From Golden Shovels to Giant Scissors

The importance of safety from start to finish

ffectively managing a project’s risk from its infancy through project turnover is essential; ensuring safety begins well before and extends well beyond the main phases of a construction project.

Many contractors have room to improve on integrating risk assessment and safety planning into the pre-construction and administrative phases of a project. If they don’t manage these tasks well, they are often left scrambling during kick-off and early stages of execution.

Early risk assessment has exceptional benefits. It allows for adequate budgets and resource allocation and timely procurement of personal protective equipment, or PPE, specialty tools, ventilation units, and equipment. Obtaining key safety equipment can be exceptionally difficult and delay the start of a project easily. Early risk identification also allows contractors to:

• Plan thorough pre-construction meetings for high-risk scopes of work,
• Construct detailed job hazard analysis,
• Provide comprehensive safety training to personnel,
• Perform a thorough project orientation, and
• Prepare thoughtful and robust safety plans.

From the time a company receives a notice to proceed and busts out the golden shovels, all the way until that giant pair of scissors make an appearance at the ribbon cutting ceremony, it is the name on the sign that matters. The name on the sign represents not only the physical display of the sign on the fence but also the entire contract scope and its associated liability. It means everything within that project construction boundary.

If your company is represented on the job site and you have members of the community, including non-construction stakeholders, entering the job site boundaries—whether allowed in or not, fenced off or not—your company has liability for what happens on the jobsite.

Here are a few tips for enhancing accountability and displaying project ownership:

• Define clear roles for all stakeholders from the beginning of the project.
• Delineate and secure the project site, including parking areas, providing clear boundaries and separation from the surrounding community.
• Create feedback loops that provide a continuous flow of information with all stakeholders.

A robust subcontractor management plan is crucial for ensuring that safety and risk management is maintained throughout the project. Selection criteria should be based on a subcontractor’s track record of safety, compliance with industry standards, overall safety culture, and the company’s ability to align with the project’s specific safety goals.

Establishing good communication for the project team involves setting up regular meetings and updates so subcontractors are fully aware of the project’s safety expectations and any changes to procedures. Effective communication channels can include daily briefings, weekly safety meetings, and real-time updates via project management software.

Additionally, monitoring and compliance must be enforced through regular site inspections and audits to verify that subcontractors adhere to safety standards and protocols. This can be supported by establishing clear metrics and reporting requirements, where subcontractors provide documentation of their safety practices and incident reports. It is important to remember that these verifications and checks should be documented.

As a project winds down into its final tasks—air balancing, landscaping, interior decorating, and punch-listing—well-seasoned project staff may consider the project complete. Often personnel have already begun relocating to the next project, failing to carry the torch all the way to the finish line. By no fault of their own, project managers and superintendents are in high demand and can only be in one place at a time.

It’s crucial to maintain workplace safety until the project is fully complete. Here are a few tips:

• Confirm that resource allocation includes post-project meetings to capture lessons learned through the project.
• Select and screen “finish work” subcontractors, landscapers, interior designers, and air balancing companies based on safety performance and culture, just as is done with primary subcontractors.
• Continue job-site safety audits and walkthroughs until final completion.

It is not always within the swing of major construction when the biggest accidents and worst workers’ compensation or liability claims occur. As someone who investigates a large volume of incidents and accidents for my clients, I have realized that a truly significant number of major accidents occurs at both the beginning and end of a project. At the end of a project, a crew tends to relax and let its guard down. That is when complacency or a minimal safety culture sets in, which are the two biggest root causes of accidents in construction.

By fostering a collaborative approach and being a strong leader to subcontractors by having tailored safety plans that define and mitigate risks, a company can successfully promote a true culture of safety, including a growth mindset across all phases of a construction project.

Managing project risk effectively from start to finish is not just a best practice but a necessity. By integrating early risk assessment, maintaining vigilance until project completion, enhancing accountability, and implementing robust subcontractor management plans, contractors can significantly reduce accidents and liability. It is imperative that subcontractors and the entire project team feel taken care of by the general contractor and that everyone continually watches out for one another.

“With the skilled labor shortages that we all face, workers will want to work where they know they’ll be taken care of,” says Mike Gould, president and owner of Excel Construction. “We like to say at Excel, if we can’t do a task safely, we don’t do it until we find a way to mitigate the risks and do it in a way that doesn’t put our people at risk. Safety is everyone’s responsibility: from the most senior general foreman to the first-year apprentice, we all have a role in creating a safe jobsite and work environment.”

Prioritizing safety at every stage means that the name on the sign represents a commitment to excellence and responsibility, which is true from the groundbreaking ceremony to the ribbon-cutting event. Embracing these strategies will foster a safe, efficient construction environment that will ultimately lead to a successful project outcome and enhanced reputations.