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The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, has introduced a new major to help shape the industry’s future safety leaders.
The New construction safety leadership programbachelor of science degree at the university in Blacksburg, Virginia, began admitting students in May, and the inaugural cohort could graduate as early as May 2025.
The new specialization grew out of the industry’s growing demand for construction engineers with a safety-focused mindset, said Brian M. Kleiner, professor and director of the Center for Innovation, Safety, Health and Wellness at the Myers- Lawson School of Construction.
“Our industry advisory board was instrumental in driving the need for students equipped to lead safety, whether as safety professionals or as safety-minded project managers or superintendents,” he said.
The only other school in the Mid-Atlantic region with a safety degree is Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa., Kleiner said, and that is “very rules-based, focusing on OSHA regulations, for example”. In contrast, the Virginia Tech major will focus on leadership skills and knowledge, placing regulations in the context of leadership.
The construction industry faces numerous safety challenges that the program aims to address, Kleiner said. For hazard protection, this means highlighting OSHA’s Fatal Four in the workplace and continuing to advocate for safety and prevention.
“In terms of leadership, [the major focuses on] create a culture where safety is not seen as a cost-prohibitive negative, but rather a productivity-promoting element that gets workers home safe every night,” said Kleiner.
Security, leadership and studies
Students will take five core courses as part of the program, starting with CEM 2714: Construction Safety Systems, which provides an introductory overview of construction safety and its importance in industry.
Other courses include:
- CEM 3164: Safety and Health in Construction, which explores the regulations, standards, and laws established by government agencies to protect workers.
- CEM 3714: Controlling Construction Safety Hazards, which examines the cognitive processes involved in recognizing and managing construction safety hazards.
- CEM 4714: Safety Culture in Construction, which investigates ethical safety practices in the context of construction culture, climate and organizational leadership.
- CEM 4724: Futures of the Construction Industry: Safety, Health and Welfare, which assesses the future of the construction industry from a safety, health and welfare perspective.
“Key skills students will acquire through this program include hazard recognition and identification, motivating others to be safety-minded, and leadership skills and knowledge,” Kleiner said.
Brian M. Kleiner
Permission granted by Virginia Tech
In addition, all courses have industry engagement and are project/experience based. When it comes to gaining work experience, Kleiner said students will be better prepared and more likely to seek out internships with a strong security component, and with the major in place, he believes recruiters will be more likely to create those positions. .
Jacob Kmieciak, an engineering and construction management student in the program, was interested in participating because he felt the degree would be a valuable asset in the workplace and that the skills gained would translate to better positions and possibly a salary higher
“I believe it will prepare me for the construction industry by allowing me to gain another set of useful and diverse skills that can be applied to anything I do now as a student, intern, future graduate or as a future engineer,” he said “Security is what we make of it; the goal is the same for everyone: to get home safely. And now, with this new specialty, we hope we can make something more of it with all the technology and smart, caring people working on a solution.”
Kmieciak said in his classes, students work toward their OSHA-10 certification through study and multiple exams, and also gain more knowledge about what safety systems exist to help reduce workplace accidents.
“I believe this new major will dramatically change the way students enter the construction industry,” he said. “For starters, having your OSHA-10 certification makes you a valuable asset to any company, as it demonstrates your dedication to safety and helps save time and money in training new hires. I’m excited to see where this will bring safety to the industry.”
Along with the launch of this new degree, Virginia Tech, through its Safety, Health and Wellness Innovation Center, recently started a project focused on improvement of safety equipment standardswhich includes a thorough evaluation of construction helmets.
“The initial step is to verify that the helmets provide superior protection compared to traditional helmets,” Kleiner said. “While helmets are designed solely to protect the head from falling objects, helmets offer more comprehensive safety measures. Ultimately, a rating system for helmets will be developed, based on empirical evidence.”
