Construction companies in partnership with workers are responsible for ensuring that jobsite hazards are eliminated or at least minimized. These partnerships are most effective when they exist within a positive safety climate.

The safety climate on a specific construction project refers to managements’ and workers’ shared perceptions of the adequacy of the safety and health programs and the consistency between the organization’s espoused safety policies/procedures and the actual conditions at the jobsite. It is the combination of safety climates from multiple organizations including the project owner, construction manager/general contractor, and subcontractors and it may be influenced by local conditions such as project delivery, scheduling, planning methods and existing norms amongst involved trades.

All employees need to know and understand where and how they fit into the safety culture and climate. The best way to ensure this happens is to provide ongoing, effective training tailored to the specific roles and responsibilities at each level of the organization. Training should be provided by qualified trainers using adult learning principles; including active and interactive learning techniques. Which best describes your company?

How to become exemplary

Review the ideas below and check the short-term (1-2 months), mid-term (6-12 months), or long-term (1-2 years) circle to indicate which you will commit to adopt and by when. Congratulations, if you’ve already adopted the idea!

Idea 1—Supervisors: Front-line supervisors are the linchpin for safety on the jobsite. Therefore, it is critical that they are trained in the skills necessary to foster a good jobsite safety climate. Some ideas include:

1a. OSHA Training

Supervisors should have OSHA 30-hour training at the very least. It would be ideal if they received certification as safety-trained supervisors.

 

 

1b. Leadership and Communication Skills

For most people, leadership skills are not innate; they must be learned through education and experience. Supervisors should be given the opportunity to participate in leadership training where they would learn how to effectively communicate their vision and expectations, act as a positive role model, and be able to coach workers on how to create a strong jobsite safety climate, and provide constructive feedback. Supervisors should also receive training in the elements of an effective safety management system to better understand processes and expectations.

1c. Team Level Root Cause Analysis

Provide supervisor training on how best to work with their crew to conduct root-cause analyses to examine environmental, organizational, and human factors that contribute to jobsite incidents and close calls. Establish a process to easily share findings from these investigations across the whole organization.

1d. Role Modeling

Educate supervisors on the importance of being a good safety role model. For example, they should always use proper personal protective equipment (PPE), insist their workers (and managers who come on-site) do so as well, and uphold accountability measures. Training on coaching skills is critical to help supervisors be more effective at motivating their team to participate in creating a strong safety climate. Supervisors need to be aware that their perception of risk may be different than the workers and keep that in mind when evaluating and responding to worker complaints.

Idea 2—Workers: Training should provide workers with the tools they need to identify and report hazards, and the knowledge to protect themselves. Some ideas include:

2a. OSHA Training

All workers should have at least an OSHA 10-hour training certificate and preferably the OSHA 30-hour certificate.

 

2b. Empowerment

Training should include methods for empowering workers to actively participate in recognizing potential hazards on the jobsite and understand their right (and obligation) to stop work when a hazard is identified that is serious or presents an imminent danger to themselves or their co-workers.

2c. Communication Skills

Workers would benefit from training on how to communicate effectively with co-workers and supervisors, including how to listen and how to provide constructive feedback.

2d. Proper Use of PPE

Workers should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of, and ability to use, proper PPE. If the worker is unable to do so, the worker should receive training and a skills evaluation prior to going onto the jobsite.

Idea 3—Management

Provide management with safety leadership training so they understand the critical role they play in leading and maintaining safety implementation efforts. The training would include how best to communicate, provide feedback, and be a good role model for workers, particularly when visiting jobsites. Management should also be educated about and have a comprehensive understanding of how safety fits into and complements quality, production, marketing, and the financial aspects of their organization.

Idea 4—In-house architects and engineers

Provide training for in-house architects and engineers on Prevention through Design (PtD) strategies that they could use during the planning and design stages of a project to design out potential hazards from equipment, structures, materials, and processes that might adversely affect workers or end users of the project.

Much of the information presented here was provided by stakeholders who participated in a CPWR sponsored Safety Culture/Climate in Construction Workshop held June 2013. To read the full workshop report please go to: http://www.cpwr.com/safety-culture/workshop-safety-culture-and-climate-construction. This information sheet was made possible by cooperative agreement number U60-OH009762 to the CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NIOSH.