“Knowledge is power.” – Sir Francis Bacon
“What gets measured gets improved.” – Peter Drucker
These tried and true tenets are repeated because they work. These concepts are simple enough to understand, and we’ve heard them repeated by our most prolific leaders at our companies. However, translating these concepts into action on the jobsite is difficult.
A wrap-up project team experiences the traditional demands of safety, production, and quality, with the added pressure of claims performance. Specifically, the team is tasked with minimizing and eliminating claims!
Safety thought leaders state that a single OSHA recordable injury can be predicted by near misses (“near hits” or “close calls”) and non-recordable injuries occurring first. This line of thinking predates OSHA and our current regulatory environment. In his 1931 book, “Industrial Accident Prevention: A Scientific Approach,” Herbert William Heinrich put forth his often-quoted theory that for every 1 major injury, there will be 29 that result in minor injuries, and 300 that result in no injuries. This is the “accident pyramid” that many find holds true today.
If a project team has no method to capture information about near misses or minor non-recordable injuries, they will not be able to successfully predict or prevent major injuries and OSHA recordables that often result in costly workers compensation claims.
Knowledge is power.
Our clients have had success with ensuring wrap-up project stakeholders are knowledgeable of site conditions that could impact claims with one simple action – instant notifications.
The Haz-Trac app can be configured so that any person involved with the wrap-up project receives instant notifications on their phone, tablet, or via email. These notifications include observations in which a corrective action is required, when a safety hazard has been identified and corrected, or when a worker receives a “safety leader” nomination.
The instant nature of the information allows supervisors to follow-up on corrected items and to receive reminders if deficiencies are not corrected in a timely manner.
What gets measured gets improved.
In previous blog posts, we introduced the concept of safety inspections occurring spontaneously throughout the wrap-up when project personnel use the Haz-Trac app. No extra work is involved in digesting, tracking, or measuring the data and information – a worker’s observation at the jobsite level can instantly be transmitted to project stakeholders for immediate action. Often, the correction is already made, so no further action is needed by stakeholders receiving the notification!
Haz-Trac enables near misses to be caught and corrective actions put into place, preventing minor injuries. When minor injuries are prevented, it’s more likely that major injuries occur less frequently too. These conditions result in a reduction in claims on the wrap-up project due to the Haz-Trac app leveraging modern technology to achieve classic management concepts. Sir Bacon, Mr. Drucker, and Mr. Heinrich would be proud!
If you are involved in construction operations – get a free trial of Haz-Trac here.
