want to contribute in some small way. For me, that means speaking to the industry and giving them tools to improve their companies, their worksites, and their lives. Te other piece is that construction is as open and as interested as any industry I work with in serving, supporting, and improving their people and operations. Every construction client I work with wants to do better. Tey want ideas, in- sights, suggestions and solutions. And then they don’t just think about it; they actually implement it. Tere’s a real op- portunity in construction to serve and support, to leave people better than we found them.


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR: What shifts in the health and safety culture in


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