BZI® Highlights Its Industry-Best Approach to Safety Culture, Innovations, Training and Processes During National Safety Week

BZI^® (bzi.com), a top steel and construction company nationally recognized for transformative innovations in its industries, announced today, during National Safety Week, its safety culture, innovations, training and processes are helping to revolutionize the construction and steel industries. BZI is accelerating project delivery setting new standards in safety and efficiency and providing a significant positive impact for its team members.

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BZI proactively ensures safe construction work sites and practices through its partnership with the BZI Academy™. The academy is one of the many reasons BZI continues to exceed industry standards in safety by providing hands-on and real-world application of foundational training to all its team members. An exclusive technical, safety, vocational and leadership training center, the academy provides training in OSHA (10) and (30) certifications, equipment operations, fall protection and industry-specific welding certifications. BZI Academy consistently logs over 30,000 student contact hours annually. As part of this expansive training curriculum, the academy also offers a Department of Labor-certified Apprenticeship Program, shaping relevant skills and advancing careers for those wanting to pursue construction as a vocation. All new BZI team members are paid for time spent attending the comprehensive training at the academy.

The company highlighted its EMR at 0.42 and recognition by ASIC with the Safety “Erector Award of Honor” related to BZI’s DART rating at 0.00.

An Experience Modification Rate (EMR) is a number used to gauge past cost of injuries and future risk. An EMR rating below 1.0 indicates a safer-than-average company. DART stands for Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred. It is a key OSHA safety metric measuring the severity of workplace injuries by calculating the number of incidents resulting in an employee missing work, working light duty, or being transferred to a different job. The measurement evaluates the impact of injuries on operations and serves as a "report card" for safety performance.

“BZI represents the gold standard for safety in construction,” said Matthew Horovitz, founder of M Squared Safety, an independent provider of safety, counsel, training and equipment to construction companies around the U.S. “Where many companies just try to do the minimum requirements, the people at BZI walk their talk about safety. They put their money and resources toward it. They try to do everything they can to eliminate hazards all together. BZI stays true to safety, no matter the cost or timing. I am in awe of how BZI has built and fosters a culture where team members feel safe and that their workplace and personal lives are better since joining BZI.”

BZI’s employees agree. The USA TODAY Top Workplaces awards recently ranked BZI #1 Employer for Frontline Workers, which measures through employee surveys, team member sentiment on how supported, safe, and valued they feel, focusing on cultural aspects like communication, appreciation, and trust in leadership.

BZI’s ongoing integrated approach to safety and outstanding performance in safety is supported by its culture, training and equipment innovations.

Specialized Trade and Safety Training at BZI Academy:

BZI proactively ensures safe construction work sites and practices through its partnership with the BZI Academy™. The academy provides hands-on and real-world application of foundational training to all its team members. An exclusive technical, safety, vocational and leadership training center, the academy provides training in OSHA (10) and (30) certifications, equipment operations, fall protection and industry-specific welding certifications. Since 2021, the organization, formerly known as SteelTech Academy, has issued thousands of certifications across these disciplines and consistently logs over 30,000 student contact hours annually. As part of this expansive training curriculum, the academy also offers a Department of Labor-certified Apprenticeship Program, shaping relevant skills and advancing careers for those wanting to pursue construction as a vocation. All new BZI team members are paid for time spent attending the comprehensive training at the academy.

“I walked into BZI Academy and thought, this is something that shows such a commitment to providing a human-centric safety model,” added Horovitz. “BZI gives the right tools, knowledge and develops innovative products with safety in mind from the beginning. It’s awe-inspiring. It blew us away.”

InnovaTech®, LLC – Product Innovations in Safety:

BZI’s InnovaTech^®, LLC specializes in designing, engineering and manufacturing innovative construction equipment and processes to enhance efficiency and safety on the job. The group has consistently developed several industry firsts and one-of-a-kind products.

InnovaTech working hand-in-hand with BZI has provided unique and seamless feedback and testing environments between the two organizations. BZI and InnovaTech work closely to continually improve the innovative equipment products and look for new opportunities to make steelwork and team member construction work sites safer, simpler, and more efficient. “The consideration for safety is a top priority from the very beginning of any new product conceived and developed by the companies,” said Jakob Harker, President of InnovaTech.

Safety Culture:

“BZI’s extensive safety programs and culture are central to all work conducted and environments where team members operate at the company,” said Jesus Cadena, BZI’s Chief Safety Officer. “Every day starts with team discussions on safety and ways we can help our fellow team member be safer, before anyone steps out on the work site or operational facilities. We provide quality personnel, training and extensive resources, continually updating the information and instruction, based on changing project and industry conditions.”

Cadena added that the company provides Quality Control Guides to ensure all specifications for safety are met and exceed industry standards.

“Safety is our number one mission. We do everything in our power and apply whatever resources necessary to ensure our fellow team members make it home safely to their families,” said Thomas Harker, President at BZI. “It’s critical our team members feel safe and taken care of by the teams at BZI. If anyone in our company has suggestions or notices ways to improve our processes, you can bet our leadership quickly acts to consider the best ways to execute the new ideas. This is one of the many reasons we’ve been able to achieve the safety metrics that set us apart and have our team members feel great about their time at the company.”

The construction industry is listed among the most dangerous industries in the world, typically ranking in the top three or four for highest fatality rates. Early 2026 data, identifies construction with the highest absolute number of workplace fatalities of any U.S. industry. Employing only about 8% of the workforce, construction accounts for approximately 20% of all private-sector workplace fatalities.

ABOUT BZI

Considered one of the top steel and construction organizations, the BZI^® group of companies headquartered in Kanarraville, Utah, operates through three primary organizations: Building Zone Industries, LLC is responsible for steel erection, while BZI Steel, LLC specializes in steel fabrication. InnovaTech^®, LLC specializes in designing, engineering and manufacturing innovative construction equipment and processes to enhance efficiency and safety on the job.

The company continues to receive numerous industry awards and accolades for its exceptional performance and contributions to its industries. The company has been the recipient of:

• USA TODAY 2026 Top Workplaces Leadership Award to CEO James Barlow
• USA TODAY 2026 #1 Top Workplaces for Frontline Workers
• USA TODAY 2026 #7 Top Workplaces for companies 500-999
• Seven Top Workplaces Excellence in Culture awards in 2026
• Top Workplaces 2026 Construction industry Award
• BZI’s President Thomas Harker honored in 2026 Utah Business Forty Under 40
• BZI named No. 6 in ENR’s List of Top 20 Steel Companies
• The Salt Lake Tribune named BZI No.3 Utah Top Workplaces 2025 for Large Businesses
• BZI®’s affiliate InnovaTech^® -- First place in the 2025 Utah Business Innovation Awards in the Industrial Manufacturing category
• No. 1 Construction Top Workplaces
• Inc. Best in Business 2024 for Construction: BZI Innovation Park
• USA Today's Top Workplaces (Second year – Ranked No. 11 in the nation for midsize companies in 2025)
• Utah Business Fast 50 (No. 12 ranking)
• Top Workplaces Construction Industry Award
• Salt Lake City Tribune Top Workplaces for two years (No. 5 ranking in 2024)
• One Utah Summit "Rural Rockstar" Award presented by Utah Governor Cox
• Best Employer by Cedar City Chamber of Commerce
• CEO of the Year by Cedar City Chamber of Commerce
• CEO of the Year 2025 Award – Utah Business
• Trade Partner in Safety Excellence (Layton Construction)

BZI is a proud member of and accredited by AISC, an organization that has recognized BZI with its top safety award, the “Erector Award of Honor” multiple times. CEO James Barlow serves on the Forbes Business Council and Inc. Leadership Forum and is a recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award. Jakob Harker, President of InnovaTech, is a proud member of the Fast Company Executive Board, an organization of select senior executives, founders, business owners, and industry experts who are defining the future of business.

BZI’s mission is to revolutionize the steel construction industry through innovation and team performance, while accelerating project delivery and setting new standards in safety and efficiency.

BZI is completing and executing major construction projects across the United States and is recognized as a leading provider of innovative construction solutions nationwide. Its reputation for excellent client and operational performance is attracting premier companies from around the world. These organizations are building with BZI as a trade partner and bringing new economic opportunities across the U.S. through the many BZI projects. Top customer industries include data centers, e-commerce retail, manufacturing facilities for batteries, aerospace, microchips, electric vehicles and food and beverage.

For more information about BZI, visit bzi.com, email office@bzi.com, or call 888.509.2280.

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