Primary Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Jie Wu, Interim Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Discussion Item
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request for discussion and possible action on the proposed amendments to the Harris County Worksite Safety Policy through the court-directed annual review process.
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Background and Discussion:
The Harris County Worksite Safety Policy is a mandatory worker protection framework enacted to eliminate preventable injuries and fatalities on county-funded construction projects. It was part of the Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy approved in November 2025.
On January 29, 2026, the Commissioners Court approved the proposed updated Harris County Safety Policies for Construction Projects, with the exception of Section 13.3 of Worksite Safety Policy. The Commissioners Court directed the Worksite Safety Committee to return with policy recommendations for progressive discipline that include defined stages of enforcement and disciplinary tools proportionate to the severity of violations to DEEO and Court offices by May 1, 2026, for review, with a final recommendation to the Commissioners Court at the time of the policy’s annual review on August 6th, 2026.
Consistent with the policy's annual review requirement, DEEO coordinated a comprehensive evaluation of the Worksite Safety Policy and solicited recommendations from the Worksite Safety Committee, community stakeholders, and Commissioners Court Offices. The review led to proposed amendments to clarify program administration, strengthen worker protections, improve contractor accountability, and standardize enforcement procedures. Recommended revisions include enhancements to anti-retaliation procedures, clarification of corrective action timelines, establishment of a standardized progressive discipline framework, and improved consistency in applying enforcement actions across participating departments.
Expected Impact:
The attached implementation summary identifies these revisions as enhancements developed through stakeholder engagement and operational experience. Approval of the proposed revisions will ensure policies remain aligned with operational needs and the implementation plan. It will strengthen worker protections through enhanced complaint reporting and anti-retaliation procedures, increase contractor accountability, and promote consistent enforcement across participating departments.
Alternative Options:
Commissioners Court may elect to:
1. Approve the proposed policy amendments as presented.
2. Approve the policy with modifications based on the Commissioners Court directive.
3. Defer action and maintain the current policy without revisions.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Choose an item.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): L2: Further expand and enforce contractor worker safety policy/standards.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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11/13/2025 |
4 |
For approval of a Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy, which includes (1) a revised Contractor Safety Record Policy and (2) a Worksite Safety Policy. |
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10/16/2025 |
543 |
To direct the Office of County Administration, in partnership with the 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. |
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1/29/2026 |
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, and that the policy go through an annual review. |
|
3/19/2026 |
99 |
To create four positions for DEEO to support the Worksite Safety Program, in alignment with the fiscal review request form recommendations. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 8/6/2026
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: Jie Wu, Interim Executive Director, Economic Equity and Opportunity
Mark Perla, Senior Program Manager, Policy Compliance, Economic Equity and Opportunity
Attachments (if applicable):
1. Recommendations by the Worksite Safety Committee
2. Worksite Safety Policy - Consolidated Redline Version (reflecting suggested revisions from Infrastructure departments, Court offices, and DEEO)
3. Worksite Safety Policy - Proposed Clean Version