Keeping safety simple

Alan Bennett, HSE Manager at KBR, outlines his thoughts and findings on managing health and safety for megaprojects in the Middle East.

The objective of my paper, Managing Health and Safety On Mega Construction Projects in the Middle East, is to outline a practical methodology for achieving good health and safety standards on large construction projects within the UAE. In most cases, the client will be a developer; however this is no guarantee that they will have previous experience of health and safety management on large-scale construction projects. The general low level of understanding of health and safety of the work force presents enormous challenges to all directors, managers and supervisors of the organisations involved in the construction process.

Any organisation will not achieve the highest standards of health and safety without the active involvement of its directors, both at board level and project level. Health and safety culture really does 'start at the top'. Without the commitment of directors and senior management, it is very difficult to cascade any health and safety ethos from the organisation down to the project. The appointment of the project director as the individual ultimately responsible for health and safety will send a clear message to all parties that health and safety accountability starts at the top.

It is probably fair to say that in the Middle East health and safety is sometimes seen as a burden or necessary evil. There are several reasons for this, including a lack of understanding of the costs of poor health and safety and a lack of awareness and training at many levels. A useful vehicle for an organisation is to set up a separate health and safety committee as a subset of the main board, chaired by a senior director. The frequency of the meetings would depend on the project, but once a quarter would be typical. This should ensure that key health and safety issues are considered and addressed in a structured way. Such a committee, if properly constituted and empowered, can safeguard against time being wasted on trivial risks. It is paramount that whatever decisions or agreements are made at this forum be cascaded down through the organisation and project teams. Equally importantly, actions are tracked through to resolution.

One method to encourage the right behaviour in regard to health and safety is to assess an individual's health and safety performance as part of an annual appraisal. For example, 20 percent of any annual salary increase, or bonus, could be linked to an individual's approach and/or attitude towards health and safety.

It is very easy for a tendering consultant or project manager to submit a tender at the lowest price possible in order to win the work. In today's competitive market, to a degree, that is understandable; however, with regard to health and safety there is a price to pay for this approach. This can result in inadequate resources to undertake the work, which in turn can affect the level of management input for effective control of health and safety.

Competence

There has to be a reasonable approach to acquiring competence in health and safety, particularly in the Middle East. Perfection is a noble goal, but realism must also prevail. A balance has to be struck between competence and the cost of it being achieved. Irrespective, it is extremely important that personnel appointed to manage packages of work have health and safety experience, knowledge of construction, and understand how to manage their particular scope of work, it is beneficial that contracts clearly lay out the level of competence required to discharge health and safety responsibilities. Failure to achieve an adequate level of competence within the management teams will result in the management and control of health and safety being left to safety managers.

Staff

Organisations within the UAE that are willing to advance the safety culture must reach a sensible balance in the number of safety staff they appoint. If the safety staff is to large it can give the impression that safety is the province, solely of the safety department; too few safety staff and they are unlikely to be effective. It is necessary to ensure that stakeholders do not feel that safety is the business of safety practitioners and that they can therefore stand back from their health and safety responsibilities and accountability.

Letting Contracts

When contracts are let or memorandums of understanding raised, mechanisms are required, which provide information to suppliers, consultants and contractors on safety rules, the safety plan, local codes and the client's health and safety policies and procedures applicable to the project. These suppliers and contractors may originate from any part of the globe and, quite understandably, may be unaware of what is required within the UAE. This information should be issued by the organisation that is undertaking the tendering process.

Monitoring

The monitoring of health and safety on site is an essential element of achieving adequate health and safety standards. As in any profession there are those who are committed and those who are not. It is important that project and individual site senior management provide support to their safety manager or officer, Should this relationship fail to develop, the result is that health and safety issues will only be actioned by safety staff. This is at odds with the goal of management taking ownership and providing leadership in health and safety.

To achieve effective monitoring a significant number of people are required. A proven method is the establishment of a joint weekly health and safety inspection by project team managers. A possible construct is for the project health and safety manager to select, four teams weekly each with four managers in a team. These teams are allocated different areas to visit for a one hour to conduct a health and safety inspection, following a briefing from the project health and safety manager. On completion, each team de-briefs the project safety manager on the findings. A report is completed on the same day and this is despatched to all the relevant stakeholders for action. The teams have the authority to stop work if unsafe activities are observed. Importantly, no safety staff are involved in the actual visits.

Training

It is essential that all parties involved in a project are appropriately trained in health and safety in order to deliver on their responsibilities. Larger contractors, particularly those originating from or experienced in working in more advanced countries, may have an experienced, well-trained management team that can implement and control health and safety efficiently. Other contractors may not be so well equipped. To assist in the health and safety education process of the latter, consideration should be given to the delivery team's health and safety department providing a training programme for all the contractors.

Documentation

Health and safety documentation is a sensitive subject. It is well known that in the UK there is serious concern being expressed by the health and safety executive about the excessive paperwork generated to meet the requirements of legislation. Similar concerns exist in the UAE. The creation of elaborate health and safety paper systems may not serve any useful purpose. These are time consuming and may actually be a distraction from managing the risk on the ground. An example is the case of a large contractor requesting a risk assessment and method statement for the lifting of three portakabins from the back of a lorry to ground level. It took three weeks before the requesting safety officer was satisfied that all the paper work was adequately completed.

In summary, companies operating in the construction industry in the UAE should recognise that the country has developed considerable infrastructure, cities and townships in the last 40 years. It is essential that management of health and safety is kept simple and practical. The aim should be to encourage personnel to buy-in to the wider health and safety ethos and to believe in what organisations are trying to achieve. Personnel should not be dismissed for contravening safety practices; this only sends the problem elsewhere. Education, support and awareness will be more effective in the long-term.

Begin with effective policies that are workable and practical. Try to establish a commitment from all stakeholders, both at the organisational and personnel levels. Most importantly, all levels of management should be visible in their efforts to promote health and safety; this in itself will go a long way to promoting a positive safety culture throughout the organisation or project. Most of all keep it simple.