Turner Leads Lean, Safe Training Program on Construction Projects

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Work will be suspended Sept. 4 on every Turner Construction Company job as safety managers deliver an important safety message: Lean and Safe: Material Management for a Safer Work Environment.

With a commitment to improve project outcomes through the integration of innovative practices and technologies, the company's annual Safety Stand-Down presents an opportunity to introduce the more than 40,000 subcontractors working on projects to the principles and methods of Lean construction. In doing so, Turner will not only educate project team members about Lean material management, the company will also communicate a vision for the future of Lean.

Lean Construction is an operating philosophy that emphasizes the use of proven methods and tools in a cycle of continuous improvement. Lean seeks to deliver the greatest value to its clients through reduction and elimination of activities that waste time, material and other resources. The results can be striking: with better collaboration and communication, jobsite organization and scheduling through use of tools such as the Last Planner Systemâ„¢, Turner project teams across the country achieve dramatic cost and time savings, and see a reduction in site safety incidents.

Safety Stand-Down presentations, and subsequent discussions, will focus on how project team members can improve overall project safety with Lean methods, including how equipment, tools and materials are delivered, received, distributed and stored throughout a project site.

“One adaptation of Lean is a program we call ‘Nothing hits the Ground’ where subcontractors use rolling carts and racks, dollies, and pallet jacks in order to prevent many of the strains, sprains and repetitive motion injuries associated with material handling. At the same time this increases worker productivity, which can lead to improved schedules and lower costs. This is the real power of Lean: a cycle where a focus on a better environment for workers leads to better results,” said James Barrett, Turner’s director of integrated building solutions.