Safety planning, safety behaviour

Production planning is a vital contributor to safe operations.  we advocate collaborative planning at a number of levels throughout the project starting with production system design and planning in parallel with product design.

Planning levels

1. feasibility planning - is it likely that we can complete this structure to meet the client’s timetable
   

2. phase planning - a collaborative process that determines the sequence and rhythm or beat of the work and critical handovers. this is generally the first opportunity that trade foremen have to think through the safety related interdepencies and to plan for them
   

3. makeready planning - ensuring that work to be done in next 4-8 weeks will be able to be done by ensuring that all resources, information and pre-requisites will be ready as prior tasks are completed.  Information includes a safe standard work method for the task.
   

4. weekly (or daily) production planning by trade foremen working together to manage inter-dependencies and ensure smooth handovers of workfaces from one trade to the next.

Morning Rally in Japan

In Japan construction starts each day with a Morning Rally.  Every member of the site team, suits and boots, come together at 0745 or 0800 for 15-20 minutes. The purpose of the rally is to promote safety of the site team and adjacent users.

The rally starts with a physical warm-up such as athletes do to reduce the risk of strain - construction is an athletic activity. 

warm-up on a UK job (photo: Building)

This is followed by a briefing on the health and safety implications of key activities on site.  Trade teams review those messages then they check their safety harnesses in a ritual that reminds everyone that they are equally responsible for their own and their co-workers’ safety.

There is a further safety discussion specific to the task in hand at each workface before work begins