Safety: It’s More Than Just Common Sense

Eric Komanowski

A phrase my boss often uses is “Hope is not a strategy.” But what are we hoping for everyday when we come to work? Are we hoping that we get done in time to make it home for the game? Are we hoping that we can finish all our tasks before our deadline, or are we hoping that someone is competent enough to not go near the edge of that excavation?

These are just a few examples of what could cross someone’s mind each day, but when it comes to construction, these thoughts can be the difference between going home the way we came to work—or not.

When contractors are working on a project, we’re often not just considering our own employees in how to execute a project safely. A water or wastewater treatment plant or facility is open 24/7, day-in and day-out, and has a variety of staff onsite when the contractors leave for the night. This accounts for the maintenance staff that needs to get around, operations personnel who might need to go operate a valve, or even laboratory technicians collecting samples. So, how do we plan and interact with the plant employees?

Do we hope their work doesn’t require them to enter the work zone, they don’t misstep into that excavation, or that stack of lumber isn’t in the way of their instrumentation? It’s our job to plan and remove all possible hazards from the site to minimize the risks for everyone.

The most common safety incidents on construction projects are slips, trips, and falls. Per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), from 2015 to 2019 these seemingly simple incidents led to 38 percent of fatalities. It takes communication, planning, and scheduling to eliminate these incidents and make sure everyone on the project site doesn’t become a statistic.

Communication

Communication is pivotal in construction for all aspects of the project and among all stakeholders. In a work zone, in its simplest form, you may see caution tape or a “Do Not Enter” sign. We would hope that these signs would be respected, but human nature tells us that isn’t always the case (it’s often just pure curiosity). If the project team is properly communicating with everyone onsite, understanding where access is needed for construction or plant operations can prevent someone walking into a risky situation. Through communication, we can plan our work to coincide with their needs and we are then able to plan our safety measures around them. What good would it be to just fence off an area so that when a plant employee needs access for an emergency he takes the fence down and walks through, exposing himself to potential injuries?

Work Planning

One method contractors often use to communicate is work plans. A written plan, involving the operators and maintenance staff to help put it together, should include a plant map showing pedestrian and vehicle access, laydown areas, and work zones that can or cannot be entered.

Working at existing plants can introduce additional challenges for the amount of workspace that’s available and can cause plans to change daily. This can be communicated through an updated information board, daily email or text updates, or pre-activity meetings. A plan is only as good as it’s communicated, so it’s our responsibility to not just hope everyone knows and agrees to the plan, but has bought into and follows the plan for a safe work environment.

Meeting With Contractors, Clients, and Staff

Every contractor has a version of scheduling meetings, whether it be every three weeks, weekly, or even daily. This is another great opportunity to invite the client and plant employees to attend and make sure we are all on the same page with upcoming activities. We need to know where the plant has maintenance duties or repairs just as much as the plant needs to know where we will be setting pipe that may, for instance, block their typical chemical delivery route.

Verbal communication is key, but it’s not the only solution to address safety hazards on a project. After we communicate the plan, we then must execute it in the field and update it for changes in conditions. We must go that extra mile to ensure not only our people, but everyone, can make it home safe at night. For example, when excavating, the plan should include delineating the excavation away from access around all sides and provide contact information for the responsible person in charge, show the proper access in/out of the excavation, and offer reminders to keep tools and materials away from the edge and on flat and level ground. We should also take the extra time before leaving an operation to check for any possible hazards that could get someone hurt and eliminate them.

Hoping Doesn’t Get the Job Done

If you’re only hoping that everyone around you has common sense when it comes to safety, then you have already given up. Like the risks I mentioned and more, we must remove the word hope when it comes to safety. We must communicate the plan to all stakeholders and eliminate all possible risks, even if it seems like overcommunicating.

Hope is not enough to get home the way you came to work.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Contractors Council or would like to request support, please visit the Florida Section AWWA website at www.fsawwa.org.

Eric Komanowski is a project engineer for Kiewit Water Facilities Florida Co. working from the Tampa office. S