Safety 360°: Taking Construction Safety to the Next Level

In the construction industry, there’s a lot of talk about safety. Everyone agrees that safety comes first. But does it always? How often in our industry does safety take a backseat when a project team is stressed, hyper-focused on schedule, budget or other significant issues on the job?

To make sure that vigilant attention to safety always remains top of mind, we are kicking off a heightened, even more proactive approach to safety than ever before. Aiming to foster a 360-degree view of safety—physically and philo­sophically—“Safety 360°” is a behavior-based approach, with new-and-im­proved training, engagement and recognition to ensure the Structure Tone organization is at the leading edge of construction safety.

Laying the Groundwork

LF Driscoll first developed and launched this initiative in 2016, envisioning a culture where safety is a passion rather than a requirement. While most con­struction management firms focus on standards and policies, Safety 360° targets behavior and, in fact, our company’s culture. This behavior-based ap­proach is designed to inspire our staff and the workforce to become safety champions through a few key focus areas:

1. Training. In conjunction with mandatory, procedural training, Safety 360° promotes “safety coaching,” which leverages the psychology behind creating a strong and enduring safety culture. Safety coaching motivates and empowers the workforce to take an active role in keeping every jobsite as safe as possible. It will dramatically reduce accidents, near misses and unsafe acts while making our workplaces the preferred places to work.
2. Awareness. Safety 360° encourages every employee to be actively engaged in their environment by consistently taking inventory of what’s happening above, below and next to them. All employees are encouraged to look out for their coworkers and speak up about potential issues, making everyone on a project site as invested in safety as our dedicated safety staff. With Safety 360°, everyone is empowered.
3. Positive reinforcement. Safety 360° uses a recognition program to inspire project teams and employees at all levels to achieve the highest level of safety. Soliciting feedback, engaging the workforce, respecting opinions and coaching constructively are the core values of our behavioral approach to developing and sustaining a strong safety culture.

Lasting Impact

By launching Safety 360° organization-wide, Structure Tone is committed to creating a durable, positive safety culture throughout the organization. Our vision of the program will help reduce accidents, incidents, injuries, premiums and claims while improving overall project performance. The ultimate goal is, of course, to save lives and livelihoods. We believe the Structure Tone Safety 360° initiative will further strengthen our safety culture and make a true dif­ference to our staff, to the workforce and to our clients—everybody, every­where, every day.

By Keith Haselman, senior vice president, corporate safety, Structure Tone