Making Safety an Ongoing Part of the Construction Process Through ...

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Post-Task Completion Review Date: ________ Time: _______ Task is completed Yes No Work area has been cleaned up: Yes No Locks and tags have been removed: Yes No Not Applicable Permit has been turned in: Yes No Not Applicable Comments (if any an answer above is “No”, please comment): ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Did any incidents occur? Yes No If yes, describe: ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ What should be done differently, if this task is repeated? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Lessons learned: _________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Completed Form Submitted by: ________________________________ (Signature) ____________________________________________________________________ Figure 2. Example of Information Contained in Post-Task Review Forms
Maintaining Close Monitoring of the Process Pre-task planning meetings can be effective if all the crewmembers regard the process as an important component of maintaining jobsite safety performance. Despite the best intentions of companies, there may be a temptation by some workers to use shortcuts without going through the formal pre-task planning process. This might occur when the task is one that the foreman has seen performed many times. There are instances where foremen have simply photo-copied pre-task planning forms. When this occurs, the foremen have clearly compromised the process. This is to be avoided as the safety of the workers is at stake. One safety professional recounted an instance in which he was walking the jobsite and came upon a worker in the lunch area. The lunch hour had passed, and this one worker was busily performing some paperwork. When he approached the worker, he could see that he was completing a pre-task planning form. He was doing this by copying from another pre-task planning form that had been used the prior week. In fact, he had several blank forms that were being filled out in this manner. This was being done in response to direct instructions from the worker’s foreman. Another safety professional indicated that it is important to review the pre-task planning forms that are posted. He had encountered situations in which it was clear that the forms were “pencil whipped,” meaning that the forms were filled out without actually conducting a serious meeting of the crew. This was apparent because the form had items checked off that were not relevant. For example, for a hand excavation task for a small concrete pad, the form had checked off that the fire extinguisher was properly positioned. For this task, there was no need for fire protection and there was, in fact, no fire extinguisher in the area. It was apparent that items had been checked off without actually considering their relevance to the task being performed. How can abuses of the pre-task planning forms be avoided? First of all, the first step is to fully inform the foremen and the crewmembers about the importance of thoroughly adhering to the pre-task planning process for every task that is to be performed. Second, a no tolerance attitude should be exhibited when abuses are noted, and this may result in drastic decisions being made on some occasions. Of course, if the foremen are informed about the value of the information and that it is reviewed after the tasks are completed, there may be a greater adherence to the process. The best motivator should be that the well being of the workers will be ensured when the pre-task planning is taken seriously for every task that is performed. Pre-Task Planning Impacts Safety Performance The essential concept behind the use of pre-task planning is that the workers become directly involved in the safety process. The workers are placed in a position of being responsible for their own well-being. Since every task is preceded by a pre-task planning meeting, the issue of safety is continually be stressed and emphasized. This eventually has the effect of making safety an integral part of the work being performed. In other words, safety becomes a natural component of performing the work.
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