Just this past AUG2023, I was invited to speak at UK, Lawrence, KS.,
on the subject of "Construction Safety."
I did so, and the attached slides are the first result of my
learning facts about this on-going horrific working environs.
Cheers,
Bill
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William M. Hayden Jr., Ph.D., P.E., CMQ/OE, F.ASCE
Buffalo, N.Y.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot 1819 - 1880
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-18-2023 11:49 AM
From: William Hayden
Subject: CONSTRUCTION SAFETY STARTS BEFORE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS! ™
Thanks Mitch!
Q. Within the design & construction industry, what and how do you recommend
re-engineering the current safety cultures into reliably protecting the safety, health, and welfare of all?
A. "We are not the problem.
Corporate greed is the problem."
Remarks from an experienced construction manager.
Bill
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William M. Hayden Jr., Ph.D., P.E., CMQ/OE, F.ASCE
Buffalo, N.Y.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot 1819 - 1880
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-10-2023 11:51 AM
From: Mitchell Winkler
Subject: CONSTRUCTION SAFETY STARTS BEFORE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS! ™
The design and construction community can learn a lot from high-risk industries, like oil and gas, regarding the systematic management of risk and safety. Looking at the ASCE, I have no doubt about the Society's commitment to safety; however, I see a bunch of good initiatives but not a thread tying it all together. As a case in point, there is a gap in the availability of practical information and resources that can be used to create awareness of safety hazards and enable the sharing of best practices and lessons learned. This contrasts with ethics, where the ASCE website has a dedicated website section and resources. This begs the question, 'Could we do more' to more systematically and comprehensively raise safety awareness and implement best practices across the profession? Three things I think the ASCE can do to elevate its game:
Create a Safety Resource Page on ASCE.org
This would complement the existing page on ethics. It would place to collate safety content of interest to the civil engineering community. There is a wealth of content that can easily be found, collated, and prioritized. An example is the interview with Professor John Gambatese, civil and construction engineering professor at Oregon State University and past chair of ASCE's Construction Safety Committee on Optimizing Safety through Design. This short video touches on job site safety, prevention planning by design, the use of technology to eliminate hazards, and the all-important concept of safety leadership, and it would be extremely valuable for raising safety awareness.
Develop a New Policy on Personal Safety / Review the Existing Policies for Consistency and Audience
A new policy on personal safety would address a glaring omission. The existing policies should be reviewed for consistency of message and audience. As many of these policies apply to civil engineers and our work, I also question the wisdom of placing these policies under a heading of Advocacy, the risk being advocacy could be looked at as something that others do. If they apply to civil engineers, they should be made more personal.
Develop and Promulgate Best Practices for Managing Personal Safety
Using best practices would allow civil engineers and engineering firms to benefit and learn from others versus having to self-discover or reinvent the wheel. Consider adopting a set of lifesaving rules like the oil and gas industry.
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Mitch Winkler P.E.(inactive), M.ASCE
Houston, TX