What are the best tools to eliminate unsafe behavior on construction sites?

Its time to shift our training and the message we are delivering in safety. We have been focused on liability, risk, legal implications, and assigning responsibility. We needed that to shift the mindset, but now its time to move forward. We have too many people continuing to do unsafe things even after they go through the training. Think about that for a minute. They are doing unsafe things that put themselves at risk of injury or long term health problems. I really don’t think that people realize that. When you see crews breathing in silica dust all day long as they cut and grind concrete and block, let them talk to someone with silicosis. After that they will remember to attach the water spray or vacuum shroud.

It's good to start with practical training than a classroom training for workers. We can bring some past incidents as a case study to explain about the cause and consequences. Such training should be continuous effort, but not one time

1. Context and the Why? It is essential that the entire team understand legal liability - At its root is safety of team, others & self. To neglect this has grades of consequences but the worst is to live with a fatality or serious disability on your conscience that could have been avoided. 2. Clear safety first risk assessments & method statements. 3. Team inducted, continually trained, traceable evidence & measurable competence. 4. Legal compliance - acts & regulations 5. PPE 6. Adherence to site specific requirements after thorough induction & competence training, & certification of applicable tools & equipment safe for use. 7. A safety first & protect your team member culture. 8. Oversight - safety is non-negotiable. 9. Other…

Promoting safety consciousness among the entire construction team at the site, involving all partners through training sessions, lectures, sharing lessons learned, educational videos, and recognizing safety heroes or champions with prizes.

In my experience educating is great and rewarding safe behavior also helps to get your employees engaged in helping others to do the same!

I think it is very difficult to change people's behaviour. The only way to aware people about safety culture is training and mentoring. Also we can change people behaviour by promoting safety, award / rewards, recognisation for following good safety practices..

It's hard work for the people in your organization to remain fresh with on-going trainings, to remain vigilant and avoid complacency, to learn and adjust to new safety procedure's as they are discovered and implemented. Our main focus is at the end of shift everyone goes home safe to their family's and friends, the same way if not better than we did when we arrived at work. Safety incentives make these efforts fun. Fun makes the job more enjoyable. Safety incentives show your people that you are vested in their personal well being. When your people know you care they will care and its been shown that this leads to better overall job performance along with reduced safety incidents.

Communication is probably the most powerful tool. Not just at senior levels, but co-ordination between black-hats daily to understand each contractor's areas of work and identify conflicts. Supervisors talking to each other usually formulates the safest resolutions. Us Managers are responsible fir providing the knowledge and the tools to carry out the works, but competent tradesmen and supervision need to be engaged at point of work.

It takes 1 person to make a difference! We’ve all experienced monotonous hours in training listening to safety procedures, but sometimes it just takes 1 person to example the effectiveness of crucial job site practices: hard hats save lives, gloves safe digits, goggles save eye balls, and steel-toe boots will allow you a future to walk and travel with your loved ones! Here’s my motto I tell guys: safety is cool. Being there to raise your children is cool. Riding a bike on vacation is cool. Swinging your arms with a paddle to travel up & down a stream in the wilderness is cool. I know that wearing a safety harness may not feel comfortable all the time, but trust me: it will preserve your life. And you will, I promise — 100% — be cool.

When it comes to safety technology, one of the best tools we have is the smart phone, becasue almost everyone on the site has one. It enables them to watch quick videos, look up answers to questions, find and review PPE requirements in a Safety Data Sheet, and more. It can be used to capture and record unsafe behaviour, but that is a system that has to be built out and maintained. I have many videos on LinkedIn and courses on LinkedIn Learning that talk about quickly capturing unsafe behaviours on an app with a smartphone. Aggregating this data can provide leading indicators and help management know where to focus attention on the project. I am also a fan of cameras on large projects, again, to help decide “where do I need to be right now.”

Safety technology can significantly assist in eliminating unsafe behavior on construction sites by providing tools and resources that promote a culture of safety and mitigate risks. Here are some ways in which safety technology can be effective: 1. It provides real time monitoring 2. You can collect data on worker behaviors and site conditions 3. Wearable devices, such as smart helmets or vests, can monitor vital signs, detect fatigue, and provide warnings to workers when they are putting themselves at risk. 4. Drones can be used on construction sites, helping to identify potential hazards and unsafe activities. 5. Virtual reality (VR) can be used to create realistic training simulations that allow workers to practice safety procedures.

Safety technology is indeed a valuable supplementary tool for enhancing prevention efforts. However, it cannot single-handedly avert all hazards. Human behavior remains the primary factor, and without proper safety behavioral training, technology alone cannot mitigate all risks. For instance, consider a backup camera that emits quicker beeps as you approach an object. Despite these warnings, some individuals may choose to ignore them, believing they can maneuver closer than what the camera indicates.

This should be at the top most place above all. Most of the construction site lack in leadership. If the leadership role stays as a role model, appreciate safe behaviour and intervene at unsafe behaviour, then the height of success is assured. Above all, that kind of leadership earns respect from the working group.

Safety Leadership should be the first tool used to keep a crew safe! A picture is worth a thousand words, while an action is worth a million words! We shouldn’t just talk about how to be safe, but lead from the front and show the crew how to stay safe!

Throughout my career, I have found Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) and Nudge Theory to be exceptionally effective in promoting safety cultures and reducing incidents. By tailoring safety strategies to an organization’s unique context and combining the best approaches, one can prioritise a culture of safety and minimize workplace incidents.