Work Zone Safety
Leading by Example
Project superintendent puts public safety first
By Jamey Bradbury
Andy Davidson holding a large fish that was caught
Andy Davidson with his wife and kids
Leading by Example
Project superintendent puts public safety first
By Jamey Bradbury
F

or Andy Davidson, safety is all about family.

“Everyone obviously wants to get home to their family, but having that mentality, that it’s family first, I think, puts safety up front,” he reflects. “Anytime someone [from my crew] needs or wants time off, there’s never a question. You’ve got to know people’s limits and not overwork them.”

The Mass Excavation, Inc. project superintendent manages as many as forty-five to sixty active personnel on challenging projects, ranging from the Seward Highway MP 75-90/Portage Curve Multimodal Connecter to improvements at Merrill Field Airfield, for which he was recognized with the Mayor’s Certificate of Excellence in 2018.

There’s No “I” in Safety
While he was singled out last year by the Associated General Contractors of Alaska, which bestowed on Davidson a ConocoPhillips Excellence in Safety Individual Award in November for his leadership and dedication to safety, Davidson says that ensuring safety while achieving high-quality work is a team effort.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have my same crew—most of them—for over ten years, so we all rely on each other,” he says. “I’ve had good operators and people to learn from, so that definitely helps. I won this award, but honestly, it’s them keeping me in check and me keeping them in check.”

Keeping an eye on each other is crucial when Davidson’s crew tackles projects like Mass Excavation’s current work on the Seward Highway—considered one of Alaska’s most dangerous highways. Here, relentless traffic, unpredictable weather, and the hazards inherent in night work contribute to the difficult conditions Davidson contends with.

The biggest issue he navigates on the project, though, is public safety, according to Cody Troseth, Mass Excavation project manager.

“With a job of that size and scale, Andy coordinates and manages all the subcontractors, all of his workers, and he deals with the state. But in terms of safety, the biggest thing on the Seward Highway is the public, and the safety of the public,” Troseth explains. “There’s particular planning you have to do to make sure you can keep traffic moving in a safe manner. You’re basically redoing a brand-new highway on the curve while the public is still in motion, daily.”

Promotion for Peak Past Performance
Past experience allows Davidson to properly phase the project for maximum traffic flow and safety: In 2013, when he was still a superintendent for Mass Excavation, Davidson was tasked with one of the company’s first public work projects, a $28 million job with the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities on the Seward Highway near Indian. Prioritizing safety on that job, given the amount of traffic from summer tourists and fishermen, Troseth says, was a “massive undertaking.”

Davidson’s outstanding leadership on that project won him additional responsibility, including being selected as the superintendent for the $90 million Seward Highway Portage Curve Multimodal Connector.

To keep his crew focused, Davidson holds daily safety meetings where he emphasizes that day’s focus, soliciting information and concerns from everyone involved, and he collaborates with safety managers to run through complex jobsite activities.

“He definitely has a different way of looking at projects; he’s always thinking about the public.”

–Cody Troseth
Project Manager, Mass Excavation
“I try to get others’ opinions and what they’re seeing on the site,” he says. “They’re the ones doing it and seeing it, and that makes them think of the issues they’re dealing with more.”

Sometimes his crew sees the unexpected. On the Indian project, he received a message over his radio that a nearby house was on fire.

“I raced down there and, yeah, it was pretty crazy. As a kid, you’re always taught to feel the doorknob. I did that, kicked the door in, and there was a lady in bed—she couldn’t walk. So, I crawled over to her and carried her out of there,” he says. “It was pretty intense. But it is kind of amazing how the stuff you learn as a kid, that you never think you’d actually use, came to my mind in that situation.”

Seeing Through the Lens of Safety
Davidson’s start in the industry began with family, too: His dad got him into the field. He started with Mass Excavation in the company’s early days, before it transitioned from doing Davis Constructors’ civil work to acting as its own general contractor on public work. He started as an operator and after just five years moved into a superintendent role—becoming an integral influence in Mass Excavation’s overall philosophy of safety.

“I can’t stress enough how much Andy’s ability to deal with the public and to work with the state brings to the table,” Troseth says. “He definitely has a different way of looking at projects; he’s always thinking about the public.”

Jamey Bradbury is a freelance writer who lives in Anchorage. Photos provided by Andy Davidson.