On the Safe Side: Using Data to Boost Subcontractor Safety

Capturing data to mitigate the safety risks incurred by subcontractors as well as in-house workers demands proactive risk management measures, transparent change management and methodical strategy.

Applying data to safety generates the power to reveal root causes of hazards, infuse safety-oriented cultures from front offices to jobsites, mitigate the risks that drive up costs and cause delays — and even win jobs from increasingly safety-conscious project owners. 

A plan to build capabilities is the key to data-driven decisions that encourage subcontractors and employees alike to participate in a uniform, fair and effective safety culture.

Different Teams, Different Risks

GCs that self-perform and also hire specialty contractors now have new means for enforcing safety rules consistently, across sites and across teams. However, each team requires a different approach for assessing risk:

Self-performers: Weigh the costs — in every sense — of jobsite accidents. For self-performing GCs, especially, incidents can take manpower off the job, trigger higher insurance rates and even disqualify the firm from bidding for jobs issued with prerequisite safety thresholds. 

Hired Subcontractors: When subcontractors are needed, data opens a window into historical safety performance. If they are past partners, history shows whether they consistently follow or flout site-specific safety rules. If they are new, their safety rates disclose how closely they adhere to standard safety procedures. 

During bid review, a specialty contractor’s excess safety incidents and violations can signal higher costs ahead in labor hours, project delays and time diverted from the daily duties of superintendents and safety supervisors.

Making Data Work for Safety

Start by collecting data consistently in a construction management platform. In time, adding tools such as 360 Reporting helps gather viewpoints from multiple stakeholders, but the job is still half-done because 360 Reporting is exactly that — reporting, without the benefit of insights.

Building information modeling (BIM) platforms that generate 3D models and automate clash detection also offer a wealth of information for mitigating safety risks among varied teams. 

More keys to successfully using data to boost safety include the following.

Proper Documentation

The verbal, unrecorded safety warnings of the past were deniable and disputable. Today’s software allows superintendents to make simple voice memos or entries in preestablished fields to memorialize every warning and observed infraction. A documented record of who, what, when and where provides clarity for dispute-free analysis and resolution. 

Documentation also dispels any perceived unfairness that comes from inconsistent enforcement. Instead of relying on the superintendent’s hazy recollections of warnings given, a documented number of violations can trigger enforcement and discipline that team members recognize as fairly administered. 

Customized Solutions

Giving superintendents software preloaded with fields for recording observations gives a number to violations but not a cause — but further customization with additional fields digs down to the reasons.

Are the violations universal or only practiced by certain people? Are incidents associated with PPE infractions or failure to tie off? As company culture becomes accustomed to using data as a safety tool, custom fields help fill knowledge gaps and generate actionable, targeted insights.

Focus on Sharing

Be transparent with data. In subcontractor meetings, review safety observations and ask for explanations. If troubling trends start emerging, work on action steps to improve the numbers. 

Schedule regular reviews to keep action steps timely, instead of letting problems fester. Be sure to assign responsibility and use construction management platforms to establish multidisciplinary accountability in-house and among subcontractors. 

People Power

Data can capture the daily onslaught of safety incidents and near-misses, but it’s the people behind the data who make it actionable. 

Proactive change management can nudge subcontracted and in-house personnel toward new mindsets, where they contribute to safety cultures that make every workplace safer, every day.

An effective approach drives change management through all stakeholders in a project:

• ---

  Management

  Superintendents and supervisors might balk at adding violation documentation to their daily tasks, until they learn the whys and the positive outcomes. Explain that accumulating data makes their jobs easier by giving them a third eye on the scene. As patterns emerge, the solutions can reduce jobsite hazards by eliminating the underlying causes. Plus, documentation in words and pictures provides verification if their observations are disputed or disregarded.

• ---

  Tradespeople

  A good catch is that moment when someone’s keen observation prevents trouble. A jobsite “good catch” program incentivizes in-house workers to report hazards and help their subcontracted teammates adhere to safety standards. Rewards could include company merchandise or pizza parties. The best catch of the year might win a cherished vacation day for the eagle-eyed worker.  An effective “good catch” program also helps everyone understand how data supports their safety and the safety of their buddies. It gives them the satisfaction of being part of the solution, instead of the problem.

• ---

  Leadership

  “Do as I say, not as I do” has never been a prime motivator. On the jobsite and in the office, leadership must demonstrate their own willingness to abide by safety rules, go through safety training and use data as a tool to make people safer. 

Overall, consistent use of data creates a firm foundation of safety rules and risk mitigation for in-house teams to adopt and subcontractors to follow for fewer incidents and greater operational efficiencies.

Written by