During Construction Safety Week (May 1 – 5 this year), Dugan & Meyers co-workers will join thousands of construction workers across the U.S. in recommitting to safety. This year’s theme is Connected. Supported. Safe. Throughout the week, every D&M jobsite will set aside time to talk about topics related to this theme.

But the truth is, safety isn’t a once-a-year topic. At D&M, it’s something we focus on every day. Our goal is for all co-workers to go home in a better condition than when they started their day. To achieve this, we have embraced an Incident- and Injury-Free culture and adopted a “safety always” mindset. This means that safety is part of everything we do. We can get our work done faster, smarter, and better only when safety is at the forefront.

Our safety efforts are directed by our six-person safety team. Led by Corporate Safety Director Craig Bengal, the team is responsible for:

• Conducting daily jobsite inspections
• Providing training to our field crew
• Investigating incidents
• Developing, updating, and enforcing policies and procedures
• Assisting with job hazard analyses, daily work plans, and mission task analysis

The field of safety is physically demanding. It also requires a sharp eye, attention to detail, a talent for building consensus, and the ability to think several steps ahead to anticipate and eliminate potential hazards and risk. It’s not a job that allows for much sitting still. But our safety experts take pride in being in the field every day, ensuring our people feel connected and know they are supported so they make safer choices.

Meet Our Team

Craig Bengal, MS, CSP, CHST, ASHM, Corporate Safety Director: Craig got his start in safety by enlisting in the Ohio Army National Guard as a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) specialist. He worked as an environmental technician cleaning up hazardous waste spills while using the GI Bill to earn a master’s degree in safety from Columbia Southern University. Just before completing his degree, he joined our team as a field safety coordinator. He left D&M briefly and was deployed with his Army Guard unit to Kuwait. When he returned from deployment, he jumped at the opportunity to come back as our safety director.

Eli Helton, GSP, Regional Safety Manager: A graduate of Indiana University Southeast, Eli has been with our team for more than a year. He has a knack for applying his passion for the outdoors, sports, and big-game hunting toward creating safe workplaces and improving safety procedures. Eli has always been inspired to enhance the opportunities of growth for others, especially in health/safety. His role with our team enables him to do just that by creating opportunities to teach, coach, and mentor our co-workers.

Joe Magro, CHST, Regional Safety Manager: Joe started his construction career in residential remodeling while attending college. After graduating from The Ohio State University, he joined Dugan & Meyers as a laborer. His career path took him from laborer to assistant field engineer, carpenter, site safety coordinator, and to his current role as regional safety manager. In his free time, Joe enjoys climbing, He strongly believes that whether on the side of a rock wall or building the world around us, safety begins with every individual.

Willie F. Marshall, CHST, Regional Safety Manager: Willie entered the construction field shortly after graduating from high school in 1976. He got his start as a carpenter and worked his way up to superintendent. Over the years, he has worked on some of Cincinnati’s highest profile projects, including Paul Brown Stadium, Great American Tower at Queen City Square, and the Fifth and Race Tower. He joined our team in June 2013 as a superintendent and moved over to the safety team in 2018.

Eric McMullin, Project Safety Coordinator: Eric’s unconventional path to the safety field equipped him with the valuable skills for promoting safety on the job. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Eric launched his career in the marketing promotions field. In 2012, he decided to change career paths and joined D&M as a laborer. By 2018, he had advanced to a project engineer role, and in the spring of 2020, he joined the safety team as a project safety coordinator.