On April 12, the Beaudry (aka 960 W. 7th Street) team received the big news that awaits every construction project: the 64-story luxury residential tower had officially earned its temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO), three days prior to tenant move-in.

"Our field and office team really stepped up for the final push to TCO," says Sr. Project Manager Luis Garcia. "Several team members worked around the clock, including consecutive weekends, to ensure we had coverage for final inspections. Throughout the life of the project, the grit our team displayed was truly second-to-none."

Today, Beaudry proudly stands at 960 W. 7th Street in the heart of downtown LA. The GMP project totals 1,334,953 square feet throughout one structure encompassing a 543,110 square-foot podium and 791,843 square-foot tower. It is 56 levels in height from its main entrance, and when including above-grade parking levels fronting 8th Street, the tower stands at 64 stories-roughly 695 feet above ground level. It includes 785 market-rate apartment units on levels 4 through 56 with studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units above an 814-stall garage.

The tower features an outdoor pool at level three, multiple amenity decks including a rooftop amenity deck, BBQ area, water features, community rooms, pet spa, game room, gym, ballet studio, and a golf simulator. In addition to housing, the tower fronts the FIGat7th terrace and 8th Street with small commercial spaces and a staircase access point to the adjoining shopping mall.

When Safety Manager Dora Orozco joined Webcor's W Hotel project team as a union laborer 25 years ago, she had no idea she'd found the company where she would eventually launch her long-term career. After brief stints at Atkinson Construction, Abbott Electric, and SJ Amoroso Construction between 1995-97, Dora accepted Webcor's offer to join the company's concrete division in November 1997.

"My husband's family connected me to the construction industry," Dora shares. "His cousin, Oscar De La Torre, is currently the business manager of the Northern California District Council of Laborers. He offered me the opportunity to join the Local 261 union, where I was connected to Atkinson, Abbot, SJ Amoroso, and finally the W Hotel project at Webcor. I never would have guessed I'd end up creating a career there."

As a laborer journeywoman in Webcor's concrete division, Dora spent those early days on the W Hotel project pouring concrete, striping form work, organizing the work area, leading mat pours, rigging, and managing extensive traffic control, among myriad other demanding tasks. It was a nonstop, fast-paced time of her career that was filled with major challenges, many of which were exacerbated by being the only woman on the project site.

"It was a bit intimidating to not know how to do several things, e.g. how to use tools and equipment, on top of being the only woman on-site," she says. "The work was physically demanding-I sometimes caught my coworkers looking at me as if I were in the wrong place. However, all those challenges inspired me and played a part in my growth into who I am today. Although being a woman in a man's world is difficult, I've been fortunate enough to find great mentors who have taught me a great deal over the years. Several superintendents, foremen, and colleagues have supported and believed in me-without them, I wouldn't be where I am today."

As her exposure to the various facets of construction work continued over the next several years, she developed a growing interest in safety and decided she'd do whatever it took to transition to the department permanently.

"Learning everything at once when I was first starting my journey into safety was the biggest challenge of my career," she says. "However, it's been even more rewarding to know that I'm contributing to Webcorians' safety and that they know they can count on me. I'm very proud of the impact I've made at the individual level and that I've earned Webcor's support."

Today, Dora manages safety efforts on Mission Rock Parcel F and holds certifications in teaching/training employees in traffic control, Fall Protection for the Competent Person, OSHA 30, Electrical Safety, and Certificate Excavation & Tech. Since officially joining Webcor's Safety team in 2017, she's continued to nurture the trust that's grown between her and all Webcorians with whom she's had the opportunity to work. Aside from ensuring project team members are properly educated on safety practices, stay actively engaged in available safety trainings, and have implemented them in their everyday activities, Dora's passionate about instilling a sense of psychological safety on project sites. This includes amplifying the urgency of comprehensive mental health awareness, particularly in an industry as deadline-driven and physically/mentally taxing as construction.

"The type of work we do requires their complete attention and focus to prevent accidents and injuries," she says. "It's extremely important that workers come to the job site in the right state of mind and walk away from it knowing that they're appreciated.

Treating her colleagues with kindness and respect has long been a natural strength of Dora's, who fondly remembers the superintendent who offered her first role in Safety expressing his appreciation for how she addressed everyone around her.

"Seeing my colleagues come to the job site happy because they know they're working in a safe environment is one of the greatest rewards of my role," she says. "It's also gratifying to know that they respect and listen to me as a safety manager, especially after years of having to speak up for myself in certain professional situations. Thankfully, I'm armed with the confidence that I offer the type of expertise that only decades of experience brings you."

When envisioning the future of safety in construction, she hopes to see a dramatic shift in owners' and developers' attitudes toward prioritizing safety above all other factors. It's imperative that owners and developers embrace the culture of active caring and Speaking Up for Safety that Webcor's fostered over the last several years-particularly when a small team is working as efficiently as possible to stay on top of the owner's schedule.

"At Webcor, we will never sacrifice employee safety for the sake of schedule," Dora says. "It's so important that owners and developers across the industry are aligned with us on that principle. Workers should view the job site as a place where they know their safety will be prioritized. When we take care of people, they give back to us 100 percent."

For as long as he can remember, Safety Manager Vincent DeBenedictis has always loved helping people. It's a passion that has fueled his trajectory from union carpenter to safety leader at some of Webcor's most high-profile Los Angeles projects. Fresh off Beaudry (aka 960 W. 7^th St.) and currently on Cosm at Hollywood Park, Vince spends his days immersed in the myriad tasks that go into creating a physically and psychologically safe job site for his teammates–a responsibility that's equal parts demanding and gratifying.

"Seeing the impact I'm making on our project teams is the most rewarding part of my role as safety manager," Vince says. "A safe work environment fosters effective teamwork and increases morale and productivity. I'm proud to say I've used my unique blend of field experience and academic background to develop and implement effective safety measures on every project I've been assigned, in turn creating safer work environments and improving morale."

Originally a career painter, Vince got his start in the safety world while working as a union carpenter specializing in concrete formwork. Under the guidance and support of several mentors, he learned the ins and outs of what it meant to truly work safely, eventually inspiring him to pursue a full-time career in managing on-site safety efforts and initiatives.

After leaving the union, he took on his first safety-focused role at an excavation subcontractor before joining Webcor's safety team in 2018. Immediately, he was drawn to the company culture's unique focus on innovation, creativity, and active caring-all of which intersect in Webcor's Safety program.

"Safety is integral to Webcor's culture-we aim to prevent accidents and ensure workers' well-being by actively caring for them," he says. "We make a real difference by educating everyone on our safety program and creating exceptionally safe job sites, inspiring Webcorians to recognize us as a company that truly takes care of its people. I'm proud to have played a vital role in the department's immense growth over the last few years."

As Vince points out, a world-class safety program is multifaceted; it prioritizes workers' mental health just as highly as it does physical safety, and it compels them to embrace the responsibility they have to themselves, their families, and their teammates to be safe on-site. Failure to do so could quickly lead to disastrous, irrevocable consequences ranging from life-changing injuries to fatalities.

"Across the construction industry, we desperately need to eliminate the "It won't happen to me' mentality," he says. "That type of attitude turns into complacency, which substantially increases the risk of accidents and injuries. It's critical that people treat safety as the shared responsibility that it is and recognize that even the seemingly smallest of shortcuts can lead to severe safety-related consequences. This starts with continuing to train and educate teams on how to mitigate risks and identify hazards correctly."

Our industry's annual Construction Safety Week is a perfect opportunity for construction companies and project teams to renew their commitments to ensuring everyone returns home safely at the end of each work day, Vince says. Founded in 2014 by the Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI) group and Incident and Injury-Free (IIF) CEO Forum, Safety Week aims to inspire everyone in the construction industry to lead the way in safety. For nearly a decade, Webcor's on-site Safety Week events have celebrated our safety program's progress and encouraged Webcorians to recommit themselves to putting in the work required to eliminate all incidents from our job sites.

"The construction industry has come a long way regarding safety, but there's still room for improvement," Vince continues. "I'm excited to be part of its ongoing evolution and help effect positive change. When people understand the importance of safety and how it affects their and their families' lives, they're more likely to engage and speak up for safety!"

Since joining Webcor over five years ago, Vince has completed his associate's degree in Occupational Safety & Health and earned his Associate Safety Professional (ASP) certification. As he continues to carve his path as a top leader in Webcor's Safety department, he looks forward to finishing his bachelor's degree program in Occupational Safety & Health and completing his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification soon afterward!