Construction Industry Perspectives Op-Ed: Extending the safety culture to end racism
he initial response from industry leaders to recent acts of racism on Ontario construction jobsites was swift and clear: there is no place for racism in our industry.
And at least one of the specific companies involved has taken concrete steps to ensure such incidents never occur on one of their projects again.
But what will it take to address racism across the industry? No construction executive I know is naive enough to think that a few sternly worded social media posts and a toolbox talk are enough to eradicate this blight from the industry for good. It will take an intentional, united and sustained effort from all corners of construction to end racism and prejudice of any kind.
The good news is that we know what it takes to bring about this kind of culture change in Ontario construction because we have done it before.
In the wake of tragedies such as Hogg’s Hollow in the 1960s, industry leaders — labour, employers, owners, and government — came together and over time ushered in a massive transformation of workplace safety in construction.
No one for a second would suggest that everything is now perfect, but it is undeniable that through continuous collaboration Ontario’s construction sector has made an enormous shift in its approach to workplace safety: from loosely enforced compliance to a broadly-embraced culture of care for the way things get built in this province.
And the shift from safety compliance to safety culture has paid dividends. Ontario’s construction industry is profoundly safer today than it was a generation ago.
In recent weeks, construction has experienced another tragic wakeup call. High profile acts of racism have exposed a terrible burden that too many in the industry have silently carried with them until now.
We are kidding ourselves if we think these are isolated incidents. We owe it to people of colour and all minority communities, both within the industry and outside of it, to extend the culture of safety in all its forms to all people within construction, and most especially our racialized colleagues and co-workers.
PG&E Announces New Risk and Safety Leadership Structure
PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (together “PG&E”) today announced changes to the risk and safety leadership structure to further strengthen the utility’s enterprise-wide risk mitigation and operational safety capabilities. PG&E currently has a Vice President of Internal Audit and Chief Risk Officer whose duties include enterprise risk, internal audit, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, market and credit risk management, third party risk management, loss control and insurance. Going forward, those responsibilities will be split between two senior leaders, a Chief Risk Officer and a Chief Audit Officer. Additionally, PG&E is elevating the current position of Chief Safety Officer to a Senior Vice President role.
“Our new leadership structure is consistent with the commitments we made to the Governor’s Office and the California Public Utilities Commission to help improve our safety culture and our operational outcomes,” said PG&E Corporation’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Bill Smith. “We are bolstering our leadership team so we can further integrate industry-leading risk management approaches across all of our business.”
Sumeet Singh, who previously led PG&E’s wildfire safety efforts through 2019, is returning to PG&E and has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer (CRO), effective August 1, 2020. In this CRO capacity, he will report directly to PG&E Corporation’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Bill Smith. As Chief Risk Officer, Singh will have oversight over all risk management related to PG&E’s operations and public safety. This includes risks associated with wildfires, nuclear, dams, natural gas and natural disasters, as well as other strategic risks confronting utilities, including those relating to cyber-attacks, pandemic and other catastrophic events. Singh will also be responsible for evaluating risks associated with the Public Safety Power Shutoff program (PSPS).
From Crisis to Opportunity: 5 things leaders must do to reset culture
5-point plan
To embrace both COVID-19 guidelines and existing safety issues, business leaders should consider proactively shifting the workforce mindset toward the future safety culture. For optimum success in leading this shift as well as improving business performance, there are five key ingredients in any recipe:
….
NTSB chairman discusses agency’s role in marine accident probes … “Accidents are not the best predictors of where the problems in the system are,” he said. “This is why it’s good to have a data collection system… some sort of operational monitoring program is very important, instant reporting systems to find out where the problems are.” This could be done in the marine industry, he said.
Creating a strong safety culture within a company is essential. “Safety has to start at the top of an organization and permeate the entire organization,” the chairman said. “People understand if someone is deeply committed, and they’re going to watch you.”
He encourages developing a “just culture” that is based on fairness. “If someone reports an honest error, what will you do? A lot (of managers) would punish that person. But you should praise that person and thank them for telling. If you punish people for making mistakes, your information flow will dry up, so you’re not going to know anything because (employees) are going to conceal it. A just culture will reward reporting honest mistakes. On the other hand, if someone arrives drunk or willfully violates a procedure, you can’t tolerate that.” A company will thrive when its culture encourages employees to report problems, he said.
Sumwalt said companies should be asking themselves three questions: how strong is our safety culture, are we living our values, and are we providing safety leadership. …
Embry-Riddle President Urges Everyone to Uphold Health Precautions – Both On and Off Campus
As Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University prepares to resume low-density, face-to-face instruction on June 30, University President P. Barry Butler called on everyone to uphold rigorous new health precautions at all times, whether they are on or off campus.
Face coverings, daily wellness checks and physical distancing are now mandatory at Embry-Riddle, Dr. Butler noted during a virtual town hall meeting that drew 800 participants this week. He emphasized that “this should not just be focused on students, but on all of us – including administrators, faculty and staff. Everybody’s in on this together.”
If anyone fails to follow the rules, he said, those who observe the problem should first offer a friendly reminder, then tell the person that they are in violation of employee policy and student conduct rules and subject to disciplinary action. Dr. Butler noted that he hopes others will remind him of the rules if he ever forgets them.
Embry-Riddle’s intense core safety culture has allowed the Daytona Beach Campus, for example, to complete more than 10,000 flight or simulator hours and 17,000 contact hours since May 2 without a single known case of Covid-19 transmission between individuals in that program, Dr. Butler noted. “That is not by accident,” he said, referencing the Flight Department’s rigorous new health protocols. “People have worked hard.”
WMATA Replaces Rail Control Center Leadership Amid Train Safety Violations Metro is replacing the head of its Rail Operations Control Center — the nerve center for monitoring the entire rail system — after a series of safety violations, including sending trains with passengers to investigate a reported fire in tunnels.
WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld sent out a memo Monday announcing the change.
“A strong safety culture requires constant vigilance and continuous improvement,” Wiedefeld wrote. “The ROCC must be the backbone of that culture.”
“We recognize that work is needed to transform Metro’s safety culture from reactive risk management to proactive risk management… (that) requires support and engagement from every employee.”
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) mandated many changes to the ROCC, warning of “dangerous dysfunction” in the department.
IESCO Chief For Adopting Safety Measures During Maintenance Work
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Jun, 2020 ) :Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Electric Supply Company (IESCO) Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary has urged the staff to adopt all precautionary and safety measures during maintenance work on transmission lines.
He said the line staff was our precious asset and a slight negligence and carelessness could prove fatal. Health and life protection of line staff was top priority of the company, he said in a statement issued here Sunday.
He maintained that safety culture would be promoted in the company as there was no substitute of human life.
He asked the officials to ensure following all safety SOPs during maintenance work. Use proper safety gears including helmet, gloves and belt etc.
The CEO also directed all field officers to follow the safety measures in letter and spirit and check them during maintenance work.
He also warned that strict action would be taken against those staff members found without safety gear during the maintenance work.
PSNS & IMF announces new safety management system
BREMERTON, Wash. — Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility formally announced the establishment of a new safety management system in a signing event May 29.
The PSNS & IMF Safety Management System is a result of new Navy requirements for the establishment of a centralized safety program that consolidates the management of the shipyard’s safety culture in one location.
The signing included shipyard leadership and members of the Safety Executive Steering Committee.
“This system provides a foundation for the safety culture that is expected and demanded in our complex work environment,” said Cody Matheson, PSNS & IMF’s deputy director for environment, safety and health.
PSNS & IMF has continually supported the infrastructure for the SMS in the myriad of programs, procedures and processes that already exist throughout the shipyard.
“Other than formally documenting the management of PSNS & IMF’s safety culture in one location, there is nothing new that we have to do as a result of the SMS,” said Matheson.
Cooperative Quest for Safety at LPEA
From her first day of work at La Plata Electric Association last July, Jessica Matlock has made safety a top priority and worked with union leaders to help protect the co-op’s employees.
The new co-op CEO previously worked for two large electric utilities and understood how dangerous the work could be.
“The two last utilities I worked for were very large and, in both cases, we had fatalities during operations and it was due to things that could have been prevented,” Matlock recalls. “Most people think that safety is just the poster board or a sticker, and it’s actually a culture issue. It’s taking care of people. It’s having their back.”
Matlock immediately began making the rounds. She wanted every employee of the Durango, Colorado-based distribution co-op to understand that she saw safety as a personal commitment involving everyone.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Shipbuilding announced it is withdrawing from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program.
Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin made the announcement on her Facebook page.
Boykins said the shipyard chose to withdraw after an employee died on the job last year.
In August 2019, 58-year-old supervisor Tim Ewing was working inside a tank on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier when he fell to his death.
“After careful consideration, and in light of the fatality we experienced last summer, we have made the decision to withdraw from the program at this time,” Boykin said in the post.
“While safety will always remain at the forefront of everything we do, we have work to do to reestablish the safety culture and program our employees deserve.”
The Voluntary Protection Program Star status is the highest seal of approval OSHA gives to a worksite in recognition of its safety programs and practices.
Boykin said the shipyard is already planning for reapplication to the program in 2021, and “actively working to improve our safety culture.”
Parliament supports jail for bosses on mine deaths
Australia’s toughest mine safety laws passed in Queensland Parliament today with executives facing up to 20 years’ jail if Queensland mine and quarry workers die because of their criminal negligence.
Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said establishing industrial manslaughter as an offence in mines and quarries was another key reform by the Palaszczuk Government to protect the state’s 50,000 mine and quarry workers.
“This offence sends the clear message to employers and senior officers that the safety and health of their workers is paramount,” Dr Lynham said.
“In the past two years we’ve had eight workers die, and a gas explosion in an underground coal mine has put five miners in hospital.
“It’s not acceptable.
“Safety on a mine site is everybody’s responsibility.
“But a safety culture needs to be modelled right from the top and creating the offence of industrial manslaughter is to ensure senior company officers do all they can to create a safe mine site.
Question Of The Month: How Can Flying Clubs Encourage Members To Stay Proficient?
Pilot proficiency relates to all pilots, whether in a club or not. Members of flying clubs, can, however, gain some useful help and guidance if their club really embraces the notion of a structured pilot proficiency program as part of its safety culture.
During the popular AOPA flying clubs workshops (keep an eye out for emails about these events, and also visit the PIC Events page), we ask a True|False question: “All flying clubs have a safety culture?” Most responses are “False”, suggesting that not all clubs have a (formal) safety culture, but the stinger is that such a club definitely does have a safety culture, and it’s not a good one.
Before we dig a bit more into this topic—and present a solution—we need to resolve the common confusion between currency and proficiency.
Ep.26 Is good safety leadership just good leadership?
We use the following papers to frame our discussion: Development and Test of a Model Linking Safety Specific Transformational Leadership and Occupational Safety and Contrasting the Nature and Effects of Environmentally Specific and General Transformational Leadership.
Topics: How leadership is studied. The two-part study conducted in Development and Test. Are environmentally specific and general transformational leadership two different things? How the study in Contrasting the Nature and Effects was conducted. Safety leadership vs. leadership/ Why good leadership leads to good safety practices.
Quotes: “How much do these things vary and how much do our explanations for these things explain why they vary? And the answer is, they don’t.”
“Don’t start measuring and tinkering with the statistical relationships between things until you’ve actually pinned down what those things are.”
“I strongly believe that we can’t easily change the values that people hold.”
By building skills to support your lab members, you lay the foundation for success
‘The most challenging thing is the management,’ says chemist Josep Cornella, who has been leading a research team at the Max Planck Institute for Carbon Research in Germany since 2017. ‘I was good in the fumehood, but then they take you out of that, put you in an office and give you eight people to manage.’
While there are other challenges associated with heading up a lab – including attracting funding and preparing lectures – managing a research team is arguably one of the bigger ones. In a recent Wellcome Trust survey of more than 4000 scientists, 80% said they had the skills to manage a diverse team. But of the people being managed, only 11% had been asked for feedback by their supervisor. They also reported experiencing few of the behaviours associated with effective management, like noting achievements, discussing career aspirations and providing support with personal issues.
How to build a forklift safety culture
IF YOU ASK THEM, most forklift operators, fleet managers, and warehouse workers will say that safety is their number-one priority. They’ll probably also say that they continually think about safety while they’re at work. More often than not, though, such assertions are closer to aspiration than reality.
Yet it is possible to develop an environment where every employee and contractor actually does consider safety to be his or her responsibility and does think about it throughout the workday. That describes a “safety culture,” which Don Buckman, Hyster Co.’s environmental health and safety manager, defines as “a set of beliefs, attitudes, and actions consistently adopted by everyone in the organization to make the right decisions that value safety.”
The word “everyone” is key: A successful safety culture requires each individual to value and prioritize safety, regardless of his or her position on the organization chart. “We want every person who comes to work, including not just forklift drivers but also office staff, to have a ‘zero injury mindset,’” says Ed Johannesen, director of manufacturing for UniCarriers Americas (UCA).
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard recognized for workplace safety
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — Portsmouth Naval Shipyard touts safety among it workers, and it’s being recognized for its efforts.
The shipyard has been awarded the fiscal year 2019 Chief of Naval Operations Award for Achievement in Safety Ashore.
“Winning this award speaks to the strong safety leadership from our occupational safety and health department as well as the workforce’s efforts to embrace a superior level of safety culture within the command,” said Capt. Daniel Ettlich, the shipyard’s commander.
The challenge is to continue raising the bar, he said.
Portsmouth earned recognition for reducing the number of safety incidents and lost work days. The shipyard strengthened its safety culture by emphasizing individual ownership, responsibility and awareness.
The incident rate is 15% below the industry average and the lost day rate is 47% below the industry average, officials said.
Landstar names Ellis of Cumberland Gap, TN as 2019 Safety Officer of the Year
Ellis of Shipment Transport, Inc. based in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, was selected for his outstanding support of the Landstar safety culture. Ellis and his team conducted two Mutual Understanding of Safety Together or M.U.S.T. customer visits with agency customers in 2019. And, with more than 4 million Landstar business capacity owner (BCO) miles booked in 2019, the agency had no preventable accidents or cargo claims on any shipments it arranged during the year.
Landstar Transportation Logistics Vice President of Safety and Compliance Mike Cobb, commended Ellis on receiving the Landstar Safety Officer of the Year recognition. “Don promotes safety at his agency by emphasizing complete and accurate dispatch procedures and supporting his customers with Landstar’s safety initiatives,” said Cobb. ”The integrity of Landstar safety officers like Don are key to our safety-first culture.”
Safety should not be a ‘priority’
For others, the statement sends a mixed signal. Calling safety a “priority” conveys it is to be weighed against other considerations and implies there may be times it is superseded by a more pressing priority, such as budgets, schedules, production goals or customer demands.
What is the alternative? In their book “Safety 24/7,” Gregory M. Anderson and Robert L. Lorber explain, “In a strong safety culture, safety is elevated to be a core value in the organization. It is no longer just a priority ⦠Priorities change. Core values remain constant.”
Values are beliefs that guide actions. When employees make decisions, they measure their options against values. Every day, employees in high-risk environments decide to choose safe or unsafe behaviors. They choose whether they will wear prescribed PPE, follow standard procedures, disregard posted warning signs, etc. They often find themselves pressured to do more with less, increase productivity and exceed customer expectations. In addition, they value their jobs and ability to provide for their families. All these values collide as employees are presented with the choice to be safe. If safety is not a personal value for them, other priorities may lead them to act unsafely.
New COVID-19-themed support campaigns launched
A range of new campaigns have launched by brands, charities, supermarkets and advertisers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide support for social distancing, health measures as well as help support local businesses effected by the shutdown.
Master Builders Australia has launched a campaign to promote social distancing and hygiene on building sites around the country. The campaign will run for four weeks and is aimed at workers across the building and construction sector. The Association has also joined forces with the sector unions, the CFMEU and the AWU, to promote a safety culture during this time.
Master Builders Australia CEO, Denita Wawn, said it’s a substantial cultural change and conceded the new restrictions would slow down building work.
“Slower work is better than no work and that is why we are asking everyone in our industry to step up and be accountable for doing the right thing to keep each other and the community safe,” said Wawn.
It comes as Woolworths has taken a full-page print ad in daily newspapers with a message from the supermarket’s CEO, Brad Banducci, explaining ongoing product shortages, pleading for responsible shopping from consumers and explaining in-store safety measures during the pandemic.
How building a culture of safety translates to lower insurance premiums
Crisis, catastrophe, headache and disaster—these are just a few of the terms that waste companies usually use to describe their commercial insurance renewals. According to Business Insurance Magazine, premium prices in the United States increased by 10.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 and have continued to skyrocket into the first quarter of 2020. In our practice alone, we have companies calling us days before renewal stating their premiums have gone from $300,000 to over $1,000,000. Commercial auto, property and excess umbrella are the lines we are seeing which are the most challenging to obtain and to get an affordable price for.
Insurance market premiums are cyclical, and premiums have been historically soft for the past 15 years. During this period, waste companies were able to purchase cheap insurance without much oversight. This fact deterred companies from examining their operational protocols and addressing numerous underlying issues. With claims far exceeding premiums the last few years, insurance carriers are no longer willing to write “cheap” insurance. Consequently, this has created a hard market. The axiom, “The chickens have come home to roost,” accurately describes the current situation in the commercial insurance market. Because of this reality, waste companies must be prepared to do whatever it takes to help improve their safety culture, which will in turn, significantly lower premiums.
Industrywide, we must focus on strategies that will improve the claims experience. Safety has always been mentioned as being the No. 1 most important aspect of company culture; however, actions do not support this claim. Before becoming a commercial insurance agent, I was a practicing health and safety professional. I visited multiple companies in all sectors of business, met with many respected members of management, and noticed a common denominator—people. There is not a business owner on the planet who wants a poor safety record, high workers’ compensation losses, or massive increases in insurance costs; yet, the reality is that owners have the most significant impact on whether their company is safe or not and many simply don’t take proper action.
Tension but also harmony over COVID-19 in Europe’s chemical industry
Italy, one of the nations worst affected by COVID-19, is now experiencing tension between industrial workers and chemical companies. Workers in the Lombardy region of northern Italy threatened to strike this week because of concerns that they may be exposed unnecessarily to the coronavirus while on the job.
A wide range of chemical production is considered essential in Italy and not subject to quarantine shutdowns. Filctem CGIL, Femca and Uiltec, unions representing industrial workers in Italy, had planned to call a strike to challenge the breadth of the policy.
But it was called off after a last-minute agreement on March 25 between the unions and the Italian government limiting the types of chemicals classified as essential. Under new government rules, production of dyes, pigments, inks, and explosives are now considered nonessential, and workers do not have to continue making them. New protocols have also been agreed to for worker safety in fields where production is ongoing.
‘Exhausting.’ ‘Very Strange.’ What It’s Like to Be an Epidemiologist Right Now.
Eleanor Murray feels both burned out and determined to help. Two weeks ago, Murray, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University, had never given an interview; now she’s given a bunch. Her cartoon infographic emphasizing the importance of social distancing has been translated into multiple languages and dialects, including Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cameroonian Pidgin. “It’s really nice to feel like I can do something,” she says. “But there’s also this feeling of ‘Am I doing enough?’”
On Twitter she’s been fielding questions and dispensing bits of wisdom, like “Simulation models aren’t crystal balls” and “For the sake of all that is good, wash your hands.”
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to claim victims and upend daily life, lots of epidemiologists, particularly those with expertise in infectious diseases, have found themselves suddenly in demand. They’re on TV urging governments to take further action, or on social media explaining how to interpret data about the disease. And we’re turning to them for answers about a new, daunting reality.
National Safety Day 2020 successfully concludes in Bengaluru
Against this landscape, this one-day power-packed confex, which was themed - ‘Shaping the Future of Occupational SafetyHealth’ debated, deliberated and emphasized the importance of safety of industrial workers and zero accident in factories. The topics included - Ergonomics Risk Assessment, Safe Handling of Boilers, Major Fire Incidents in Factories, Hazardous Materials HandlingSafety in Transportation, Chemicals Accidents, Redefining Safety Metrics for Construction Sites, panel discussions on The Leader’s Role in Enhancing Safety Culture and Enforcement of Legal Mandate on Occupational Safety - Key Challenges and Responsibilities.
Transportation Veteran Flynn to Succeed Anderson at Amtrak www.railwayage.com/passenger…
“Bill is a leader in Safety Management Systems and building a safety culture. The Board affirms that safety is our No. 1 priority. In selecting our next CEO, the Board felt strongly that our next executive leader needed to have experience in leading a culture change to support Safety Management Systems (SMS). Under Bill’s leadership, Atlas fully implemented the FAA Safety Management System well ahead of schedule, and consistently rated well in operational and safety audits.
Building a safer world: Jacobs event to tackle construction risks
Professional services firm Jacobs yesterday brought together stakeholders from across the construction supply chain for its inaugural Safety Symposium at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.
With 150,000 people working in construction in Ireland and the sector experiencing annual growth of 10pc, the event emphasised how a sustainable safety culture is critical to keeping people safe.
The symposium featured presentations and panel discussions from leading experts including Health and Safety Authority CEO Dr Sharon McGuinness, Jacobs global head of safety Catriona Schmolke, and culture manager Europe Tom Parsons who plays GAA for Mayo.
“Construction workplace deaths more than doubled last year from five to 12, and there really is no room for complacency,” said Dr McGuinness.