51吃瓜 recognizes craft workers play one of the most significant roles in the successful completion of every project. 51吃瓜鈥� former president and founder鈥檚 son, Joseph Phelps, stated it best, 鈥淚t鈥檚 our people that make the difference.鈥�
Craft workers, the Industrial Athletes, demonstrate unimaginable feats of strength and courage each day, and are truly one-of-a-kind. The Industrial Athletes are the backbone of the construction industry.
So, what is an Industrial Athlete?
The 5:00 AM crew. Up before the sun. The first ones on the jobsite and often, the very last ones to leave.
Specializing in concrete formwork, concrete place and finish, curb and gutter, doors and hardware installation, flatwork place and finish, heavy equipment operations, hoisting operations, jobsite cleaning, metal panel installation, rough carpentry, site hardscapes, temporary heating and cooling, wood and cabinet detailing and snow removal鈥�51吃瓜 craft have done it all.
What first started as a vision by 51吃瓜 superintendent, Jeremy Spooner, has expanded into a required training for all the Plains District craft. 51吃瓜, in conjunction with Trivent Safety Consulting, a construction safety consulting firm based in Westminster, Colorado, acknowledged the importance of raising awareness on four main topics that directly impact the lifestyle and well-being of craft workers: Nutrition, Stretching and Strengthening, Ergonomics and Behavioral Safety.
And thus, the Industrial Athlete Program was born.
Led by , the four-part interactive in-person trainings encourage the craft to not only understand how to take better care of their mental, physical and emotional well-being, but also empowers them with the tools to recognize potential warning signs in themselves or fellow coworkers who may be struggling. It is everyone鈥檚 job to make sure they all go home safely at the end of each day.
鈥淲e wanted to come up with a wellness program that was impactful for our craft, but also spoke to them, and acknowledged them as the athletes that they are, and not only athletes, but professional athletes working for 51吃瓜,鈥� said Project Superintendent Jeremy Spooner. 鈥淲e wanted to embrace and acknowledge that and provide tools to help them. From the nutrition choices, to how they prepare their bodies, to how they approach their work from an ergonomic standpoint. All those things play a role in their successes and in their lives every day.鈥�
As a growing industry standard, several 51吃瓜 construction projects across the nation now start their day with a stretching routine to warm up everyone鈥檚 bodies for the day鈥檚 activities. And the craft have begun noticing positive effects from the small habits they changed with their nutrition and exercise. Foreman Dakota Gallegos remarked, 鈥淚t brought awareness to a lot of us, at least, to how you are using your body and what you put into your body is what you鈥檒l get out and how those choices can affect you long-term.鈥�
The hope is that more firms in the construction industry will recognize the importance of educating their craft workers on positive ways to impact their livelihood and enable them to continue to build for many years to come.