Rocky Cochran, vice president of construction operations for Pardee Homes in Southern Nevada, has been named Home Builder Safety Professional of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the 2009 International Builder Show in Las Vegas this week.

A.B. Roberts, chairman of the NAHB Construction Safety & Health Committee, told Cochran, “We thank you for your award-winning efforts to ensure that home builders, trade contractors, and workers in the residential construction industry return home to their families and friends each day.”

The goal of the Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) program is to recognize the achievements of home builders and trade contractors who have developed and implemented high quality construction safety programs, according to Roberts.

Under Cochran’s leadership the Southern Nevada division of Pardee Homes lowered the employee Recordable Incident Rate (RIR) to .78, and the contractor RIR to .89, which are among the lowest rates in the nation.

“Both numbers are extraordinary,” said Roberts.

“Rocky Cochran’s commitment to workplace safety as a core value of his company make him a great example one who ‘walks the talk’ for a safer workplace,” he said. “His leadership has generated positive, measurable results than exemplify NAHB’s efforts to improve construction safety, and we sincerely congratulate Rocky and Pardee Homes on a well-deserved Safety Award for Excellence.”

Pardee Homes has made a concerted effort to focus on safety by providing support and training to employees and contractors that has resulted in reduced incident rates, according to Cochran.

“Pardee Homes is recognized as one of the safest home building companies in the West due to our employees’ strong commitment to maintain safe working conditions,” Cochran said. “Our President and CEO Mike McGee instilled the protection of health and well being of our employees, subcontractors and visitors as a priority each and every day.”

“The degree of participation by our subcontractors, suppliers and vendors has been tremendous,” Cochran said. “Almost all of them have spent an enormous amount of time and effort to build their own culture of safety awareness.”

Cochran has overseen the construction of an estimated 6,000 homes since 2003, when he was promoted to vice president of construction. He began his career with Pardee Homes as an assistant superintendent with the initial development of the Eldorado master-planned community in North Las Vegas more than 18 years ago.

Pardee Homes, which has built more than 35,000 homes for Southern Nevada families since 1952, has land holdings and acquisition plans to provide for continuous growth in the future. With homes for sale in 12 neighborhoods throughout the Las Vegas Valley, Pardee will also oversee the residential development within the 42,000-acre Coyote Springs master-planned golf course community 50 miles north of Las Vegas.

Cochran is the recipient of three prestigious Presidents’ Awards.  The president of Weyerhaeuser, Pardee’s parent company, recognized Cochran as instrumental in building Pardee’s Ultimate Family Home, the Show Home for the 2004 International Home Builders Show in Las Vegas. Cochran was also recognized as a key member of the team responsible for the successful 50-Hour House project in Eldorado. The home was built in less than 50 hours to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pardee Homes in Nevada. Under the banner of “Building Hope” with HomeAid Southern Nevada, Cochran also helped direct the million-dollar renovation at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in 2007.