www.mrca.org  —  Midwest Roofer
13
HEALTH & SAFETY
it was only the beginning.
“The Bronze award was a meaningful milestone, 
but internally we never viewed it as the finish line,” 
the company shared. “It showed us we were on 
the right path, but it also highlighted gaps between 
where we were and where we wanted to be. The 
SHARP Elite process made it clear that safety 
excellence isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about 
building a culture that holds up under scrutiny.”
That realization sparked a renewed commitment. 
Instead of chasing a higher award for the sake of 
recognition, Zenith focused on raising the standard 
for how safety was embedded into daily operations.
In a short time, that effort paid off. Zenith became 
the first company ever to receive a perfect 100% 
score and a Platinum award in 2023—and they 
have continued to earn Platinum recognition in the 
years since.
The Mindset Shift That Made the Difference
According to Zenith’s leadership, the most 
significant change wasn’t a new policy or piece of 
equipment. It was a shift in ownership.
“The biggest change was ownership. Safety 
stopped being viewed as a department or a 
program and became a shared responsibility 
across leadership, field teams, and supervisors,” 
they explained. “We aligned our expectations, 
improved accountability, and treated safety with the 
same discipline we apply to production and quality.”
The company moved away from a compliance-
focused mindset and adopted a more fundamental 
question: Are we truly protecting our people?
That shift led to more intentional training, stronger 
documentation, and consistent follow-through—key 
factors in their leap from Bronze to Platinum.
A Review That Goes Beyond the Paperwork
One of the defining features of the SHARP Elite 
program is the depth of its review. Companies 
are not simply evaluated on written policies or 
injury statistics. Instead, the process examines 
how safety is actually implemented on jobsites.
For Zenith, this was one of the most eye-opening 
aspects.
“The depth of the review was eye-opening. It 
forced us to look beyond policies and manuals 
and evaluate how safety actually shows up on 
jobsites—through planning, communication, and 
execution,” the team said. “The process exposed 
areas where we assumed alignment but hadn’t 
fully connected intent to action.”
At the same time, the review also validated areas 
where the company was already strong, giving 
them the confidence to build on those successes.
The Value of an Expert, Unbiased Perspective
While the award itself carries prestige, many 
Continued on page 15

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