Respecting the Risk: Best Practices to Improve Jobsite Safety

By Paul Haining

Every day on construction jobsites we face serious risks. And as an industry, we"re not doing enough to identify and either mitigate or eliminate those risks. We can see that in the injuries and deaths that occur every year on jobsites. OSHA reports there were 828 fatalities in construction in 2013 — our industry can do better. We all must do better, until we reach the point that people aren"t harmed because their job involves lacing on steel-toed boots in the morning.  

Especially on large projects or otherwise with similar tasks, it is easy to become complacent and think what we"ve been doing is enough for another day's work to be done safely. We start believing that the risk has gone away. But the risks must be at the forefront of our mind at all times. If we do not respect the risk, it can haunt us.

Skanska Project Superintendent Willie Cruz encourages his teams to stay aware of risks on the jobsite by “spicing things up and changing the rules of engagement.” For example, he incorporates a lot of visuals in briefings. He also engages his crew in safety “stand ups” where teams celebrate things that have gone well.

I love this idea, and it made me think of a professional trials cyclist named Danny MacAskill, whose very job is to seek out danger.

Learn from a risk-taker
It's mesmerizing to watch MacAskill defy gravity on his bike, on which he overcomes high-risk obstacles: boulders on his way down a rocky mountain side; abandoned railroad tracks that he hops across; barbed-wire fencing that he front-flips over. His feats have attracted tens of millions of views on YouTube.

There's a great deal of risk in what MacAskill does — that's why so many people watch him ride. But it's worth understanding how he recognizes and prepares for those risks, as there are key parallels in risk identification and mitigation between what he does and what we do every day in construction — and in everyday life. In all cases, not being vigilant to the risks that surround us all too often lead to serious consequences.

See risks everywhere
Here's what MacAskill has to say about planning for his tricks: “When I"m first thinking about doing a line, you"re actually thinking about the worst-case scenario that's going to happen. You think about the different crashes and possibilities. You"re constantly assessing what you"re doing — your mind can definitely play games with you.”

Construction should be approached in the same way. Every possible risk needs to be identified, analyzed and with detailed plans put in place and responsibilities assigned to mitigate the risk. Look-ahead meetings, daily briefings and construction work plans are key parts of this on jobsites. Also, coordination among all of the trades is essential to success.

“It's about understanding how each operation can impact others and making adjustments to make sure we eliminate risk and safety situations,” says Cruz.

Cruz, who help leads a complex Northeast power plant project, makes safety the first topic of every 6:30 a.m. meeting he holds.

“We start with something we realized that happened the day before, something that could be improved and address the focus of the day and the safety theme for the week. Communication and visibility in the field with foremen are essential. Every day I ask myself, "Has anything changed? What can we do to be safer?" It's about showing your teams you care and are there for them for anything they need.”

Manage risk through planning
Sometimes, confidence can blind people to risks. Each day's activities must be approached as distinct undertakings requiring comprehensive risk evaluations. “I tend not to do things that I"m scared of,” MacAskill said in an interview. “I try to have things completely sorted in my head beforehand. I have to be 100 percent clear that I"m going to do the trick I"m going to do.”

Everyone on a construction site should take this same approach.

Beyond mental awareness, MacAskill prepares in other ways. He lays out the stunts he wants to do, oftentimes months in advance. Then he practices his moves, sometimes using practice ramps and setting up mats to cushion his falls. He always has the proper equipment, including a helmet and gloves.

In construction, this is what pre-task planning is all about. To mitigate jobsite risks on a daily basis, Skanska uses the construction work plans that we — in partnership with crew leaders — develop for each activity and review every day. We manage the risks identified in these plans through any of the large collection of tried and tested controls we"ve developed over many years for jobsite and activity-specific hazards: everything from critical crane lifts to working at extreme heights to simply wearing the right personal protective equipment for the task. If we disrespect these risk mitigation tools, then we"re disrespecting the risk they"re designed to control. That risk doesn"t go away, just the control for it.

I"ve seen high-risk projects achieve superior safety performance because the project team is constantly aware of and fully respects the inherent risk at all times. When the right level of respect is given, the team watches out for the risk every waking minute.

“On my end, when it comes to the construction work on the jobsite, you"ve been doing the job for a while and you tend to have an eye, an instinct. But, you don"t necessarily have the eye of a trained safety professional,” Cruz says. “As a superintendent, safety doesn"t always come as second nature, as much as the work itself does. As a result, I think of safety all the time. It's the first thing I consider in every situation and with every task.”

While processes and strategies are essential for dealing with risks and hazards, what's also key is genuine care. When the construction industry reaches the point at which each person on a jobsite genuinely cares for their own well-being and that of the people around them, then it will be possible to eliminate worker injury.  

Photos courtesy of Skanska USA.

Paul Haining is Skanska USA vice president of environment, health and safety.