Primary Department: County Administration
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Jesse Dickerman, Interim County Administrator
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for consideration and potential approval of a Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy, which includes (1) a revised Contractor Safety Record Policy and (2) a Worksite Safety Policy.
end
Background and Discussion:
On October 16, 2025, Commissioners Court directed “the Office of County Administration, in partnership with Engineering Department, Toll Road, Flood Control District, Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity, Purchasing Agent, County Attorney’s Office, and Court Offices, to return to Commissioners Court on November 13, 2025, with a countywide Worksite Safety Policy establishing uniform standards for all County construction projects. At a minimum, this policy shall: incorporate feedback from labor and industry stakeholders; be modeled after evidence-based best practices from peer counties, labor and other organizations; be designed to reduce worksite injuries and improve worker protection; establish clear safety, monitoring, and inspection standards; and include training and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance.”
Since that date, several internal meetings and multiple meetings involving labor and/or contractor representatives have been held, leading to the draft policy submitted for Commissioners Court’s consideration. This proposed Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy includes both (1) a revised Contractor Safety Record Policy and (2) a Worksite Safety Policy.
Expected Impact:
Adoption of the proposed policy would create more transparency about and oversight of worker safety issues and foster an environment in which workers can communicate safety concerns.
Alternative Options:
Continue discussions and return to Court at a later date with a finalized proposal.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: L: Foster more living-wage jobs that ensure worker safety, benefits, and stability across all educational levels.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): L2: Further expand and enforce contractor worker safety policy/standards.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan: n/a
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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10/16/25 |
543 |
To direct the Office of County Administration, in partnership with Engineering Department, Toll Road, Flood Control District, Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity, Purchasing Agent, County Attorney’s Office, and Court Offices, to return to Commissioners Court on November 13, 2025, with a countywide Worksite Safety Policy establishing uniform standards for all County construction projects. At a minimum, this policy shall: incorporate feedback from labor and industry stakeholders; be modeled after evidence-based best practices from peer counties, labor and other organizations; be designed to reduce worksite injuries and improve worker protection; establish clear safety, monitoring, and inspection standards; and include training and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. |
|
1/9/25 |
299 |
To direct the Department of Equity and Economic Opportunity to form a working group with Purchasing, Engineering, County Attorney’s Office, Flood Control, the Toll Road Authority, and any other relevant departments and key stakeholders including labor and contractors to develop a set of policy revisions to the Contractor Safety Record Policy and return to Court with the proposed revisions by May 2025, and that the policy go through a biannual review. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Anticipated Court Date: 11/13/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Jesse Dickerman, Interim County Administrator
Attachments (if applicable): Proposed final draft of Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy