Client Profile
100% Employee-Owned Civil Contractor Reports Record Growth and Expansion
Emery Sapp & Sons, headquartered in Columbia, MO, is a 100% employee-owned company with more than 1600 employee owners. This leading Midwest infrastructure contractor specializes in excavation, grading, underground utilities, bridge construction, asphalt and concrete paving, and pavement preservation across industries ranging from transportation to commercial to industrial to residential. Parent company Emery Sapp Construction Inc. logged a record-breaking $1B in revenue in 2023, a 391% increase over a five-year span.
Challenge
EHS Software with Limited Features and Flexibility
Emery Sapp & Sons parted ways with its long-time Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) software suite because they needed a solution that could scale with the company’s rapid growth. They encountered a series of new contenders that just didn’t fit the bill.
According to Safety Manager Will Schauwecker, products Emery evaluated had issues, including:
- Inadequate safety modules
- Limited record-keeping abilities
- Lack of accessibility in the field
The would-be solutions also lacked the flexibility and customizability Emery required to integrate with other types of software across the enterprise. They needed an EHS solution with API capability that would connect it with other crucial systems within the company for advanced reporting and trend analysis.
Under their old EHS platform this kind of data sharing was lacking. “We fought tooth and nail with other groups to get that information out, to use it to report how we want in the platforms we choose,” Schauwecker said.
Solution
Emery Rolls Out KPA Flex Companywide to More Than 1600 Employees
The company started vetting KPA Flex in October 2023 and moved to onboarding the following January.
“We started building it out to try to break it and to see if it was going to meet our needs,” Schauwecker said. “And every step of the way, it was like, ‘Oh, it can do that, too!’”
KPA’s all-in-one EHS software solution brought new functionality, including:
- Field access to toolbox talks, inspections, audits, and more
- QR codes for equipment tracking and forms
- A robust training library, plus optimization for custom training
- Managing OSHA “10s and 30s” through ClickSafety
Today, Emery has integrated KPA into its day-to-day operations, and the software’s reach extends far beyond the safety team. It’s now available to roughly 1,600 staff.
“KPA is where our field managers are doing their Total Hazard Assessments (THAs), toolbox talks, safety meetings, vehicle and equipment inspections, job site inspections, and safety audits for different tasks and locations,” Schauwecker continued.
The company has also hit the ground running with QR codes for forms and equipment. “When you have (equipment) strung out over seven states, it’s sometimes hard to track,” Schauwecker explained. “A heavyduty label with a QR code is a game changer. It’s been really easy to roll out.”
“We’ve even started playing with some operations uses of Flex for our concrete and asphalt sites, including proof-of-pick and proof-of-delivery for our trucking fleet,” he said.
Schauwecker shared that ease of training and customization are other core benefits, such as the use of Driver Qualification files, which the company is making tremendous use of.
“(KPAs) training library is super beneficial. Then we’ve gone way down in the section and built our own training. With the level of customization, I can tell this product was made for safety people by safety people.”
Result
First Year on KPA Leads to Improvement in Number of Incidents, Plus Improved Reporting
Schauwecker noted results to date with KPA that include:
- A decrease in incidents and their severity
- API integration with other core programs
- Improved safety program reporting
As a self-proclaimed champion for KPA, Schauwecker enthused, “If you guys offer it, we’re doing it—or will at least try it. Will it benefit our people? If the answer is yes, then that’s what we’re gonna do.”
ESS primarily sets annual goals around leading indicators, Schauwecker said. “We ask, ‘Are staff being proactive for safety, are they doing the training, are they doing their daily task hazard analysis? Are they helping progress the safety program?’”
So far, the answer is yes, according to Schauwecker. Emery is already seeing a decrease in both the number of incidents and their severity. “All of our incident reporting happens in KPA,” he said.
Schauwecker also noted improvements due to the API capabilities of KPA Flex.
“Now we can report to management on the progress of different safety initiatives—and show incidents and trends in the ways that best move the needle for ESS staff.”
“We greatly appreciate KPA’s openness in making those API connections to get our data out,” he continued. “You have a strong IT department. In our experience, that’s unique.”
His praise extends to his KPA account manager. “We have a monthly meeting where we go back and forth on solutions. I benefit so much from working through a problem or idea with him,” Schauwecker said.
“I’ve seen a lot of platforms similar to you guys and I can see what’s good and what’s bad. There’s nothing I’ve found that’s bad in KPA. I give KPA a 10 out of 10. Would recommend.”
