3.2+ million hours. Twenty-two years. Zero lost-time injuries.
Those aren’t just numbers—they’re the measure of a company that has built safety into its foundation. In an industry where risk is a constant, Hood Construction has achieved something pretty extraordinary: more than two decades without a lost-time injury.
Let’s put that into perspective: That is over 3.2 million hours—1,150+ weeks, spanning 22 years—without a lost-time case. And if that weren’t impressive enough, Hood Construction has also logged nearly 400,000 additional hours—almost two years—without a single recordable incident. This prevention record represents significant savings, but the deeper value lies in workers returning home safe, day after day, year after year.
Building it the Right Way
When Mark Hood entered the construction business nearly four decades ago, he saw an industry somewhat at odds with itself. Contractors often spent more time competing with one another than collaborating, and too little attention was given to what clients truly needed.
He decided to take a different path, founding Hood Construction on a simple principle: Build it the right way, everything else will follow. His vision was to create a company where collaboration replaced competition, where people mattered as much as projects, and where safety was more than compliance—it was culture.
That decision has shaped the Hood Construction we know today—recognized for projects ranging from houses of worship to centers of learning, including some of South Carolina’s most iconic spaces. Yet its most remarkable achievement is not measured in the brick and mortar, but in the safety and strength of its people. Mark Hood has built a company where employees stay and grow, where trade partners are treated as extensions of the team, and where collaboration drives not only great buildings, but lasting outcomes.
“What makes Hood unique is how safety is integrated into every level of the organization,” said Kevin Clary, Amerisure’s Vice President of Risk Management. “They don’t treat it as a box to check. It’s a culture of shared responsibility, reinforced through training, planning, and collective effort across the company. When safety is lived this way, results like theirs become possible.”
Building Safety, Building Trust
From the beginning, Hood Construction’s success was rooted in relationships built on trust and shared purpose. That approach carried from the jobsite into every aspect of the business, drawing in people who shared Mark Hood’s belief that safety and integrity are inseparable.
“A little over 35 years ago, I met with Mark Hood at a job site in Columbia, SC and wrote the first insurance policy for Hood Construction Company,” recalls John Babson, Insurance Sales Representative at Propel Insurance. “We actually did all the paperwork on the hood of Mark’s pick-up truck.”
“Even then,” he says, “Mark was hands-on, hanging doors and windows himself, while making safety a top priority. That commitment hasn’t changed—it’s only grown stronger.”
What Babson saw in those early years—a company unwilling to take shortcuts when people’s well-being was at stake—still defines Hood’s approach today. Over time, the principle of Build it the Right Way has become less of a motto and more of a way of life, carried forward through the right training, a common purpose, and the expectation that every decision should protect the people behind the work.
When Babson recently congratulated Kevin Hooker, Hood Construction’s Director of Safety and Training, on the company’s remarkable record, Hooker’s response revealed just how deeply that ethic runs: “This is not enough. Until we eliminate all safety issues from every job as exposed to every employee – our efforts need to continue.”
A Culture of Safety
Construction continues to remain one of the most hazardous industries. Recent studies show that one in five workplace deaths occur in construction, with falls accounting for more than a third of that number. The CDC notes that poorly designed work environments and unsafe conditions often remain among the leading drivers of musculoskeletal injuries and fatalities. Against that backdrop, Hood’s safety record is nothing short of remarkable.
“At Hood Construction, everyone is responsible for safety,” explains Hooker. “From our president and project managers to the person pushing a broom, each individual has the authority and moral obligation to stop work if something looks unsafe.”
That sense of ownership begins on day one. New employees are trained not just in OSHA requirements, but in real-world recognition: studying hazard photos, analyzing how incidents occur, and discussing how to prevent them. The company mantra of Know Safety + No Hazards = Zero Recordables, is not a slogan but a daily discipline.
“A big part of that comes from Kevin Hooker’s approach to safety—his focus is on educating employees and making sure they understand the why behind the rules and regulations, not just that they’re told to follow them,” says Justin Nance, Senior Risk Management Consultant at Amerisure. “There’s also a lot of collaboration and preplanning between project managers, superintendents, and safety leadership.”
“Every time I’ve visited a jobsite, Kevin and a superintendent have taken the time to walk me through their reasoning behind the safety controls they’ve put in place,” Nance explains. They typically exceed OSHA standards, and it’s clear that they genuinely care about everyone onsite.”
Leading by Example
Leadership at Hood Construction understand that culture is modeled, not mandated. Each year, Hood Safety Week is dedicated to spotlight issues like trenching, fall protection, and mental health. Crews gather for daily meetings and to walk jobsites, a reminder that safety belongs to everyone on the job.
The practice continues year-round. Sites with top inspection scores are recognized monthly, not so much as a reward for avoiding incidents, but as a celebration of proactive prevention — of teams who are able to spot problems early and fix them quickly. A hazard noticed is a hazard resolved. It’s a simple practice, but over time it has shaped how Hood builds: carefully, deliberately, and always with people in mind.
A Legacy of Safety
Hood’s success story isn’t a milestone to rest on; it’s a reflection of daily choices made by people who take their responsibility to one another seriously. It’s proof that when care becomes habit, safety becomes culture—and culture becomes legacy. The partnership between Hood Construction, Propel Insurance, and Amerisure reflects what’s possible when companies work together with shared intent—protecting people first, and trusting that the results will follow.
At Amerisure, that belief runs deep. We see safety as more than compliance—it’s about creating workplaces where people can do their best work and return home safely at the end of each day. We also know that the safest workplaces don’t happen by chance—they’re built through collaboration, care, and expertise. To discover how Amerisure helps organizations turn that vision into reality, visit our Risk Management page.
