The construction industry plays a critical role in society, laying down the roads that connect people, constructing the buildings that they live and work in, and erecting the skylines that shape the cities. To make this happen, more than 7.4 million workers walk onto construction sites across the United States every day, and in doing so, face the inherent safely risks of the jobsite.
Ensuring that every worker returns home safely at the end of the day remains a top industry priority, yet data suggests that current efforts are falling short. According to the Bureau of Statistics, 971 out of 4,674 private industry worker fatalities in 2017 (the most recent year statistics are available) occurred in construction – or 20.7 percent. Put another way, one in five worker deaths that year were in construction. Falls, struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/between – the leading four causes – account for nearly 60% of worker fatalities; eliminating them would save 582 lives each year. 
It is statistics like these that drive home the importance of safety and that make industry-wide initiatives such as Construction Safety Week and OSHA’s National Stand-down to Prevent Falls in Construction all the more meaningful. Taking place May 6-10, 2019, but critically relevant all year-round, these events overcome traditional competitive boundaries and remind the industry – from executives at corporate headquarters to workers in the field – that safety doesn’t just happen, it is a choice that must be lived and practiced every day, across every jobsite.
By implementing best practices, such as these below, executives can improve safety on the jobsite.
FOCUS ON WHAT SAFETY SUCCESS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
In addition to being critical to protecting everyone at the workplace and ensuring employee health and wellness, safety is central to sound business operations and overall company success. Safeguarding workers and optimizing workflow efficiency are not mutually exclusive, and a construction firm will never be successful if it does not work across departments and functions to engage workers in safety, remove barriers that could stand in the way of completing their jobs effectively and drive toward zero incidents.
To elevate safety practices, construction executives should determine what safety “success” looks like, drawing from past experience – regardless of industry – to identify what worked well and what didn’t. It’s essential to narrow down the key safety drivers at each organization, whether that’s training, hazard identification, safety documentation or emergency preparedness. Make safety/risk management a key business metric that gets measured and reported on a regular basis, which could take the form of total incidents by type or severity, days away from work, or overall employee retention/attrition rates. Hold projects and departments accountable. To date, there haven’t been clear, widely accepted ways to measure risk performance, but by defining the metrics that matter and determining a baseline, leadership can begin to gauge project performance relative to the larger organization.
Fortunately, with the advent of new technologies, management can better gather key metrics across the jobsite. These technologies enable management to replace assumptions and anecdotes with objective data, so they can better measure site safety and worker behaviors. With insights into when and where incidents are happening or hazards are being reported, safety leaders can also improve protocols and practices to reflect real-world, site-specific scenarios.
SAFETY IS A PROCESS, SO STRIVE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Safety isn’t a one-time process (or a once a year event) it is an ongoing journey of continuous improvement. A true safety culture happens when leaders sweat the small stuff, prioritize culture and communication, and commit to constantly improving practices and procedures.
For example, some companies may believe that as long as certain established procedures are followed – or boxes are checked – safety will be achieved. It is rare, however, that this results in a sustainable safety culture – or long-term business success. Start instead by focusing on the little daily choices that can be made to improve safety and reduce risk, such as checking the webbing of a harness or getting the proper rest and hydration.
Safety is about much more than ensuring compliance. It’s in everyone’s best interest to go to work and return home safely, so make safety personal and constantly assess and refine safety practices to ensure that they resonate with workers. This may include pointing out unsafe conditions and talking through corrective actions, if any, during toolbox talks. Encourage safety leaders to use morning stretch and flex sessions as an opportunity to engage workers, as well as managers, personally and professionally. Taking even a few minutes to check-in, highlight a safety practice or initiative and reinforce the organization’s commitment at all levels to focus on safety over production and profitability. Ultimately, an investment in safety is an investment in employees, corporate reputation and the overall bottom line.
PROVIDE THE TOOLS TO MAKE EVERYONE A PARTNER IN SAFETY
Emerging IoT-enabled solutions enable workers to take greater ownership over their safety practices by giving them an improved, real-time way to report an unsafe condition or signal distress from anywhere in the field.
Importantly, these new technologies are addressing the daily dynamics of construction, where site conditions and risks are always changing. Compared to traditional, preliminary hazard assessments or safety orientations when workers first arrive on site, these technologies progress with each project, enabling management to adapt to changing conditions regarding workers, materials, equipment, weather and the site itself. For example, technologies such as autonomous vehicles and IoT devices like drones and wearables can act as additional sets of eyes, ears or hands at the jobsite to monitor and document site activity as well as detect or alert management to potential incidents or injuries.
Construction firms are recognizing the key role that technology can play in improving their safety practices. According to a recent SmartMarket Insight report, “Using Technology to Improve Risk Management in Construction” from Dodge Data & Analytics, nearly three quarters of contractors believe that IoT technologies like wearables and sensors will help improve occupational risks – a promising sign of where the industry is headed.
PAVING THE WAY FOR SAFETY
It’s essential that a comprehensive safety program has management buy-in, employee engagement and constant communication. An effective approach combines technology and data to reduce safety incidents along with management commitment to review and, if necessary, change corporate culture and governance to achieve results. Forward-thinking construction firms are also using technology to provide a 21st-century line of communication between workers and supervisors that enables rapid reporting when safety issues or emergencies arise. With the right, forward-thinking mindset – such as a focus on establishing safety partnerships rather than safety police – and innovative new resources, organizations can create a culture of safety excellence.
