SAFETY TRAINING 14
14.6 IMPLEMENT IDENTIFIED TRAINING
14.6.1 New Employee Orientation (NEO)
Workers new to the jobsite, regardless of their work experience, are at higher levels of risk of injuries and fatalities . Hence, the NEO is the most critical element of the site training program . Some best practices for NEO include:
Identify who should attend the NEO – Does the owner, visitors, vendors, and suppliers require NEO? NEO training should be administered to all new employees prior to their initial work assignment . New workers and workers returning to the site after a significant absence, should be oriented by their trainer for the site logistics and the new job hazards .
Management participation in NEOs – The NEO is the first opportunity to show the employee that the project is committed to worker safety and well-being . Hence, the project manager or owner representative should attend the NEO for a few minutes to personally welcome the work- ers to the site and deliver their safety policy . For example, in a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility project that will produce life-saving cancer treatment drugs, the owner representative participated in all NEOs and communicated the purpose of the facility . The message increased worker motivation by making them realize that they are part of a special project .
Use of NEO checklists – The project should use an NEO checklist as an aid to ensure all site-spe- cific safety policies has been presented to the employee . The checklist should have an NEO ac- knowledgment section that should be signed by all the employees who completed the NEO . The NEO checklist should be archived as part of the project safety records (see Exhibit 14-2 for an example checklist) .
Address site-specific topics – Work activities and site conditions and associated hazards vary from site to site . In addition, each contractor has certain policies that are above and beyond OSHA standards and regulations . Make sure majority of the NEO focuses on site-specific is- sues such as start time, break time, lunch time, smoking policies, toilet locations, parking, and any restrictions . For example:
ο Are workers allowed to carry their food or beverage into the building?
ο What special training is needed since the site is close to a light rail track?
ο What are the challenges associated with working on a university campus, hospital cam- pus, etc .?
Change the content periodically – How many contractors use the same NEO video from the 90s?
Some workers, for example, fire caulking contractors work on more than ten sites any given month .
Since large contractors have multiple job sites in the same geographical location, these workers are listening to or watching the same video every time . Try to be fluent with the training tools so that the training does not lose its effectiveness .
Construction high hazard tasks6 – In Washington State, several employees die each month from injuries or illnesses related to their work . Many others are hospitalized, sometimes with injuries or illnesses that will persist for a lifetime . The L&I website publishes information regarding these fatalities and injuries, and their causes . Spend more time on serious exposures on that site that could lead to fatalities or serious injuries .
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Walking Tour – Some companies have used a walking tour of the site to point out hazards .
Use Modern Tools – Use of tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) to communi- cate site-specific hazards can help workers understand the environment better and faster .
Questions – Provide an opportunity to ask questions concerning the site safety and assigned work .
Assess the employee knowledge – Administer a test at the end of the orientation, and follow-up with remedial training if needed .
Obtain employee commitment – In addition to the acknowledgment slip, designating a wall space in the trailer as an area to express worker commitment is another best practice . The wall should state the project safety commitment and goals while asking the workers to join the ef- forts by signing at the bottom of the wall .
Issue identification to verify NEO completion – Establish a means to identify employees who have completed the NEO in the form of a badge or hard hat sticker .
Provide trade-specific training – In addition, to the general site orientation general contrac- tors should require subcontractors to deliver a short, but adequate supplemental trade-specific training to their workers . This training should be documented in writing and filed on the site .
Assign a mentor or buddy – Require subcontractors to create a “buddy” system for “new”
employees, and assign them to work with a journeyman as a work partner . Some companies have used a special colored hard hat for identification of new employees for at least a 6-month period .
Figure 14-1: New Employee Orientation (Picture Courtesy of Turner Construction Company) 14.6.2 Pre-task safety planning (PTP) & Stretch and Flex (SF) meetings
The foreman typically conducts the daily pre-task safety planning along with stretch and flex during their meetings . The meeting is normally held at the start of the work shift to discuss safety and work tasks for that day . If required by the project, SF exercises should also be conducted during these meet- ings . It is used as a daily “safety training” to ensure the workers are set up for success . These meetings are considered the “first line of defense” against accidents . It allows the foreman to ensure all crew members have been trained in safe work practices and procedures for their assigned tasks . If a worker is not trained, the foreman should train the employee before assigning the task . More information on PTP is provided in Chapter 13 of this handbook .
Figure 14-2: Stretch and Flex Meeting (Picture Courtesy BNBuilders) 14.6.3 Toolbox talks or Tailgate Talks
The weekly toolbox talk is also conducted by the foreman (one crew) or general foreman (multiple crews) at the start of the work week, usually Monday mornings . Contractors should ensure they com- ply with the requirements of WAC 296-155-110-5 through 296-155-110-9 . On large projects, there may be several toolbox talks taking place at the same time . Weekly Toolbox talks are a golden opportunity for the management staff to show its commitment . It is best practice to require project office personnel such as cost managers, engineers, schedulers, etc ., to participate in these toolbox talks .
These meetings are 5-10 minutes long and focus on industry-specific safety topics related to the current work activities and circumstances . For example, would it be appropriate if the foreman chooses to dis- cuss cold weather hazards in the middle of summer . The toolbox talks can also be used to alert workers about any site accidents or major safety infractions . Keep the toolbox talk group to 20 or less . Ensure the meeting is documented using a sign-in sheet (see Exhibit 14-3 for the template) . There are a number of free resources available to contractors who need help finding a construction toolbox talks topic:
The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) maintains a collection of 52 toolbox talks, one for each week of the year – www .cpwr .com/publications/handouts-tool- box-talks
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has created a year’s worth of the con- struction toolbox talks and guidance to foreman on how to select a topic – http://www .lni . wa .gov/safety/topics/atoz/toolboxtalks/PDFs/ToolBoxTalksComplete .pdf
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has numerous QuickCardsTM – https://www .osha .gov/pls/publications/publication .athruz?pType=Types&pID=6
Figure 14-3: Toolbox Talks (Picture Courtesy Guy F. Atkinson)
Many general contractors require a site-wide safety meeting attended by all site personnel including workers, supervisors, managers, and even owner representatives . Some contractors hold this meeting weekly while some bi-weekly . This meeting should be conducted by the project superintendent, pref- erably Monday morning before work begins . This meeting will allow workers to ask questions, offer suggestions, and report concerns regarding safety on the project . While this meeting does not include a pre-selected topic, it should include at a minimum:
Lessons learned from accidents and incidents
Safety inspection findings and corrective actions
Communication of major project activities and associated hazards
Communication of access change, emergency action plan change, etc .
Safety suggestions by workers and response by management
Reports on any environmental changes that may affect the site i .e . weather .
Issuance of rewards to employees (e .g ., best pre-task plan award)
Some projects have used a Microsoft PowerPoint software as a visual aid during these meetings to communicate safety issues and site changes .
Figure 14-4: Toolbox Talks (Picture Courtesy Hensel Phelps Construction)
Figure 14-5: Site-wide Safety Meeting (Picture Courtesy BNBuilders)
Figure 14-6: Site-wide Daily Huddle (Picture Courtesy Turner Construction Company) 14.6.4 Safety Committee Meetings
Many job sites form a safety committee that is comprised of workers from major subcontractors on site . The Project Superintendent will appoint the chairperson for this committee . The committee is charged with conducting bi-weekly safety committee meetings and bi-weekly safety inspections . The committee will typically report the safety issues to the project superintendent to resolve them, and get back to the workers on corrective actions implemented . Findings of this committee are presented during weekly site safety meetings .