Safety Forum

Construction SafetyConstruction SafetyEnsuring that you go home safe and

sound each and every day to your family and friends

Ensuring that you go home safe and sound each and every day to your

family and friends

Your PresentersYour Presenters

• Ed Yarbrough– Caltrans, North Region Construction,

Safety Engineer

• Jeremiah Merritt– Regional Safety Manager, Granite Construction

• Lisa Orgera– Regional Safety Manager, C C Myers, Inc

Today’s Discussions…Today’s Discussions…

• Approach to Safety

• Understanding Risks

• Our Responsibilities

• Pre-Planning

• Lessons Learned

Your first construction job!Your first construction job!

Today’s Construction JobToday’s Construction Job

Thinking about SafetyThinking about Safety

• Professional Safety Staff– We are here to support you, we are not the Safety Police!

• Safety is not a “Bolt On” to the operation– “Oh well that’s Safety”

• Up to each Supervisor to ensure crews operate safely– Active leadership motivates employees– Inspections, Education and Resolve Deficiencies


• You have experience in your industry

• You should know your company policies

• You should be able to recognize and correct basic safety hazards


• If you see something you question

– Trust your instincts, if it looks wrong it probably is wrong!

– Stand back and figure out what you are looking at

– Call and ask for help if you can’t figure it out!

– Don’t walk away until you are comfortable it is right


• Primary driver in what you do– Plan your operations being safe– Safety is one of your measures of success

The idea of

Zero Accidents

is not a passing target, it is a worthwhile goal

Understanding RiskUnderstanding Risk

• Acceptable versus Unacceptable

• Personal versus Corporate– Your IIPP/COSP’s/JHA’s define what is

acceptable for your company

• To have an effective program you must be willing to enforce your corporate Disciplinary Policy

Safe Practice???Safe Practice???

Looks like the grate slots are bigLooks like the grate slots are big

What now?What now?

Lessons Learned – AGC National Excellence in Safety AwardsLessons Learned – AGC National Excellence in Safety Awards

• The top companies across the construction industry made presentations to our 5 judge panel

• The key points derived from the top companies– Create a Safety Culture – everyone is empowered– Accountability extends to top managers– Near miss investigations are training tools to prevent

accidents, not a disciplinary tool– When accidents happen, don’t assign blame,

investigate, correct the problem and retrain – Recognize addressing safety proactively immediately

BackgroundBackground

• We do work in a high risk industry– But we must work everyday to mitigate risk and we are

going to discuss tools to reduce them

• Remembering the 5 P’s will help to mitigate the impact of these incidents

• PROPER PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE

• The key to all this is training on a continuing basis

Construction Zone AccidentConstruction Zone Accident

Five Crucial Conversations that Drive Workplace SafetyFive Crucial Conversations that Drive Workplace Safety

• In 2007 more than 5600 people killed on the job, 4 million injured, for a cost of $48.6 billion

• Looked at “Accidents Waiting to Happen”

• Interviewed/surveyed over 1600 frontline workers, managers, safety personnel at over 30 companies

• Three crucial risk assessments identified:– These are common– These are costly– These are undiscussable

• Get it done – unsafe practice justified by tight deadline

• Undiscussable incompetence – personnel without the skill set to complete the task

• Just this once – let’s make an exception

• This is overboard – the safety rules are excessive, so we’ll just bypass them

• Are you a team player? – unsafe practice justified for the good of the team, company, or customer

Five Crucial Conversations that Drive Workplace SafetyFive Crucial Conversations that Drive Workplace Safety

Why do we have accidents?Why do we have accidents?

• Lack of planning or failure to follow the plan

• Don’t take necessary precautions

• Lack of Personal Protective Equipment

• Fatigue

• Complacency

• Distracted

• Tried to take a shortcut

• Wrong tool for the job

Safe Practice?Safe Practice?

More why do we have accidents?More why do we have accidents?

• Not trained to use the tool properly

• In a rush to finish a task

• Didn’t put tools away and fell/tripped over tools

• Tried to do the job cheaply

• Not fit for the task

Safe Practice?Safe Practice?

Cal OSHA Cal OSHA

• Their goal is employee safety

• Cost and time to make work areas safe is not their concern – only that the work area is safe for the employees

Cal OSHA Multi EmployerCal OSHA Multi Employer

• Any employer with employees exposed to a hazard can be cited

• Four categories of employers possible:– Exposing Employer– Creating Employer– Controlling Employer - The prime contractor– Correcting Employer

Multi-Employer Risk?Multi-Employer Risk?

Cal OSHA Independent Employee Action DefenseCal OSHA Independent Employee Action Defense

• The employer must prove ALL of the following:

– The employee was experienced,

– The employer has a safety & training program,

– The employer enforces the safety program,

– The employer has a disciplinary program and

– The employee knew what he was doing was wrong

AB 1127 – Do you know what it means?AB 1127 – Do you know what it means?

• Any supervisor who knowingly or negligently allows a serious or willful violation can be held personally liable

• Penalties of 6 months to 1 year in jail and fines of $100,000

• Supervisors – take this seriously! You need to maintain a safe work site and ensure all safety issues are corrected

AB 2774 – Cal OSHA Serious CitationsAB 2774 – Cal OSHA Serious Citations

• Law effective Jan 2011, loosened what can be called a “Serious” citation– California well below Fed or other State levels for

issuing Serious citations

• Old language – “substantial probability”

• New language – “realistic possibility”

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Pre Task PlanningPre Task Planning

35

• Proper Planning is the key to a successful project

• Proper Planning reduces: – Near misses– Incidents– Fatalities– Unplanned and Unwanted events– Reduces Cost Significantly– Improves Productivity

Project PlanningProject Planning

• When Should Planning begin

• What are some of your Ideas

Planning:Planning:

Name some hazards that can be eliminated through proper planning…

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)

What is a hazard?

A hazard is the potential for harm. In practical terms, a hazard often is associated with a condition or activity that, if left uncontrolled, can result in an injury, or death

Identifying Hazards & Controlling Them Through PlanningIdentifying Hazards & Controlling Them Through Planning

• What is a job hazard analysis?

– A job hazard analysis is a technique that focuses on job tasks as a way to identify hazards before they occur.

– It focuses on the relationship between the worker, the tools, and the work environment.

– Ideally, after you identify uncontrolled hazards, you will take steps to eliminate or reduce them to an acceptable risk level.

Why is job hazard analysis important?Why is job hazard analysis important?

• Its not just about safety – it defines your overall company culture

• You can help prevent workplace injuries and illnesses by looking at your workplace operations, establishing proper job procedures, and ensuring that all employees are trained properly– Think about this – how do you operate when you are 50

miles from the office or off working by yourself??

Effective PlanningEffective Planning

Management needs to be engaged at the project level to see that the plan is working

Having management walk the project with the team during construction is essential to your project success!

Where do I begin?Where do I begin?

• Involve your employees

• Brainstorm with them

• Conduct a preliminary job review.

• Discuss the hazards with all involved– What do you do when the task

goes sideways?

How do I identify workplace hazards?How do I identify workplace hazards?

• A Job Hazard Analysis is an exercise in detective work. Your goal is to discover…

• What can go wrong?

• What are the consequences?

• How could it arise?

• What are the contributing factors?

• How likely is it that the hazard will occur?

Creating a JHACreating a JHA

• Break down a task into steps

• Identify hazards associated with tasks

• Implement hazard control procedures

• Hold a meetings with those involved

• Make adjustments as needed

Focus Four:• Falls• Electrocution• Struck By• Caught Between

Foundation of a Major InjuryFoundation of a Major Injury

Accident Ratio Study

1.7 Million Accidents

297 Companies

3 Billion Hours

Cost Of AccidentsCost Of Accidents

$15 Million

$60 Million (Estimated 4:1

Ratio)

Direct Costs• Medical Payments• Indemnity Payments• Insurance/Deductibles

Indirect Costs• Legal Expenses• Loss of Business• Product/Material Damage• Tools/Equipment Damage• Interim Equipment Rental• Hiring/Training New Employees• Project Delays and Interruptions• Lost Productivity

IDLH - Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health

IDLH - Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health

If any hazards exist that poses an immediate danger to an employee’s life or health, take immediate

action to protect the worker.

Imminently Dangerous?Imminently Dangerous?

Things that make you go, “Huh?”Things that make you go, “Huh?”

Imminently Dangerous?Imminently Dangerous?

The Key to Success in Dealing with a Major IncidentThe Key to Success in Dealing with a Major Incident

• Personnel training is essential to dealing with a major incident

• Work to identify those that will be able to help remember, some people may freeze up

• Use your tailgate safety meetings to reinforce the training on a regular basis

We’ve had a major incident, what do we do ??We’ve had a major incident, what do we do ??

• Pull your Emergency Plan out and call 911

• Account for all your personnel– Move them to a safe location and hold

them there

• When EMS arrives, support them, if requested

Working the Major IncidentWorking the Major Incident

• Secure the scene – tape it off and post guards if necessary

• Find a staff member to support the Incident Command Post – Fire will be in charge of the first responders

Uh Oh! The Press just showed up … What do I do now??Uh Oh! The Press just showed up … What do I do now??

• The press will have full access unless the area is private property or if it is public property, it is declared a potential crime scene– Federal Freedom of Information Act allows

access– Think of embedded reporters with our troops

overseas

• Their first question “What caused the accident?”

Uh Oh! The Press just showed up … What do I do now??Uh Oh! The Press just showed up … What do I do now??

• CT Public Information Office call it “Feeding the Monster”

• Don’t discuss details of the accident

• Don’t try to guess at the cause– If Cal OSHA Enforcement is on site, they are in

charge of the investigation and have 6 months to complete it – State that and leave it be!

– If CHP is heading the investigation, defer comments on it to them

Lessons Learned – Oroville Falsework FailureLessons Learned – Oroville Falsework Failure

• Incident Command Post – identify worker to support

• Safety perimeter – establish ASAP

• Personnel ID – put names on hardhats

• The Press – have a plan, they are coming– Ensure you plan media access point and have escorts available

• Chaos Rules! - - Realize situation is fluid, maintain your calm, develop a plan, be prepared to alter it, continue to move forward

Last ThoughtsLast Thoughts

• Safety is no secret! Share your knowledge!

• You are leaders in your companies – take the time to talk with and educate your staff every day

• Your task – make sure you and your employees go home safe to their friends and family each and every day

• THINK SAFE, BE SAFE, GO HOME SAFE!!

Safety Forum

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