I recently visited a jobsite—a 20-story tower where prefabricated exterior panels were being lifted into place by crane.
On the 13th floor, I watched as the two-person crew prepared to receive a heavy panel being hoisted toward them. Suddenly, the wind gusted.
The crew was tied off. They wore gloves, safety glasses, helmets and Day-Glo construction vests. The area where they worked was cabled off. The entire area was neat and tidy. As a visitor, I stood at a safe distance.
The panel began to sway with the wind. The tower crane operator extended the boom, moving the panel away from the structure. But now, with stronger gusts, it started to pendulum, and I got nervous. Would it slam into the building?
The crew didn’t miss a beat. They smiled at each other, and at me, and gave hand signals to the operator above. The wind abated. A second attempt, but another gust came through. The panel was lowered to the ground. The crew climbed back through the safety cables. “All in a day’s work,” one said.
I couldn’t believe their calm, standing on the building’s edge with a panel swinging back and forth. They had some kind of mindset with each other as all this was taking place—but they never said a word to the owner of the wall and ceiling company, who was also on-site with me. They didn’t need to. Everyone in this company lives and breathes safety.
I thought to myself: This is what safety is all about. Sure, personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical. Safety training, toolbox talks and other pre-construction prep are important, too. But in the end, safety is something inside the mind. It’s psychology. Safety psychology.
How Do You Achieve That?
Some might say, “Build a safety culture,” but I believe it’s more about how you operate.
“Worker safety and operational excellence are inseparable—a conclusion supported by academic research,” says David Michaels in an MIT Sloan Management Review article titled “How Workplace Safety Improves Performance.”
Michaels adds: “Businesses that have fully embraced worker safety produce a higher-quality product, have more productive and loyal workers, and, most importantly, experience fewer work injuries—which greatly reduces the costs associated with such events.”
Based on these insights, wall and ceiling executives aiming for zero injuries should tightly control their pre-construction and construction processes. “Managing for safety can drive operational excellence,” the MIT article says.
Now, I’m making these assumptions:
You already have comprehensive health and safety plans in place. According to the Dodge Construction Network article “Safety Management in Construction,” 73% of contractors who develop such plans before construction experience lower recordable injuries.
You provide properly fitted PPE for your crews. Small construction companies—37% of them—tend to leave workers exposed to hazards because their PPE doesn’t fit women or others with small frames, Dodge says.
You always investigate incidents and share lessons learned across your company.
What Is Your Business Model?
In the end, I believe construction safety derives mostly from your construction processes. How you think (putting safety first) comes from how you work (having efficient operations).
Safety is a product. It’s something you produce. You build walls—a product. You prefab panels—a product. You have zero reportables—also a product.
By thinking of safety as a product—as your bread-and-butter product—you’ll be inclined to build out the efficiencies and priorities needed to achieve it. Yes, you’ll create a strong safety culture—walking the walk of safety along with everyone else. But running your jobs safely, in the end, comes down to your business model. You’re not just in business to build. You’re in business to build safely.
