Page 41 - Occupational Health & Safety, January 2018

Develop an ongoing program to research the latest safety tech- niques as well as advances in technology, equipment, tools, materi- als, and in work procedures. Digital technology builds in features that enable you to track and record safety issues more effectively.
O’Neill, that every safety issue must be communicated to him within 24 hours, to- gether with a plan designed to ensure that the mishap will never happen again. When safety is highly valued and supported by the company’s board and executive leadership, it will be important to everyone throughout the organization.
2) Make construction safety everyone’s priority, without fail.
It should be obvious to everyone why hav- ing a culture of safety is valuable. However, when you quantify it, it truly hits home. Make raises and promotion available only to those who completely embrace the safety culture. Design key performance indica- tors (KPIs) around safety as well as results. Showcase and bonus employees who have demonstrated exemplary safety responsi- bility or leadership.
3) Empower all employees to be responsible about safety.
It is good to place responsible managers on every site who are knowledgeable about safety. However it is even more effective to train and empower every employee to be responsible for safety. Many companies have a chief safety officer, but unfortunately that is not enough. For the greatest suc- cess, empower everyone and enable them to make on-the-spot decisions about safety.
4) Communicate regarding construction safety on day one
and every day.
Most companies do a decent job of train- ing new apprentices and interns about safety and its priority at the company. But it is not enough to teach novices on their first days and rarely again. There are two areas where this process can be improved: One is in making the safety priority a major part of the company orientation for all new employees, even top executives and experi- enced masters. The second area is continu- ity; reinforcing the culture of safety at every level—executive, supervisor, foreman, and others—as well as in on-site posters, news-
letters, digital media, team talks, and wher- ever you communicate.
5) The culture of safety must extend beyond your company, to subcontractors and other vendors. Your culture of safety should not end with your company and its employees. It must pervade your entire process, includ- ing subcontractors and other vendors. To accomplish this, one must create safety standards for subs, as well as your own em- ployees. When you perform due diligence into their companies, safety must be part of the review. Ultimately, a process must be developed to monitor their safety results, too. Their quality and safety record are as important to consider as are their experi- ence and skills.
The culture of safety includes staying ahead of the curve re- garding the latest technology.
6) The culture of safety includes staying ahead of the curve regard- ing the latest technology.
Your people are only part of the solu- tion. Safer equipment and tools can make achieving goals easier. Develop an ongoing program to research the latest safety tech- niques as well as advances in technology, equipment, tools, materials, and in work procedures. Digital technology builds in features that enable you to track and record safety issues more effectively.
Ultimately, one can never take con- struction safety for granted because people, place, and equipment are always changing. Although the goal is to make construction safety a habit with everyone, employees should be coached to be on constant look- out for safety issues and then to take appro- priate action when recognized.
When you commit to a culture of safety, it can become the essence of your company. Therefore, you can and should make it a major part of your brand image and mes- sage. Make your safety brand message part
Promote your safety brand in everything you do because it will be a powerful differentiator for your company against its competition.
of your tag line, business card, email sig- nature, brochures, advertising campaign, digital media message, presentations, and more. Promote your safety brand in every- thing you do because it will be a powerful differentiator for your company against its competition.
Ultimately, customers under- stand how, by working with a company that has a culture of safety, it burnishes their brand, as well.
Bottom line: Most customers and pros- pects appreciate how a commitment to safety may cost more at the outset but is worth more in the long run because it con- tributes to their satisfaction and success, while reducing adverse effects from loss of morale and litigation. Ultimately, custom- ers understand how, by working with a company that has a culture of safety, it bur- nishes their brand, as well.
Angelo Perryman is CEO of Perryman Con- struction, a third-generation family business and a leading, full-service construction com- pany on the East Coast, self-performing proj- ect planning, management and construction projects. Perryman’s firm has an EMR (Ex- perience Modification Rate) rating of less than 1 and has gone over 100,000 hours and five years without a time loss incident. www. perrymanbc.com
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