Researchers aim to improve construction safety by creating a toolkit for managers and workers to address industry challenges. The goal is to foster a culture of collaboration for sustained well-being, reducing injuries, and enhancing worker morale through active participation in safety initiatives.
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Creating a construction safety culture starts with leadership commitment and involves material resources, training, clear policies and open channels of communications.
At last year's national stand-down to prevent falls in construction, OSHA's assistant secretary said citations alone won't change the culture around construction. Doug Parker believes everyone in the industry is responsible for sustaining a strong health and safety culture. A group of researchers hopes to help with identifying and addressing safety and health challenges unique to the construction industry.
During the OSHA-hosted Construction Safety Week event last May, Parker urged contractors to refocus on a culture of safety.
He said workers should be expected to speak up, and construction management should communicate this message consistently.
"If you don't set the culture, people aren't going to speak up because you know what? If you're an employer, your intentions are irrelevant," said Parker. "Your motivations are irrelevant. It's what that employee thinks about what's going to happen if they speak up. That's important."
Working to help the industry create an expectation that health and safety are an industry-wide goal, a national five-year research effort has been launched.
Creating Universal Toolkit
The project, focused on the industry's critical safety and mental health challenges, is the Collaborative Leadership for Safety and Health in Construction.
The research is supported by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CCPWR), NIOSH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers hail from the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) and the Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace.
The creation of a toolkit to help construction managers, supervisors and workers identify and address safety and health challenges is the end goal.
According to Safety and Health Magazine, researchers expect the toolkit "to foster a culture … that's both comprehensive and sustainable."
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It will emphasize collaboration among various levels in the workplace and contribute to reduced injury rates and enhanced worker well-being. Working with industry advisors, some from academia, labor unions and safety professions, the team envisions a toolkit from a wide range of perspectives.
Researchers will work closely with the diverse advisory board to increase the toolkit's potential effectiveness across different work environments.
"The construction industry faces a host of challenges that impact individual well-being," said project leader Natalie Schwatka. "While there are many strategies construction companies can use to address these challenges, they're often not adopted or fail during implementation."
She said that's because "they weren't built by the participants who hold the knowledge and experience of how things work best."
In fact, eight contractors will implement and use the toolkit as the researchers evaluate the process. Once the evaluation is complete, OSHA will disseminate the product, along labor unions, industry associations and workers' compensation insurers.
"The secret sauce of our approach is the focus on both leadership commitment and workforce engagement," said Schwatka. "By combining our expertise and resources, we're able to create a far greater impact on worker safety and health in the construction industry."
The framework, she said, will offer managers and workers "a more active role in the safety and well-being initiatives at their workplace."
"The upside for workers is that this project gives them a seat at the table throughout the process," added Schwatka, assistant professor of the ColoradoSPH.
Liliana Tenney, a project co-investigator, agrees. "We are creating a resource that empowers everyone on a construction site to take an active role," she said.
Beyond solving immediate issues, the toolkit "is about building a culture where workers and management … co-create long-lasting, positive change," said Tenney. "By focusing on sustainability, we're equipping construction teams to support well-being long after the project ends."
Adopting an evidence-based model the researchers hope for lasting changes in the industry's approach to worker health, safety and well-being. The ultimate goal is to contribute to reduced injury rates and improved workforce health overall.
Procore believes contractors can begin now to create a positive safety culture that will impact productivity, reputation and worker morale.
Adapting for Today, Future
Creating a construction safety culture starts with leadership commitment, said Clark Jensen and Julia Tell of Procore.
The process involves material resources, training, clear policies and open channels of communications said the two.
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Safety incidents, they believe, are "a lagging indicator of potential problems in safety planning and implementation." These incidents can negatively impact a whole operation, said Jensen, senior strategic product consultant, quality & safety, and Tell, a construction writer.
"Conversely, a positive safety culture supports identifying site risks and unsafe practices before an incident occurs, focusing on leading indicators," they said.
The process of moving from lagging to leading safety indicators can save money, though that may seem counterintuitive since you need to budget for safety.
According to CCPWR, the common misperception that safety hurts profits can be a barrier to implementing improvements to a safety culture. But viewing safety as a value means weaving it into every decision at each operational level, said Jensen and Tell.
It includes implementing policies and procedures that go above and beyond the minimum set out by OSHA.
"Communicating those policies clearly to all levels of the workforce is the responsibility of management," they said. "Management must also allocate material resources and dedicated time for safety training."
Here are Jensen's and Tell's key suggestions for implementing a thriving culture of safety.
1. Conduct preconstruction safety planning.
The more you emphasize safety in preconstruction, especially in the bidding phase, the safer your job site will be during construction and under warranty work.
In the planning phase for each project, developing a robust safety and emergency plan is crucial. In fact, some owners, developers and public agencies use safety as a qualification factor during contractor selection.
A comprehensive safety plan includes identifying risks, planning procedures to avoid hazards, and devising a regular safety inspection schedule. In addition, this is a time to prepare material resources such as PPE and first aid supplies for the job site.
2. Form a cross-sectional safety committee.
As you implement your plans, a safety committee composed of workers can meet regularly to assess specific processes and safety practices, needed training, and revisit the job safety analysis.
During routine safety inspections, the safety professional generates construction safety reports to give an overview of the status of risks on the site. As committees review safety policy documents regularly, they should also stay informed of industry practices to revise policies with the latest guidance.
In addition to formal reports, safety managers can reach out on the job site to ask for feedback on safety practices that workers feel will improve conditions.
3. Take inspection reports seriously.
Leadership teams can maintain a positive safety culture by taking reports from workers or safety inspections seriously and mitigating identified risks.
Continuous improvement and ongoing attention to safety maintain a culture that uncovers risks before an incident. Open communication helps build the relationships between managers and workers so everyone feels safe.
4. Underline morale and mental health.
Your company's good reputation for safety helps you attract and retain the best workers. People prefer to work for companies where safety is a priority. If one worker gets injured, it drags down the morale of other onsite workers.
The mental health of workers impacts productivity and jobsite incidents harm morale. An environment that prioritizes worker safety improves morale.
5. Set an example.
Leading by example is one of the best ways to communicate a positive safety culture. Messaging about safety is important, but actions often speak louder than words.
When an owner arrives on a site, if he or she wears their own safety gear even if they're just there for a 45-minute walkthrough with an inspector. That simple act by the owner and management exemplifies adherence to procedures for every worker.
6. Conduct regular safety training.
Regular safety training is a necessary preventive measure. Conducting ongoing training is vital as the industry is constantly changing.
Training can empower workers to take responsibility for their own safety and follow the guidelines that keep those around them safe as well. Providing comprehensive training for all employees is crucial, especially because of the current dynamics of the construction industry workforce. Training reminds veteran workers of proper procedures while newer hires need to be brought up to speed and gain experience in safety.
7. Empower and reward employees.
Safety culture should prioritize open communication so that every worker takes ownership and feels free to communicate hazards and problems they observe.
The concept of kaizen, empowering every employee to recommend improvements, is a helpful way to frame this. Offering incentives for reporting instead of punitive responses can help overcome worker reluctance to report hazards. Recognizing and rewarding safety behavior prioritizes catching leading indicators. Rewards create an environment where reporting is celebrated rather than penalized, and this helps get buy-in from all of the workers on site.
Finally, said Jensen and Tell, leadership initially demonstrates a commitment to safety by establishing it as priority — or better yet, a core company value.
"As Mark Whitson, president of DPR Construction, said, ‘A lot of companies talk about safety as a priority. We talk about safety as a value.'"
Leadership commitment to safety, open communication and setting the best possible example means everyone involved can be on the same safety page.
"And on their way to a safer, more efficient job site," said the two from Procore. CEG
Lucy Perry
Lucy Perry has 30 years of experience covering the U.S. construction industry. She has served as Editor of paving and lifting magazines, and has created content for many national and international construction trade publications. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she has a Journalism degree from Louisiana State University, and is an avid fan of all LSU sports. She resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband, who has turned her into a major fan of the NFL Kansas City Chiefs. When she's not chasing after Lucy, their dachshund, Lucy likes to create mixed-media art.
Read more from Lucy Perry here.
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