Construction Site Safety: A Guide for Managing Contractors

261 Pages·1999·17.699 MB·\261

by  Richard D. Hislop (Author)

CONSTRUCTI 0 N
SITE SAFETY
A Guide for Managing Contractors
Richard D. Hislop
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hislop, Richard D.
Construction site safety a guide for managing contractors I
Richard D. Hislop.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56670-304-2
1. Building--Safety measures. I. Title.
TH443.H57 1999
690¢.22--<ic21 99-22938
CIP
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reprinted
material is quoted with permission, and sources are indicated. A wide variety of references are listed.
Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and the
publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or for the consequences of
their use.
Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
The consent of CRC Press LLC does not extend to copying for general distribution, for promotion,
for creating new works, or for resale. Specific permission must be obtained in writing from CRC
Press LLC for such copying.
Direct all inquiries to CRC Press LLC, 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W., Boca Raton, Florida 33431.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe.
© 1999 by CRC Press LLC
Lewis Publishers is an imprint of CRC Press LLC
No claim to original U.S. Government works
International Standard Book Number 1-56670-304-2
Library of Congress Card Number 99-22938
Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Printed on acid-free paper
Preface
This book presents basic concepts and tools for the practical development of
contractor safety programs from project conception to completion. It is intended
to be a ready reference for facility owners who wish to institute an effective con
tractor control program. It should also be of value to the conscientious contractor
who wishes to be responsive to customers who expect their contractors to imple
ment safe work practices. Architects and engineers who will design structures,
construction managers who oversee projects, superintendents who supervise var
ious phases of the work, and the safety professional who, as a member of the
planning team, will be responsible for providing the guidance necessary to assure
that safety is incorporated into all phases of the construction project will also find
this to be a useful guide.
Concern regarding management of the safety and health aspects of con
tracted work has increased in recent years. While this concern has been predomi
nately focused on high-risk environments such as construction and petrochemical
industries, similar issues are present in other contracted work environments. The
amount of work being performed by service contractors is increasing, in response
to greater outsourcing of cyclical, undesirable and high-risk work by organiza
tions that have downsized or simply wish to transfer risk. For a variety of reasons
addressed in this book, contractor safety will become an even more prominent
issue as the demographics of the contracted workforce employed to meet this
demand continue to shift.
The principles presented in this book have been applied in a variety of
geographical locations around the world. The principles have been effective
irrespective of the workforce to which they have been applied, whether they
were third-world national workforces overseas, direct hire, or contracted labor
in the U.S.A. The same positive results as measured by low injury indices and
low dollar losses have also been achieved irrespective of the project discipline,
whether it was the construction of railroads, port facilities, mine maintenance
facilities, airports, roads, bridge projects, multistory buildings, or residential
complexes.
For years academics have expounded safety theories, but few have provided
how-to guidance for the facility owner or construction person attempting to
implement a safety program in a contracted work environment. During the past
few years individuals such as David MacCollum and J anine Reid have begun to
produce more practical safety guidance supporting the construction industry. I
believe that there is a need for a practical guide for the implementation of an
effective project safety program from a host employer's perspective.
At this point I don't believe there is anyone who would dispute the value
of providing a safe work environment for both employees and contractor per
sonnel. The extent to which the ideas in this book are implemented should be
based on the complexity of the job and the level of risk present. Generally, the
greater the risk or complexity of the work, the more detailed and comprehen
sive the controls should be.
111
Preface
This material is not meant to provide legal advice in any sense and any
organization seeking to implement or improve contractor safety controls must
do so in consultation and compliance with its own safety professionals and legal
counsel.
I would like to express my appreciation to my colleagues in the National
Safety Council's Construction Division. Their practical experience in managing
contractor safety operations throughout the world has provided me with an
invaluable sounding board as I developed this book. I would particularly like to
thank those individuals who supported me with material, text, and moral support
throughout the development of this book. Thank you, David MacCollum for the
hours you spent discussing safety philosophies and safety planning concepts;
Phil Colleran, your in-depth knowledge of safety and regulatory standards has
been a reliable and ready resource of information for me; Frank Keres, your con
tract knowledge and humor helped liven up an otherwise dull but very important
subject; and Janine Reid, your willingness to share your detailed knowledge of
emergency and crisis management and help me develop an otherwise complex
subject into a practical guide for the purposes of this book. Each of these individ
uals whether he or she realized it or not was most helpful in providing me with
guidance and insight during the development of this book as well as in the man
agement of my own business affairs.
IV
About the Author
Richard Hislop, PE, CSP
Richard is an engineering and safety professional with broad project and
safety management experience. He has been heavily involved in construction
projects throughout his career, starting while serving with the Canadian Corps of
Engineers, working with Exxon Corporation and most recently at Argonne
National Laboratory. Although initially he began working as a field engineer, he
is now experienced in estimating, cost and schedule, facility operations, facility
maintenance, safety and quality assurance. Much of Richard's efforts during the
past few years has been spent in the development and implementation of safety
programs for organizations ranging from small construction contractors to inter
national construction projects employing in excess of 10,000 laborers.
Richard also manages a successful safety consulting practice (Virtual Safety
Inc.) with clients ranging from residential and heavy construction contractors to
municipalities. He conducts training on behalf of the National Safety Council and
independently for organizations seeking to improve their construction safety pro
grams and the management of contractor work safety. Richard is the author of
numerous articles on subjects related to construction safety which have been pub
lished in both professional and trade journals. He is also an active participant in
the National Safety Council's Construction Division, the American National
Standards Institute's AlO committee for Construction and Demolition Opera
tions, and the American Society of Safety Engineers.
v

Contents
1 Safety in Construction ................................................................................. 1
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 3
II. CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY .............................................................. .4
Ill. INDUSTRY TRENDS AND CHALLENGES ................................................ 5
IV. INVOLVEMENT IN SAFETY ................................................................... 6
V. RISKS OF USING CONTRACTED SERVICES ........................................... 8
VI. COMPLIANCE EXPECTATIONS .............................................................. 9
VII. WHO PAYS ........................................................................................... 9
VIII. ESTABLISHING A SAFETY PROGRAM ................................................. 10
IX. PLANNING .......................................................................................... 10
X. COST OF A SAFETY PROGRAM .......................................................... 10
XI. COST OF NOT HAVING A SAFETY PROGRAM ................................... 11
XII. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................... 12
XIII. CONTRACTOR SELECTION .................................................................. 13
2 Safety Programs ......................................................................................... 15
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 15
II. DUE DILIGENCE ................................................................................. 16
Ill. DOCUMENTING THE SAFETY PROGRAM ............................................ 17
IV. RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ........................................... 23
V. REINFORCEMENT (DISCIPLINE) .......................................................... 27
VI. INSPECTIONS ...................................................................................... 29
VII. TRAINING ........................................................................................... 31
VIII. ACCIDENT REPORTING AND INVESTIGATIONS ................................... 35
IX. HOUSEKEEPING .................................................................................. 35
X. SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM .......................................................... 36
XI. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES ................................................................ 37
XII. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 38
3 Safety in the Construction Process .......................................................... 39
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 39
II. ENGINEERING AND DESIGN PHASE (STEP I) .................................... .40
Ill. PROCUREMENT/CONTRACTING PHASE (STEP II) .............................. .45
IV. WORK/CONSTRUCTION PHASE (STEP III) ......................................... .47
V. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 52
4 Roles and Responsibilities ......................................................................... 53
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 53
II. How IS A SAFE JOB ESTABLISHED? .................................................. 54
III. SAFETY MANAGEMENT ...................................................................... 55
IV. THE CLIENT ....................................................................................... 51
V. ARCHITECTS AND DESIGN ENGINEERS .............................................. 57
VI. PROJECT AND FIELD ENGINEERS ....................................................... 59
Vll
Contents
VII. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER ................................................................ 60
VIII. GENERAL CONTRACTOR .................................................................... 61
IX. SUBCONTRACTORS ............................... ··········································· ... 61
X. CRAFI'SMEN ....................................................................................... 62
XI. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 62
5 Plan and Design for Constructability and Safe Operations ................... 63
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 63
II. PROJECT SAFETY PLANNING .............................................................. 64
Ill. PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS .................................................. 70
IV. CONSTRUCTA BILITY REVIEWS ........................................................... 73
V. CONTRACTOR WORKEVALUATION ................................................... 73
VI. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 73
6 Insurance-Demystified .......................................................................... 75
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 76
II. WHAT Is INsuRANcE? ....................................................................... 76
ill. COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL LIABILITY ............................................... 77
IV. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR'S PROTECTIVE LIABILITY ..................... 78
v. WORKERS' COMPENSATION ............................................................... 81
VI. WRAP-UP INSURANCE PROGRAMS ..................................................... 86
VII. CONCLUSION ....................... ··············· ................................................ 88
7 Safety in Construction Contracts ............................................................. 89
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 90
II. THE CONTRACT ....................... ········· ················································· 90
III. SAFETY CLAUSES ............................................................................... 94
IV. OBJECTIVITY AND SPECIFICITY ......................................................... 94
v. CONCLUSION ......................................................... ············· ................ 97
APPENDIX 7.1 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS ................................... 98
8 Contractor Selection ................................................................................ 111
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 112
II. CONTRACTOR SCREENING ............................................................... 114
ill. SAFETY AS A TECHNICAL SELECTION CRITERION ........................... 114
IV. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AND THE PRE-BID MEETING ................... 124
v. SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 128
APPENDIX 8.1 EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR CONTRACTOR SELECTION ..... 130
9 Preparing for Contractor Mobilization .................................................. 133
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 133
II. SAFETY PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION ............................................. 133
ill. JOB SITE MANAGER'S PREPARATION FOR MOBILIZATION .............. 136
IV. SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 144
Vlll
Construction Site Safety
10 Role of the Field Engineer ...........................................................•........... 153
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 153
II. ROLE OF THE FIELD ENGINEER ...................................................... 154
III. WORK RELEASE MEETING .............................................................. 156
IV. EQUIPMENT INSPECTIONS ................................................................ 156
V. TOOL INSPECTIONS .......................................................................... 158
VI. JOB SITE MONITORING .................................................................... 159
VII. INSPECTIONS .................................................................................... 160
VIII. ENFORCEMENT ................................................................................. 161
IX. ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING .................................. 161
X. PROGRESS MEETINGS ...................................................................... 162
XL WORK SAFETY FILE ........................................................................ 163
XII. SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 163
11 Procedures and Permits .............................................................•........... 165
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 165
II. PROCEDURES ................................................................................... 166
III. PERMITS ........................................................................................... 168
IV. TYPES OF PERMITS .......................................................................... 171
v. SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 174
APPENDIX 11.1 PROCEDURES ..................................................................... 175
APPENDIX 11.2 SAMPLE PROCEDURES ....................................................... 185
12 Evaluation of Safety Program Effectiveness ......................................... 189
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 189
II. EVALUATING SAFETY PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS .......................... 190
III. FREQUENCY OF EVALUATIONS AND AUDITS .................................. 200
IV. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH EVALUATION RESULTS? .............. 201
V. SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 201
13 Safety Statistics and Reports. ...................................................•.............. 203
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 203
II. WHAT SHOULD BE REPORTED? ...................................................... 204
III. COLLECTING SAFETY INFORMATION ............................................... 205
IV. SAFETY REPORT .............................................................................. 205
v. SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 209
14 Emergency and Crisis Management ...................................................... 213
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 214
II. WHAT IS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT? .......................................... 216
III. DEVELOPING AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN ...................... 217
IV. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN DOCUMENTATION .................... 219
V. MANAGING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION ........................................ 220
VI. CONTROLLING THE MESSAGE ......................................................... 222
IX