Making Zero Accidents a Reality (Best Practice)

It is of paramount importance for top management to convey to others in the firm or on the projects that cost, schedule, and quality do not take priority over safety. Top management sets the tone and the philosophy by which the company safety standards will be set and implemented, and commits valuable resources to fully implement an effective safety program. (RS160-1, p. 4)

Key insights on the implementation of these 10 key topic areas are described in RT-160’s research, including: RS160-1 p. 4)

1. Demonstrated management commitment must be sincere and conveyed to the worker level. 
2. Staffing for safety requires full-time safety personnel to ensure safety needs of the project are being satisfied.
3. Pre-project and pre-task planning ensures a safety start and that safety is integrated into daily tasks.
4. Safety education should include a formal jobsite orientation and additional training focused on the needs of individuals.
5. Achieving the goal of zero accidents may be accomplished through behavior observations, worker safety perception surveys, and participation in safety committees.
6. Recognition and rewards that are not costly, given often, and based on a specific goal, and that influence worker evaluations that impact wage increases.
7. Subcontractor management that drives the safety agenda beyond the general contractor’s own employees.
8. Accident investigation that identifies root causes and includes near misses.
9. Drug and alcohol testing with random testing.
10. Contract type data indicate that cost plus contracts result in better safety performance compared to lump sum contracts.

RT-160a found that shutdowns, turnarounds, or outages benefit from the safety factors referenced in Key Finding #2, but their unique characteristics benefit from additional safety factors, specifically: (RS160a-1, p. 5)

1. Finding workers from similar company projects who are already familiar with the type of work. 
2. Smaller scheduling time units provide more detailed planning, which enhances safety performance. 
3. Hire workers in advance to provide training and become acclimated to the worksite. 
4. Shorter work weeks and project duration, with work weeks no longer than six twelve-hour days, minimizes the impact of fatigue. 
5. Smaller crew size or ratio of workers to supervisors.
6. Incentivized contracts for good safety performance. 

One notable conclusion of RT-160a is that zero injuries can be achieved on short duration projects. (RS160a-1, p. 20)

The various topic areas must be taken as a systematic whole. There is no single best practice to impact safety performance and no “quick fix.” All of the factors are important and must be addressed in some way to achieve good safety records. (RR160-11, pp. 84-86)

RT-160 identified 15 actions that “safer firms” use to achieve their higher level of safety performance. (RS160-1, p. 21):

1. Employ full-time safety representatives for fundamental safety tasks instead of using consultants.
2. Implement formal safety observation programs on projects.
3. Have safety observers on projects.
4. Base worker incentives on a specific level of performance, typically below a prescribed injury frequency level.
5. Evaluate field supervisors on their safety performance.
6. Provide advancement to those with strong safety performance records (proved to be safer) instead of whoever received good ratings or reviews.
7. Conduct random drug testing. Safer firms had fewer positive results in their random drug testing.
8. Have the company president (in the home office) review project safety reports.
9. Provide orientation training for every worker on the project (including subcontractor workers).
10. Provide formal orientation training for new hires.
11. Give the workers more hours of additional training.
12. Involve top management in investigating all recordable injury and lost workday cases.
13. Note whether subcontractor safety meetings are held daily.
14. Require subcontractors to submit project-specific safety plans.
15. Impose sanctions on subcontractors who do not comply with project safety requirements.

RT-160a found that “safer firms” used 11 actions to achieve a high level of safety performance on short duration projects (RS160a-1, p. 20):

1. Schedule operations by the hour.
2. Employ workers who are familiar with shutdown work.
3. Have smaller work crews.
4. Implement pre-task planning on all operations.
5. Provide orientation training for every worker on the project (including subcontractor workers).
6. Include workers in project safety committees.
7. Invite subcontractors to regular safety planning meetings.
8. Base worker incentives on injury performance and safe work behavior, not exclusively on injury performance.
9. Establish well-developed drug testing programs.
10. Conduct thorough near-miss investigations with the involvement of various personnel.
11. Use contract incentives.