Beyond Prequalification

Improving SIF Prevention Through Better Contractor Partnerships

How can stronger contractor partnerships help prevent serious injuries and fatalities? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts sits down with Vic D’Amato of the National Safety Council to discuss how owners, contractors, and safety leaders can move beyond checkbox prequalification and build more effective partnerships around high-risk work. Vic shares lessons from nearly four decades in EHS, including why contractor risk cannot simply be transferred, how lower-tier subcontractors can introduce hidden exposure, and why lagging indicators like TRIR and EMR only tell part of the story. David and Vic also explore how SIF prevention requires better planning, stronger field monitoring, direct controls for high-energy hazards, and a culture that empowers workers to stop work when conditions change. Whether you’re an owner, general contractor, safety leader, or trade partner, this episode offers practical guidance on using prequalification insights, humble inquiry, and shared learning to strengthen contractor relationships and prevent serious incidents before they happen. Learn more at highwire.com.

How Shockey Improves Risk Visibility with Project-Based Prequalification

How do you manage subcontractor risk when everything can change mid-project? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, Shayne Gaffney, VP of Product Transformation and Delivery at Veriforce, is joined by Rob Wagoner, Vice President of Operations, and Haley Russell, Safety and Prequalification Coordinator at Howard Shockey & Sons, to discuss their shift from an annual subcontractor evaluation to project-based prequalification. With greater visibility into subcontractor capacity, backlog, and financial health, their team has moved beyond static, once-a-year evaluations to a more dynamic, real-time approach. They share how this shift has improved decision-making, uncovered hidden risks, and strengthened accountability across projects. Haley and Rob also discuss how their prequalification process supports Shockey’s subcontractor default insurance (SDI) program and the practical steps they take to mitigate risk.  Whether you’re refining your prequalification strategy or considering an SDI program, this episode offers practical insights into building a more proactive, transparent, and resilient approach to subcontractor risk management. Learn more at highwire.com.

From OCIP Losses to a New Model for Contractor Management

How do you turn millions in wrap-up losses into a model that transforms contractor risk management across the industry? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts sits down with Garrett Burke, former Associate Director of Occupational and Construction Safety at Harvard University, to share the origin story behind Harvard’s owner-controlled insurance program (OCIP) turnaround and the creation of what would become ConstructSecure, now Highwire. Facing significant financial losses and rising risk under its OCIP, Harvard needed a new approach. Garrett explains how he built a construction safety standard from the ground up, implemented stronger performance requirements, and developed a data-driven contractor prequalification platform to identify and target risk before it impacted projects. What began as an internal solution to improve OCIP performance quickly gained traction beyond campus. As other owners and general contractors saw the results, the platform spun out of Harvard as ConstructSecure and ultimately evolved into Highwire. Whether you are evaluating contractors, managing a wrap-up program, or strengthening your safety culture, this episode offers practical insight into how leadership, engagement, and proactive prequalification can drive measurable results. Learn more at highwire.com [http://highwire.com].

AI and the Future of Safety Inspections

What separates inspection programs that truly prevent serious injuries from those that simply generate paperwork? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, Highwire’s Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts, is joined by Caitlin Bergin of BSI and Corey Silverman of Highwire to explore how organizations can turn their safety inspection programs into one of the most powerful leading indicators in their safety management system. They discuss why inspection volume doesn’t equal inspection quality, how misaligned goals and low-risk “easy” findings dilute impact, and why leadership engagement is essential to driving meaningful improvement. The conversation also highlights practical applications of AI in the field and how these tools can reduce friction, improve data quality, and help teams focus on high-risk activities. Whether you’re an asset owner, general contractor, or trade partner, this episode offers practical guidance on using inspection data to strengthen partnerships, surface emerging risk, and drive continuous safety improvement. Learn more at highwire.com.

Keeping Projects On Track with Effective Risk Mitigation Plans

In this episode, hosts David Tibbetts and Shayne Gaffney break down risk mitigation plans and why they’re a critical part of managing both safety and financial risk. Using real-world examples, they discuss when corrective action plans, exception management plans, and other mitigation strategies are necessary, and how they should function as active tools, not paperwork that sits on a shelf. They explore how to set the right tone when engaging contractors, what effective plans should include, and why follow-through and performance monitoring are essential to preventing serious incidents or project disruption. Whether you’re evaluating contractors or managing active projects, this episode offers practical guidance on turning identified risks into meaningful action. Learn more at highwire.com.