URS Energy and Construction of Boise, Idaho was named the nation’s safest construction company in 2010 by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association, which oversees the Construction Safety Excellence Awards, an annual ranking of construction safety programs, noted that 38 other companies were selected as winners for the quality of their safety programs.

“For the construction industry, protecting employees is a top priority,” said Ted Aadland, the association’s past president and the CEO of Portland, Oregon-based Aadland Evans Constructors, Inc. “Completed projects don’t mean anything if worker safety is compromised.”

Aadland said URS Energy and Construction was selected as this year’s Grand Prize winner because of its strong commitment to safety. He noted that the company was dedicated to the development and implementation of premier safety and loss prevention programs. The company presented outstanding leadership in safety and occupation health management, risk control, safety training, work site hazard identification and control, and safety program innovation, Aadland added.

Aadland noted that there are multiple winners because the awards are distributed for a number of categories, based on the size of the company, the amount of work performed and the type of work performed. He added that the Construction Safety Excellence Award winners are selected by a panel of five independent safety professionals within the government, corporate and insurance industries. Final judging for the awards program took place during last week’s annual convention for the contractors’ association.