In a high-hazard industry like construction, safety is an investment that provides real benefits. A safe work environment helps to keep skilled employees on the job and projects on track by reducing accidents that result in injuries and schedule delays, while also reducing the risks of litigation and regulatory action.
This personal-based safety ideology follows the premise that if employees are reminded, on a daily basis, of the impact that an injury can have on their home life and personal relationships they will be more likely to work safely and avoid risks that could result in accidents.
Building a safer workplace and industry, requires constant effort and continual improvement, but the result is well worth the investment of time, resources and money. A dedicated safety culture helps to save lives, retain workers, reduce claims and delays, and enhance productivity and profitability while strengthening the company’s reputation.
Here are 12 steps that construction companies can take to help make the job site safer, keep projects on track and manage insurance costs.
- START AT THE TOP
Safety on the job site starts in the executive suite. To have a real impact on workers, safety has to become a core value of the organization. Chief executives should instill the idea in every level of management that the responsibility for safety lies with them. Too often it is shunted off to the on-site safety manager or corporate safety director. Project executives and managers, superintendents and foremen should be required to take the necessary training and they should be well versed in accident investigation, substance abuse, conflict resolution, pre-job safety planning, loss analysis and managing subcontractors. Senior executives need to lead by example taking an active and visible role in the implementation and execution of the safety culture.
- MAKE SAFETY COMMITTEES AND SAFETY MANAGERS A PART OF THE JOB
Dedicated companies may establish a safety committee composed of upper management, risk managers, safety directors, and operational staff to continually discuss and review safety performance. By including craft labor who work on site, managers can get a much better idea of how safety procedures are being implemented and how they can continue to improve safety. Bringing labor into the discussion also reinforces the commitment to safety on a personal level. The safety manager should be viewed as a resource to help continually review and enhance the efforts made by everyone on site. Every person on a project site is responsible for safety.
- RECOGNIZE SUCCESS, BUT HOLD EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE
Accountability must be a core component of the safety culture. From individual workers to foremen, project supervisors and executives, everyone needs to be held accountable for safety. Without accountability, employees may be tempted to cut corners. Discipline is only part of the process. Companies also should recognize success such as reaching a certain number of hours worked without an accident. Recognition shows workers that management values safety and the contribution it makes to the success of a project and the company.
- PLAN SAFETY INTO THE PROJECT
Because every project is built on paper first, safety begins with pre-planning. The means and methods that will be used to build the project should be identified, along with the exposures they will entail. Controls to mitigate the exposures must then be identified and incorporated into the safety plan. Successful performed pre-planning allows the project to run un impeded by minimizing the potential for accidents that can hamper productivity and cause schedule delays. Before work starts, a project specific safety plan should be developed to provide an overview of the scope of the work and the names, roles and responsibilities of key personnel. It should include a list of local emergency responders and medical facilities; emergency procedures and evacuation plans. A project specific safety manual that outlines safety expectations and criteria should be given to each subcontractor. Subcontractors should be required to submit their own project specific safety plan to identify the scope of their work.
- PREQUALIFY SUBCONTRACTORS FOR SAFETY
Companies routinely pre-qualify subcontractors for experience, qualification and financial strength, but safety history and performance should also be a criteria. The pre-qualification of subcontractors should not stop with safety history and performance. It should include a review of the subcontractor’s own safety culture and how the company incorporates safety into its day-to-day operation.
- TRAIN WORKERS FOR SAFETY
Safety isn’t simply common sense. Workers need to be trained to properly use a variety of safety equipment, such as fall arrest systems, and they need to know the appropriate regulations. The company should provide orientation specific to each project. The orientation should include an overview of the project, an in-depth review of the safety requirements and expectations, evacuation plans and procedures, disciplinary actions, substance abuse testing policy and fall management procedures and requirements.
- FOCUS ON FALL MANAGEMENT
Falls remain a leading cause of injuries and deaths. A successful fall management program provides a uniform set of procedures for all workers and is an essential part of project pre-planning. Companies should strive to build safety in by addressing fall exposures through engineering controls or alternative work methods. Fall management should be a part of the project pre-planning.13 If it isn’t addressed ahead of time, the chances are that workers exposures will be greater. A detailed fall management plan should be developed for each operation. No operation should commence without an approved fall management plan in place. At a minimum, the plan should address each task where a fall exposure exists; the hazard associated with the task; and the controls that will be implemented to mitigate the exposure and the safety training that will be provided to each worker. The plan should also address retrieval procedures necessary to rescue workers should a fall occur.
- COMBAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE
In a business that may involve complex equipment and significant heights, companies need to actively combat substance abuse, which remains a widespread problem in construction. Companies should focus on preventing impaired personnel from working on a site. Testing may identify workers with substance abuse problems before they endanger others and enable the company to steer them into treatment programs. Individual workers have a role to play in ensuring their own safety and that of their co-workers. It’s crucial to build a culture where fellow workers feel comfortable speaking up if someone is taking chances. It’s bad enough if an impaired worker injures himself, worse if he injures other workers and the general public, and worse still if that accident could have been prevented.
- EVALUATE EACH PROJECT PHASE FOR SAFETY
Planning for safety is a continual process. As a project progresses, a job safety task analysis should be performed to make sure that the appropriate work and safety equipment is on hand. The analysis should include the specific aspects of the work at hand, identification of potential exposures, controls to eliminate the exposures and the necessary safety equipment to perform the work properly.
- MAKE SAFETY AN EVERYDAY TOPIC
Safety should be an everyday topic. When foremen gather workers at the beginning of a shift to talk about the day’s work, they should review the hazards involved and the safety controls, and make sure that the workers have the right protective gear and that all safety concerns are addressed. Regular, planned field safety inspections can help solve a host of issues while also improving safety. Regular inspections are probably the most effective management tool for dealing with the basic root causes of accidents, such as worn equipment, misplaced tools or equipment or unsafe actions by workers.
- REVIEW ACCIDENTS AND NEAR MISSES
Companies should start with the mindset that accidents are not inevitable. In the event that there is an accident, the facts and circumstances should be reviewed to identify root causes so that corrective action can be taken and future incidents can be prevented. The same attention should be paid to near misses that had the potential to become serious accidents.
- WORK WITH YOUR INSURER AND RISK MANAGEMENT EXPERTS
Dedicated companies take a collaborative approach to safety with risk management experts and their insurers at every step of the project. Risk engineers may bring a new set of eyes to a project and can help identify issues that may be overlooked. This may occur because the company is focusing on major hazards and overlooking lesser ones. An insurer can bring insights learned from different industries and different regions of the country. As part of an overall program, by working with their insurers, construction companies can save lives, reduce accidents and lower the costs associated with injuries and delays. A strong safety culture helps to manage not only insurance costs but also the expenses a company would have to bear itself.
Toward zero injuries
When a construction company succeeds in building a strong culture of safety, it becomes a core value for every employee. A safer company suffers fewer losses, enjoys lower costs, becomes a more competitive bidder and makes it more attractive to potential clients and insurers. But safety is a job that never ends. Safety has to continually adapt to the new ways that workers are performing their jobs. The ultimate goal should be zero injuries.
