Is technology the answer to construction’s safety challenge?

In recent years, the construction industry has welcomed numerous technological advancements aimed at keeping workers and equipment safe. Yet, despite having a toolbox full of technologies, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one in five deaths involving a worker in the United States happens because of a construction accident. In addition, one in four ‘struck by vehicle deaths’ still involve construction workers. That’s more than any other occupation. Why, despite the best intentions of many in the industry, is construction safety still lagging behind? The answer lies, in part at least, in the way the construction industry is utilizing the safety technologies it so badly needs.

Where is construction going wrong?

There are several areas where the introduction of new technologies might be stalling:

• Sometimes the technology isn’t specified
• Sometimes it’s specified but doesn’t get ordered
• Sometimes it’s ordered but not delivered and/or installed,
• Sometimes it’s on the equipment but not functioning correctly

The latter presents a serious dilemma for construction leaders. Do you place equipment into service knowing it’s not safe (or that it could be much safer)? Do you convince yourself that the risk you are taking on behalf of your workforce is acceptable? Or do you take a stand to make sure everyone goes home safely to their family at the end of every working day?

What construction can learn from the aviation industry

The aviation sector has set the bar for how technology, training, risk management and making safety a deeply held value can yield commendable results. Fatal accidents in the aviation industry have fallen every decade since the 1950s. The industry routinely achieves zero fatalities in commercial flight safety. This is particularly significant given the massive growth in air travel during that period. So how did aviation do it, and can construction emulate their success?

To start with, airlines do a series of checks against ‘minimum equipment listings’ before every flight to make sure critical equipment is in place and working. This happens before every flight, all the time. Without exception. If not, the aircraft stays on the ground. As passengers, we expect nothing less. With lives at stake, do construction companies take the same care with their equipment, or does the rush to meet schedules take precedence over safety? 

Learn to resist pressure and put safety at the heart of your organization

Best practice companies resist the pressure to place schedules over safety by implementing practices and procedures that make the well-being of their workers the beating heart of their organization:

• Work with procurement to specify proper safety equipment
• Create minimum equipment lists that are reviewed and verified before placing equipment into both initial service and daily service
• Talk to your operators to make sure the equipment is working as intended
• Take ‘failed’ equipment out of service immediately
• Align maintenance practices to address safety equipment defects
• Confirm through audit and verification that the minimum equipment (MEL) is working as intended
• Engage your employees on the importance of MEL
• Be clear that employees can (and must) ‘stop work’ if MEL items are not functioning properly

Workplace safety is a cultural issue

New technologies have undoubtedly helped make safety training, audits, incident reporting, and equipment safer for everyone in construction. But having technology available is only part of the equation. Before making the decision to invest, you need to be certain that your organization’s people, processes, and culture are aligned and ready to maximize the benefits technology offers. Is your organization ready for change?

At JMJ, we’re committed to a safer future for the construction industry. If you’re ready to create an Incident and Injury-Free™ safety culture, get in touch.