.jpg)
By Dave Schuster, CHST (email)
Back when we were all in elementary school, some teachers awarded two grades on large assignments – one for effort, and once for the quality of the actual work. Working hard on a project but not really understanding what it was all about might produce one of those disheartening “A for effort, D for execution” grades.
There’s a parallel in safety programs. Managers who are responsible for developing and overseeing safety efforts can develop tremendous plans that would warm the heart of the toughest OSHA inspector. But their hard work will prove to be useless if activity on the jobsite falls short. State and federal inspectors are far less interested in effort than in execution, and the execution can have a tremendous impact on injury rates and lost time.
That’s why regular site assessments and field surveys are so important. These formal firsthand observations provide a way to determine whether the safety aspects of the project properly reflect the objectives set out in the safety plan, and offer an opportunity to identify potential areas of concern.
This article will focus on the actual visit to and review of the site, but that’s only one component in the process. Another part that may be even more important is an analysis of what was learned, and how it compares to previous observations of the site. By analyzing that information, potentially dangerous trends can be identified, and preventive measures can be developed.
The initial review of a worksite should be comprehensive, covering all aspects of the project. While that can be a daunting task, taking this approach provides a baseline against which future reviews can be compared. For example, if fall protection appears to be adequate on the first visit, but deficiencies are identified later, there is probably an underlying problem with communication or compliance measures by supervisory staff.
How detailed an assessment should be depends on the nature of the site and the work that is currently underway. In addition, a thorough assessment should also anticipate upcoming work and identify hazards that may arise as the scope of the project changes.
We all know the importance of first impressions in many aspects of our lives. Just as that first impression of an individual sets the tone for a job interview, the reaction to the condition of a jobsite can provide insight into attitudes about safety. If the site is sloppy, with debris and scraps scattered here and there, workers and supervisors will probably display the same carelessness when it come to safety measures. A disorganized, trash-strewn site can also contribute to morale problems, because nobody is eager to come to work in a mess.
Other indicators that are immediately apparent are how the site is defined in terms of access, signage, traffic and facility organization. Proper traffic patterns can ensure that workers and vehicles don’t cross paths in unsafe ways, while well-thought-out access can keep delivery traffic away from workers and keep anyone who shouldn’t be onsite away. Another consideration is management’s location in relation to the actual work areas. If the site trailer is quite a distance away and out of view, management may not be watching the job as closely as they should, and workers may feel unsupervised.
The next “obvious” indicator of safety is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). It’s easy to determine whether workers on the site are using the proper PPE. For example, do workers in elevated positions have fall protection? Are those who are using chop saws and other cutting devices wearing proper eye protection and face protection such as face shields? Observing workers also provides insight into the adequacy of PPE. If a worker has been issued safety glasses, but he leaves the glasses hanging from his shirt collar while performing tasks that could create eye injuries, he either lacks the right training or is not being properly supervised.
Fire protection is a consideration on most sites, but is often an afterthought. In addition to ensuring that proper fire protection has been put in place at the inception of a job, check regularly to make sure that fire extinguishers and related equipment are in their proper places and clearly marked. Verify that extinguishers are properly charged, too.
One concern that is sometimes expressed by supervisors is that workers behave differently when they know they’re being observed. But when safety personnel have a regular presence on a site, workers tend to be less suspicious of them and more likely not to change their regular work patterns. If workers see that safety is improved as a result of site assessments, they’re more likely to regard safety measures as positive steps and improve their own compliance with site rules.
The final steps in an effective site assessment are documenting what the inspector has seen, and identifying area in need of correction and improvement. In addition to providing evidence of proper reviews for regulatory purposes, that document serves as a benchmark for subsequent visits. Hazards that have been identified during one assessment should be corrected the next time around. Following up on issues such as these reminds workers and supervisors that safety is being taken seriously, enhancing compliance with the overall safety plan.