Construction companies that have invested deeply in safety know that being safe on the job site is more complicated than just handing out protective gear and requiring mandatory trainings. Companies that are dedicated to safety have spent time and resources to carefully craft a safety culture that is built on accountability and respect, encouraging and facilitating trust and open communication.
After all, safety is more than simply completing a project with zero recordable safety incidents—it is a demonstration that the project was well-managed, reflecting the company’s priorities and commitment to safe work practices.
Most large engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and design-build firms have worked hard to design and implement mature safety programs that are proven to provide a safe working environment on their construction sites. But many projects require that some scopes of work are subcontracted out, bringing together employees from several partners and subcontractors to work together on the same construction site.
This can lead to differing perspectives on what constitutes a safe work environment, and begs the question: How can construction companies align their safety culture across all participants and ensure that their subcontractors’ safety culture aligns with expectations?
Perform a Thorough Vetting Process
Although construction safety is built on a common foundation of ensuring that everyone goes home safely at the end of each day, most construction leaders have their own specific safety programs in place. When partnering with subcontractors, the prime contractor must ensure that its safety culture, programs and mindset aligns across all participants.
When selecting a subcontractor, the prime should perform a thorough vetting process early in the selection process, before the bid phase begins.
Establish safety performance metrics
When beginning the vetting process, the prime should establish minimum metrics to analyze the subcontractor’s safety performance to date. Three trailing indicators can help with this effort: the TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate), DART (Days Away, Restricted or Transferred) and EMR (Experience Modification Rate). These indicators measure a company’s safety performance based on past incidents and can provide a snapshot into a sub’s performance by comparing year-over-year numbers.
Analyze third-party safety ratings
The prime can gain an even better picture of a subcontractor’s approach to safety by looking at ratings provided by an objective third party. The Lockton Subcontractor Cost-of-Risk Engineering (SCORE) System is a standard subcontractor prequalification process that analyzes a company’s financial condition and safety record to develop analytical ratings that can help a prime understand the sub’s position in the market.
Similar project experience = similar safety
It goes without saying that a company should select subcontractors with similar project experience—when working on a combined-cycle power plant, a company shouldn’t select a subcontractor that specializes in residential construction. But this idea goes deeper than simply aligning skill sets and experience, as a subcontractor with similar project experience is more likely to have a similar understanding of—and expectations for—safety.
Conduct a safety program review
The prime must review the subcontractor’s existing safety program to ensure that it addresses all the same concerns and scenarios. Metrics can tell a story, but a limited one, as they only look at past performance and should not be solely relied upon to predict future results. A company may have an impeccable performance record, but that doesn’t mean they are immune to a future safety issue—and a company that had an incident last week doesn’t mean they will have another one. If the prime has a zero-tolerance stance, then it is critical the sub adopt the same approach.
After reviewing all this information, the prime should have a clear perspective on where the subcontractor stands with regard to safety, and the subcontractor can continue to proceed through the selection process.
Establish Safety Expectations
After the vetting process is over, subcontractor selection will move to the bid phase. During the bid phase, the prime should provide all potential subcontractors with a copy of its safety program and lead a program review to ensure that it meets the all the requirements specific to the job.
Most primes will insist that a subcontractor’s safety program meet their minimum requirements before they are accepted. That’s not to say that a subcontractor should be excluded from bidding work if their safety program doesn’t meet expectations, but in the event of differences, the most restrictive requirements will typically prevail. A best practice is to avoid multiple safety programs on the same project site.
The prime could consider establishing contractual requirements when it comes to safety, levying penalties against the subcontractor if they do not meet certain requirements, or offering incentives if the sub exceeds certain thresholds. But that said, many construction leaders are moving away from incentives because it drives the wrong behavior, such as not reporting a minor safety incident (e.g., a cut finger) when pursuing an incentive. But a week later, that cut finger has become infected and is now a more serious reportable incident. This is driving some companies to move away from incentives.
Establish the Right Culture On-Site
Once the bid phase is over, subcontractor selection will move to pre-award. This stage of the process offers opportunity to establish the right culture on-site.
Fostering a culture of safety begins at the top. Black & Veatch has several principles that define its culture—one of which looks at the shadow its leaders cast. When it comes to construction safety, a company’s leaders must cast the shadow of a safety champion, and then cascade that down to every level of the organization.
Prior to awarding the scope of work, the prime should sit down with the subcontractor’s project manager in a pre-award conference. The prime should interview the project manager to ensure that he or she understands the prime’s expectations when it comes to safety. Does the project managerembody the right safety behaviors? Does he or she cast the right shadow? This conference will also give the prime an opportunity to convey that a lack of adherence to any safety rule will not be tolerated and severe infractions will have severe consequences.
The prime must apply a standard approach across all partners and subcontractors. There can be no exceptions and consequences must be applied evenly throughout the organization, regardless of an employee’s status or performance.
Ensuring Smooth Sailing
Although these steps may make it appear easy to establish the right safety culture with subcontractors, the reality is that it is anything but. Even after diligent vetting, ensuring that each company aligns with expectations, culture and safety programs, and checking every box, it’s not uncommon for there to be a breakdown in the process once construction starts and the subcontractors are mobilized. Because it can be cost- and time-prohibitive to replace subs, it is often best to address these types of situations head on.
For example, perhaps the subcontractor has over-extended itself with work, and is looking to hire additional resources. A contractor going through a period of growth is sometimes forced to hire from outside their organization, without time for full immersion and indoctrination. To prevent this from causing an issue, request a higher percentage of tenured employees with a deep understanding of company culture.
Make sure that the subcontractor is driving safety expectations from the highest levels of the organization. Meet with the sub’s executive sponsor to ensure that:
- they understand the value place don establishing the right safety culture; and
- the subcontractor’s executive team is actively engaged in developing and implementing corrective action plans.
When interacting with the subcontractor’s project manager, be aware of indicators that accountability is low—for example, this may mean listening for keywords such as “we hope,” “we’ll try,” and “our plan is,” along with excuses and blame. Address these flags immediately with the sub’s project manager.
Lastly, ensure that the rules are applied evenly across all stakeholders. Even allowing one subcontractor or direct hire to “round the edges” on safety expectations can undermine a cohesive approach and lower the bar on team expectations.
Most large EPC and design-build firms have invested deeply in safety programs that provide a safe working environment. But as projects grow larger and more complicated, partners and subcontractors will continue to come together on the same worksites. Proper due diligence and active leadership are critical to ensure that safety cultures align, ensuring a safe work experience for all.
