Jaynes Observes Construction Safety Week: A Conversation with Woody Harwell On Safety, Accountability, and the Human Side of Risk

This year’s Construction Safety Week is a time at Jaynes Corporation to think about more than policies and procedures. It’s time to focus on people. At Jaynes, that’s the mindset that builds and evolves our safety culture every day.

For Safety and Claims Manager Woody Harwell, safety isn’t just part of the job, it’s personal.

Harwell grew up around construction safety. His father retired as a safety leader at Jaynes, and those early experiences shaped how Woody sees his role today.

“I’ve always been around it,” Harwell says. “But what stuck with me were the stories, how many lives you can impact, or even save, by doing things the right way.”

That perspective still drives him. “At the end of the day, I just like helping people,” he adds. “If we can make sure someone goes home safe and can enjoy their life long-term, that’s what matters.”

Safety as Culture, Not Compliance

Ask Harwell how he defines safety, and his answer goes beyond rules and regulations.

“At Jaynes, safety isn’t about checking a box or meeting the minimum,” he explains. “It’s about creating a culture where people choose to do the right thing, even when no one’s watching.”

That distinction is critical. On many job sites, safety can become reactive or enforcement-driven. Harwell sees it differently.

“You can’t just show up, enforce rules, and expect things to stick,” he says. “If people are only working safely when you’re there, then you haven’t really changed anything.”

Jaynes focuses on building awareness and ownership so that safety becomes instinctive rather than imposed.

That philosophy aligns with a simple but powerful idea echoed across the company: safety doesn’t stop at the jobsite. It extends to families, to futures, and to the lives employees lead outside of work.

Safety Brings You Home

At Jaynes the phrase “Safety Brings You Home” is more than a program, it’s a daily reminder of what’s at stake.

The program reinforces the idea that every decision made on a jobsite carries consequences beyond the work itself. It connects safety to something personal. Families, futures, life outside of construction.

Rather than focusing only on compliance, the initiative encourages employees and trade partners to look out for one another, speak up when something isn’t right, and take ownership of their environment.

It’s about creating habits that extend beyond the jobsite, so whether someone is at work or at home, safety remains top of mind.

Accountability Without Blame

Accountability plays a central role in that culture, but not in the way many might expect.

“Accountability isn’t about pointing fingers,” Harwell says. “It’s about understanding why something happened and how we can prevent it from happening again.”

Too often, incidents are reduced to individual mistakes. But Harwell emphasizes that real learning comes from looking deeper.

“There’s almost always something behind an incident,” he explains. “Was there enough training? Were we asking too much from someone? Was there something going on outside of work?”

That mindset shifts the conversation from blame to improvement.

“We try to look at it as an ‘our fault, not your fault’ situation,” he says. “Because when you do that, people are more willing to speak up, and that’s where real progress happens.”

By encouraging open communication and treating near-misses as opportunities to learn, Jaynes builds a system where issues are addressed early, before they escalate.

Building Safer Partnerships

On any given project, safety extends far beyond Jaynes’ employees. Subcontractors, trade partners, and vendors all play a role, and Harwell sees that as an opportunity, not a challenge.

“In New Mexico, we don’t always have a huge pool of subcontractors for every project,” he explains. “So instead of just moving on if something isn’t working, we invest in partner relationships and partner training and education.”

That means coaching, mentoring, and helping valued partners meet Jaynes’ standards.

“It’s really about the partnership,” Harwell says. “If we can help elevate everyone, then every jobsite becomes safer.”

That approach hasn’t gone unnoticed. According to Harwell, many subcontractors look forward to working projects with Jaynes and say they feel more secure working on Jaynes projects.

“They know what’s expected,” he says. “They know we’re going to hold them to a high standard, but also support them in meeting it.”

The result is a more consistent, predictable environment, one in which safety directly contributes to better outcomes across the board.

Jaynes’ History of Embracing Safety Innovation

Part of what sets Jaynes apart is a willingness to evolve. “We don’t just stick with something because it works,” Harwell says. “We’re always looking for ways to improve.”

That mindset has led to proactive innovations, including the early adoption of enhanced head protection requirements across job sites.

“Jaynes may have been the first commercial contractor to require hard hats in New Mexico on every site back in the day. And in January 2026 we moved to helmets because they’re simply safer,” he explains. “And now it’s becoming the direction the whole industry is heading.”

That kind of leadership isn’t new for Jaynes. Decades earlier, the company helped push forward changes that are now standard across the industry.

In the early to mid-1990s, Jaynes was among the first to require full-time safety glasses on jobsites, well before it became common practice. Similarly, while high-visibility vests were long used in roadway work, Jaynes took a stand in the mid-2000s by making them mandatory on projects, helping normalize their use across commercial building sites.

Each of these decisions followed a similar pattern. Take a step forward to set a higher safety standard. Usually before the rest of the industry catches up.

The recent transition from traditional hard hats to helmets reflects that same philosophy. At Jaynes, safety innovation isn’t about reacting, it’s about leading.

As the saying goes, the highest form of flattery is imitation. Time and again, Jaynes has seen its safety standards adopted more broadly, reinforcing a simple truth: when you lead with safety, others take notice.

But innovation at Jaynes isn’t limited to physical safety measures. The company is also leaning into conversations that have historically been overlooked in construction, particularly mental health.

“There’s a lot of stress in this industry,” Harwell says. “And not everyone talks about it.”

From long hours to high-pressure environments, the demands of construction can take a toll. Harwell believes acknowledging that reality is essential.

“If people know they’re not alone and feel comfortable speaking up, that can make a huge difference,” he says.

Construction Safety Week: An Opportunity to Reset

For Harwell, Construction Safety Week serves as both a checkpoint and a catalyst.

“It’s a chance to reset,” he explains. “To make sure we’re aligned, focused on the right things, and continuing to improve.”

But he’s quick to point out that safety at Jaynes isn’t confined to a single week.

“We talk about this stuff all the time,” he says. “That’s just part of who we are.”

Safety Week simply brings that commitment into sharper focus, reinforcing the values that guide the company year-round.

Safety Brings You Home: The Goal That Drives Everything

In the end, Harwell keeps coming back to a simple idea, Safety Brings You Home.

“Every person on-site has a life outside of work,” he says. “They’ve got family, friends, people counting on them.”

That perspective shapes every decision, every conversation, and every improvement effort.

At Jaynes, safety isn’t just about reducing incidents. It’s about protecting people, strengthening teams, and building a culture where everyone looks out for one another.

Because at the end of the day, the goal isn’t complicated.

Everyone goes home.

Click here to see Jaynes’ Emmy Award-winning video, “Safety Brings You Home,” a part of our new employee onboarding program.

 

 

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