Adam Quertermous serves as an EHS director at Skanska, one of the largest construction and development companies in the U.S. In his role, he works alongside a host of project stakeholders, including contractors, subcontractors, executives, unions, vendors, and more, so he knows the value of working as a team.
Quertermous joined Skanska about 16 years ago, and he currently has regional oversight in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. His duties include various types of management, reporting, and compliance. Throughout his career, he has earned several industry certifications, including CSP, CHST, STSC, GSP, and MHFA. To learn more about Quertermous and his take on industry issues, please read the Faces of EHS interview below:
Q: How did you get your start in the field?
After high school, I knew I wanted to go to college but wasn’t sure what to major in. I was currently working in the HVAC industry when my friend’s dad, a long-time union pipefitter, provided his advice on what he would have done differently. Through his years of construction and living the evolution of safety in the construction field, he advised me to get a bachelor’s in occupational safety and health (OSH). After multiple discussions and his willingness to assist me through the process of researching colleges and universities, we found that Murray State University had one of the top OSH programs in the country. So, my journey began by getting an associate’s degree at West Kentucky Community and Technical College then transferring to Murray State. A few years later, with my bachelor’s degree in hand, I was ready to hit the field as a safety coordinator.
Q: Who has been your biggest influence in the industry?
Paul Settle, who led EHS in this region for many years. Paul has been instrumental in my development from an EHS employee to an EHS professional. Not only did he push me to achieve my certifications, but he taught me how to develop strong relationships with executive leadership, contractors, owners, and vendors. Under his leadership and guidance, I have achieved more in my career than I could have dreamed of. He taught me how to manage EHS successfully on a large scale.
Q: What’s your best mistake, and what did you learn from it?
There isn’t just one mistake that I can describe, but rather it’s all the mistakes made along the way. Each mistake, no matter how minor, has contributed to individual growth and making me a better professional. The projects that were the most difficult have provided the most improvement.
Q: What’s your favorite and least favorite part about working in the industry? Would you change anything?
My favorite part is positively enhancing our safety culture and contributing to building a better society. It’s incredibly rewarding to see someone transition from feeling burdened by safety measures to becoming a safety partner. And also knowing that the buildings we construct will benefit communities upon completion for multiple generations.
My least favorite part is dealing with injuries and knowing that not only the worker, but also their family, has been negatively affected and impacted.
Q: What are your thoughts on safety culture? How can company leaders make safety a value within their organization?
A great safety culture is vital to the safety success of a company. A good culture can prevent injuries, retain talent, and influence morale. Three ways to elevate safety culture are to 1) assign injury-free work, 2) recognize and reinforce injury-free work, and 3) constructively correct at-risk work.
Safety culture is inherently fluid. Therefore, it must be evaluated, nurtured, and cared for daily. During inspections, everyone should be looking for opportunities to use that time to enhance their culture and develop relationships with trade partners. Sometimes the conversation isn’t necessarily related to safety, but rather a conversation about how their weekend went or asking about their child’s baseball game. When people know you care about them and their loved ones, they begin to understand safety isn’t all about compliance or right and wrong, but rather a journey to get them home safely.
Leaders can make safety a value by incorporating safety into daily conversations. This could be as simple as starting each meeting with a safety moment like we do here at Skanska. Leadership can set safety goals related to their time spent in the field and conduct executive safety discussions with trades. Leadership should be provided with safety data to gauge their performance on a regular basis. When leadership focuses on leading indicators, the lagging indicators will follow.
Q: What safety concerns or issues do you think need more prioritization in EHS programs?
Front line supervisor training. In my role, I have the unique opportunity to work with many subcontractor foremen across multiple states. One significant area of concern is the lack of management training these foremen receive before their promotion. While most are excellent at their craft, they often struggle with managing the safety of their crews. The issues I see most often are the inability to set expectations, proactively inspect crews, and hold their crew members accountable.
Q: How will new safety technologies influence the work being done by EHS professionals?
Safety software has rapidly transformed the landscape for EHS professionals. When I first started, the planning and permitting processes relied heavily on paper copies. It was time-consuming to find every foreman in a multi-floor building to review their daily hazard analysis. Likewise, foremen had to track me down to sign off on permits such as hot work.
Today, we have systems that allow everyone to create safety plans digitally, providing an opportunity for all stakeholders to review and give feedback efficiently.
Determining safety trends used to be a major time commitment involving data entry and manual filtering. Now, we track trends using digital platforms that highlight which areas or activities need additional attention. These tools enable us to drill down into specific times or areas of a project that may be trending negatively.
Overall, safety software increases efficiency and ensures consistent accuracy in our safety management processes.
Q: What are you most proud of?
The safety culture we have created and maintain daily at our company is exceptional. Safety is a driving force, championed by everyone from our general manager to our interns. I joined Skanska at the opening of our local office, allowing me to contribute to the development and maintenance of our best-in-class safety culture.
Q: Do you have any advice for people entering the EHS profession?
Ask questions. The construction industry has acronyms for just about everything, and you can become overwhelmed or just plain lost at times. No matter what position someone holds, they will be more than happy to help you. If you are in the field and have a question about a specific trade, please have a conversation with the trade workers. This shows them you are interested in why and how they work. It will open opportunities to establish great working relationships. The more knowledge you have about how the work will be put in place, the more it will help you determine the risks and correct mitigation strategies.
Be a team player. There can be night shifts, late hours, and anything in between. Volunteer to help cover shifts, get on a rotation plan to lock up late, and be the best team member you can be. The more integrated you are with your operations team, the better your experience will be. You’ll likely spend more waking hours with your project team than your family at times, so it’s important to enjoy the people you work with. Remember, this is a team effort; one person doesn’t build a building or prevent incidents from happening alone.
Are you or a colleague an EHS professional interested in being profiled for the Faces of EHS series? Please contact Joe Bebon at JBebon@BLR.com.