Construction Safety Week 2017, May 1st-5th
Construction Safety Week, May 1-5, 2017, grew out of a coalition of contractors who wanted to impact safety on their jobsites. Today, 60 national and global construction firms comprise The Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI) group and the Incident and Injury Free CEO (IIF) Forum, which have joined forces with a single aim: to inspire everyone in the industry to be leaders in safety.
Every day, we walk onto construction sites across the U.S. and Canada with one goal in mind – get the job done safely. We take great pride in the role we play shaping the communities in which we live, work and play. But even more than that, we feel an unwavering responsibility to one another and our families and friends at home. It’s what drives us in every decision we make and why we never back down from doing what’s right, and doing what’s safe.
We are taking safety in our own hands.
We know that it’s the little things, done well, every day and on every job, that make the difference. Weaving safety through everything we do unites us across the industry behind a common imperative. So, join us – celebrate safety where you work with an event, continue the conversation on social media and get Safety Week gear to demonstrate your continued commitment to safety.
That’s why more than 60 national and global construction firms comprising The Construction Industry Safety (CISI) group and the Incident and Injury Free CEO (IIF) Forum have joined forces with a single aim: to inspire everyone in the industry to be leaders in safety.
Being safe every day on every job site crosses competitive boundaries. That’s why we have banded together to create and celebrate Safety Week, running this year from Monday, May 1st to Friday, May 5th.
Engage Your Team May 1-5
Although safety is a topic that goes beyond one week, Safety Week is a great opportunity to remind your team about the little things that can keep everyone safe. This year’s Safety Week focuses on hand safety, and each day of the week focuses on one aspect of hand safety. You can add other safety tips as needed.
Here are the key topics for each day of the week. These can be covered in morning team meetings or through special activities.
Mon, May 1 – Hand Injury
Tues, May 2 – Analyze the Hazards
Wed, May 3 – Types of Gloves
Thurs, May 4 – Teamwork & Incident Response
Fri, May 5 – First Aid
Company Leaders Personnel Project Visits
- In an effort to show top-down safety commitment, management personnel should make safety-specific visits to each jobsite throughout the week.
- Attend safety-specific meetings: safety committee meetings, morning safety briefings, etc.
- Complete a jobsite safety audit/inspection.
- Have safety-specific discussions with foremen and other crew members. Solicit feedback from them. Ask questions such as:
- What are we doing well?
- What can we do better? How can we do so?
- Do you feel safe on the jobsite?
- What does Safety Week mean to you?
Safety Performance Evaluation
- Have the project team assess where they feel the project is in terms of safety performance (non-compliant, compliant, good practice, best in class)
- Focus on items like:
- Safety Culture
- Employee Competency/Training
- Communications – Best Practices, Incident Reviews, etc.
- Controls/Compliance with Regulations
- Subcontractor Performance/Evaluation
- Use Safety Week to come up with actions plans to reach “best in class” status – engage craft personnel to join in this effort as well.
Jobsite Safety Reviews
- Review Corporate Policies: Disciplinary Policy, fire safety requirements, etc.
- Review Training Requirements
- Hold Emergency Response Drills
- Invite emergency response teams (Fire Department, Police, EMT, local response teams etc.) to come on site to assess emergency response protocols specific to that jobsite.
- Review Safety Documents: Emergency Action Plans, Environmental Aspects, Jobsite Safety Analyses, Required Inspections
- Perform a Safety Rollback
- Include site housekeeping, cord/tool inspections, rigging inspections and proper storage, assured grounding inspections, PPE inspections, fire safety inspections.
Commitment Pledges
- Company leaders should make a project-specific and Personal Commitment Pledge
- Ask yourself these basic questions:
- How engaged am I currently in company safety programs?
- Can I increase my engagement levels with the project teams?
- Can I make a difference to our workers’ safety by engaging more?
- Does our company empower me to make a difference in workplace safety?
- After considering these questions, make a pledge to commit to something in 2017 that you believe will make a difference to your own personal safety performance, something that will improve your project’s safety performance and help provide an injury-free workplace.
- Create action plans to follow through on your commitments.
- Communicate your commitments and action plans to jobsite employees. Ask for feedback.