Safety Story: Raul Gomez

Share your experience with Swinerton, how you started, and where you are now:

I started with Swinerton in 2015 as a Senior Superintendent and am now a Field Operations Manager. I worked in Silicon Valley before I came to Swinerton, so coming back to be Field Operations Manager for Silicon Valley is like a homecoming for me. I’ve been in the industry for 25 years and started in the field working on ground-up buildings and precast concrete structures like garage skins. I was injured a handful of times in my younger years because, unfortunately, safety wasn’t as emphasized as it is now. I’ve seen the progression of safety getting better throughout my 25 years in the industry. I’m really grateful that the industry is moving in that direction.

How do you foster open communication within your teams to promote a stronger safety culture?

I think it comes down to what our core values are and really letting our core values drive those conversations with the teams. It could be anyone from my safety manager, Matt Dolan, my General Superintendent, Scott Kent, and then all the Superintendents and Foremen that work in Division 85 really taking the pulse of where we’re at all those levels. What are we doing? What can we do different? I’m really big about getting back to basics. I make observations in the field that I see that we can do better. It always comes down to the most basic things, e.g. the proper PPE use, what is our minimum for PPE on the projects, and are we following it? Are the project teams so caught up in the moment of getting the project done that maybe they’re not seeing the things on the periphery? When I see it, I try to have those conversations with Matt, take the pulse, talk to the project Superintendent, and really get to the root cause. And ensure we’re growing together. That is really at the core of it for me.

How does Swinerton’s approach to both mental and physical well-being contribute to a safer work environment?

As managers, the environment is something that we shape and create. As a young Superintendent the quality of life wasn’t as prevalent. It wasn’t really talked about. And I know what that can do to someone running a complex, stressful project and working the hours that a Superintendent has to work as part of their duties. I think flipping the script on it and really understanding that our people in the field to have lives outside of work is important. They have commitments to family. So how can we help lighten that load? I say to my Superintendents – if there’s a crane pick or something coming up on a weekend and you guys have been working a six-to-seven-day week and need a weekend off – call on me, call on Scott the General Superintendent. We have no problem coming and watching that crane pick on a Saturday, so that they can have that much needed time off and get that mental reset to come back to work. 

For me, the most important aspect of safety is pre-planning. Also, I’d say our morning daily huddle and stretch and flex. That is really key because you’re able to talk amongst the project teams, including our trade partners, and identify what the plan is for the day – allowing everyone on that project site to hear what what’s going on at any given day. For example, we are going to be shutting down a certain sector of the project because there’s going to be crane operation. That triggers a lot of conversations. It also puts folks on notice to avoid this area. I think that conversation in the morning just is so critical to safety and getting everyone on the same page. Then when you roll it into the stretch and flex, it’s a great opportunity to get everybody loosened up in the morning, talking about the plan of the day. It creates synergy for our projects and the culture we need for safety.

How do you recognize and show appreciation for team members who demonstrate safety excellence?

Whether it’s a Superintendent or Craft, my heart’s always been in the field. When I see our team members and walk our jobs, I walk away with so much just admiration for the things that they do every day. Our Superintendents and Craft employees are just amazing. I am lucky that my Division Manager is very supportive of the recognition we advocate for the Craft folks. Our Superintendents are doing excellent work and living up to our core values. I have no hesitation in knocking on her door and saying, “I want to talk to you about something I’m seeing positive in the field.” We always hear about the negatives, but, when we have people who are impacting the business positively, I always make time to talk to them. I also regularly communicate to my Superintendents the need for us to recognize those folks in the field that are contributing to our success.

There’s a program called the Craft Performance Awards (CPA). Those are monetary awards, and you can nominate a project team or a Craft individual. If someone in drywall is doing great job, or someone in concrete is excelling at pre-planning and safety, you can nominate them. I try to send an email out to my Superintendents at least every quarter to remind them. Just look for those opportunities to show our gratitude for their contributions.

Do you have any final thoughts or any favorite safety memories? 

I look back on all the times when I was injured as a young laborer. There are so many checks, and there is so much progress that has been made. Every year it seems like we’re improving. At Swinerton, we really practice what we preach. And I think I just feel so fortunate to be in this era of our industry. We still see injuries, but I feel like we’re doing a lot of work to prevent it.