This program is an innovative safety communication and recognition program that aims to facilitate teamwork and collaborative competition. The program builds key communication infrastructures that deliver feedback to workers on safety performance. It is a highly adaptable program that can be implemented on construction worksites of varying sizes and management structures. The program’s success across sites is dependent on management support, program visibility, engaging middle management such as foremen, and worker participation. Ultimately, the program recognizes workers for their role in promoting and maintaining safe physical working conditions on the job.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the program works:
- Once a site chooses to run the program, a Program Kick-Off is organized to introduce the program to workers and foremen. This will include a presentation explaining the process, what is expected from the workers and foremen, and presenting the program visibility (on-site posters, hard hat stickers, t-shirts… these materials are up to you and your site’s management). Beyond this kick-off, new workers entering the site will need to be introduced to the program at new worker safety orientations.
- To begin, the site must establish a Threshold Site Safety Score. This is site-specific and calculated by the program manager(s) based safety scores at past sites of similar size and scope. Weekly safety assessments will then be compared to this threshold to determine if workers and foremen are eligible for safety recognition.
- At this point, the program manager(s) can begin making Weekly Site Safety Assessments. These should be conducted a minimum of once per week and be comprehensive of all trades and tasks on the site. The program was designed using Predictive Solutions, a software program that tracks safety assessment data, but it can run using a similar safety assessment software platform.
- Safety Performance Scores for the whole site, as well as each sub-contractor, are calculated and distributed to the safety management and foremen within 24 hours of an assessment. This ensures timely feedback and corrective action. Safety scores of both the whole site and individual subcontractors should be displayed on posters around the site . Sharing the safety scores of each sub-contractor creates friendly, collaborative competition between workers.
- If the Cumulative Monthly Safety Score exceeds the threshold site safety score, the Whole Site is recognized with a reward determined by the program manager(s). If the cumulative monthly safety score does not exceed the threshold, the site does not receive recognition for that month and the cycle begins again at Step 3. No sub-contractors will receive a reward if the site average is less than the threshold, regardless of how high individual safety scores may be.
Below is a flow chart that depicts each step in the program:
