CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

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CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

• Safety Performance
• First Line Supervisors

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Foremen New Workers

• Foremen primary link between management labor
  force. Link of workers to management.
• New worker orientation is required, regardless of
  his/her experience.
• Typically, new workers must be acquainted with
  the foreman, the crew, the tasks, the general
  layout of the project, any unique procedures or
  policies that apply to the work, and the job-site
  safety policies to be followed.

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Foremen New Workers

• On a study of 30 pipe-fitter foremen on a nuclear
  construction project (McMeel), it was found that
  differences in the treatment of new workers are
  associated with differing safety performances

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Foremen New Workers
What Foremen Do With New Hires on the First Day
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Foremen New Workers

• Lessons
• Thorough orientation is required.
• Following up (training is never over).
• The foremen with the best safety records were
  those who personally continued to have a watchful
  eye on the new worker (McMeel).

6
Motivational Approaches Can Improve Safety

• Foremen must try to utilize the crew members
  knowledge.
• Some problems require ingenuity.
• One of the best ways to solve such problems is to
  ask crew members for suggestions.
• If some of these ideas are put to use, worker
  self esteem is boosted.
• Positive reinforcement is also effective.

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Job Pressures
Do Foremen Provide Their Crews with Specific
Schedule Durations on Work Tasks?
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Job Pressures

• If the estimated time is in error, the workers
  will try to accomplish the task(s) in a time
  frame that is not realistic.
• Mental Baggage - not job related.

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Leadership StyleDo supervisory styles affect
safety?

• There is a direct relationship, in many
  instances, between supervisory approaches and
  safety performance.
• A study of over 600 Navy Seabees provided some
  interesting information on this subject.

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Leadership StyleDo supervisory styles affect
safety?
Does the Foreman Exhibit Strong Leadership Skills?
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Leadership StyleDo supervisory styles affect
safety?

• Lessons learned from this study
• Setting a good example on off the job.
• Praising workers when they perform a good job.
• Helping workers who have personal problems.
• Respecting workers.
• Considering ideas offered by workers.
• Possessing the skills required to motivate
  workers.

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Leadership Style

• What is the best way (regarding safety) in which
  the foreman should react when the schedule is NOT
  met?
• Previous studies have reflected how evaluating
  the situation with the workers can lead to a
  safer job-site.

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Managerial or Supervisory Style
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Safety and Project Constraints

• There are situations where Foremen have little or
  no control.
• The type of work may directly affect safety
  performance.

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Safety and Project Constraints
Mostly flat roofs
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Safety and Project Constraints

• From the previous figure, the roofers had a
  higher injury frequency than did the pipe
  fitters.
• Flat roofs have less injuries when compared to
  pitched roofs.
• Foremen can do little to change the types of
  roofs on which they work, but they have to be
  aware of the potential inherent hazards of each
  type of roofing.

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Safety and Project Constraints Crew Size

• Another concern over which a foreman may be able
  to exert little control is crew size.
• Labor agreements (before the foremen is hired)
• Larger crews less control by Foreman
• Larger crews less personal attention.

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Safety and Project Constraints Crew Size
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Safety and Project Constraints
Worker/Supervisor Ratio
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(Chapter 15 Summary)Foremen Must Have A Good
Attitude Towards Safety

• They must accept responsibility for their role.
• They must have a commitment to safety.
• They must understand that injuries will occur if
  they do not take the proper steps to prevent
  them.

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Safety Performance and Crew Size