Sustainability

We operate safely, ethically, and in a sustainable manner

Sustainability

At K.R. Swerdfeger, we believe in operating safely, ethically, and in the most sustainable manner possible, while partnering with our customers and suppliers in their own pursuit of sustainability. We act with a safety mindset and a commitment to quality to be the most reputable partner in our industry. Our impact is showcased in the innovative work we do, our customers’ satisfaction, and the difference we make in the communities we serve.

By prioritizing safety, protecting our environment, supporting our people, and acting with integrity, we are working in a way that enables us to make our mission a reality. 

Our four ESG pillars are:

Safety

Safety is embedded in all we do. We act safely in our operations because our team members, communities, and customers matter to us. We are committed to everyone returning home safely, every day, while providing safe and reliable energy to our nation.

Starting on Day One
Safety is personal for our people at work and in their daily lives. Their commitment starts when they join our team, and it is integral of their employee experience every day after that. New hires participate in extensive safety training and onboarding programs to set them up for success. Our teams participate in daily JSAs and weekly Toolbox Talks to reinforce our safety mindsets, understand safety trends, and learn how to find and respond to hazards. 

Staying Safe on the Road
Our goal is to ensure everyone returns home safely every day, while providing reliable energy to our nation. With our extensive fleet of vehicles and equipment, reducing accidents can help keep our employees and the public safe. 

We are proud that our Preventable Motor Vehicle Accident (PMVI) is lower than the industry standard, and we continue to invest in vehicle safety tools, like a telematics program and dash cameras that can proactively create safe driving habits and prevent or reduce accidents.

Environment

We strongly believe in the stewardship of our natural environment, and that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve it for generations to come. This is why we provide solutions that accelerate the reduction of methane and carbon emissions while enabling more sustainable processes for delivering essential utilities to our communities.

Driving Emissions Reduction
Continuous improvement is integral to our business and extends to our commitment to reducing emissions every year. In addition to helping our customers meet their emissions goals, we are focused on reducing our own impact as well. For our vehicles, we continue executing on several initiatives to reduce emissions, including lowering vehicle idle times, optimizing fleet routes, and assessing alternative fuel options.               

Investing in Innovation & New Opportunities
We work with our customers to replace their aging utilities with modern, safe, and reliable systems using techniques and methods that minimize the impact on the environment and communities. Partnering with our sister companies, Hydro-X II and Versiv Solutions, we offer innovative solutions to customers on our projects. 

Hydro excavating solutions from Hydro-X II use various soft dig techniques to minimize the potential for pipeline dig-in damages. Importantly, these techniques also help minimize environmental impact by mitigating against the use of carbon-intensive material and protecting communities and sensitive environments against unnecessary disruption. Learn more about Hydro-X II here.

Cross compression is a process by which natural gas is compressed and recycled back into the pipeline as an alternative to venting, flaring, or blowdown during pipeline maintenance, repairs, and installation. We partner with Versiv Solutions to help mitigate methane emissions and minimizing community impact in repairing pipelines. Learn more here.

Supporting Material Reuse & Recycling
We reuse and recycle at our locations and in the field. With more efficient processes, we use fewer vehicles, equipment, and carbon-intensive materials to complete our projects, and we recycle concrete and asphalt for future projects. For our vehicles, we recycle fluids from routine maintenance, tires, tracks, and metal.

 Our team members are active as well, and we have recycling bins at all our locations. They are encouraged to bring in their personal recycling to keep it out of landfills, and we also have an electronics recycling program.

People

People are what matter most to K.R. Swerdfeger. This is why we empower our team members, suppliers, customers, and communities to play leadership roles in advancing a more inclusive, respectful, and prosperous world.

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion
We believe in the dignity of all human beings and that diversity — be it race, ethnicity, religion, orientation, gender, age, background, experience, or any other quality that makes each of us unique — adds depth and value to our team. We believe in an environment where every team member is included, respected, and safe to share their thoughts and opinions. Discrimination and injustice have no place in our culture, our offices, or our job sites. 

Empowering Our People
Our team’s unique capabilities separate us from our competitors, and we are focused on maintaining that advantage by supporting and empowering our employees. With competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and training and development programs, team members can grow a career with us — not just work a day job. 

Giving Back to Our Communities
Our team members are proud supporters of numerous community outreach organizations that give back to the communities where we live, work, and play. A few of the organizations are located in the Pueblo area such as the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, Pueblo Diversified Industries, Pueblo Child Advocacy Center, and many more.

 Encouraging Supplier Diversity
Our commitment to diversity extends beyond our operations. We engage with partners through our Supplier Diversity Program to help increase minority-owned business participation in the industry.

Integrity

Integrity is at the core of our company, starting with conducting business ethically and with unwavering honesty. We do what’s right, even when no one is watching.

Centering Ethics & Compliance
Doing the right thing every time is one of our founding principles. We approach every job with an honest, transparent, and hardworking attitude to meet our customer’s goals and produce quality results through extraordinary service. We have a robust Business Code of Conduct program to ensure that our employees and anyone we work with follow the same uncompromising approach to ethics and compliance. 

Protecting Data Security & Privacy
Given our extensive work with our customers and the communities they serve,
we understand the importance of maintaining high standards when it comes to protecting our digital assets and theirs. Our cybersecurity program is threat intelligence-driven, and our security team continuously monitors the threat landscape to understand new and emerging vulnerabilities, cyber threats, and threat actors to ensure our cyber controls and safeguards remain effective.