This is our first installment in a series that shows how 3 U.S. construction companies lowered their incident rates and saved millions with AOE Rewards. To read all three, visit our blog at https://www.billsims.org/blog.
Introduction and Challenges
The cars flying past this client’s crews weren't the only thing pushing limits. The deadlines they worked under combined with pressure from contractors to get the job done ASAP tested safety to its limit. This client was rapidly acquiring small businesses across the United States, which was positive growth but a safety challenge: many of their employees had little to no experience with OSHA regulations. They needed a strategy for improving compliance and enforcing safety across their geographically-diverse locations.
Across business units, the average TRIR was 7.2 and the average DART was 2.6. Compliance and accident prevention were at the top of their priority list. They wanted a partner that would unify their acquisitions with consistent safety messaging. They also needed the ability to track progress and engagement with safety initiatives remotely. The efficacy and remote management of AOE Rewards would allow them to make tangible improvements in their accident record and monitor progress from anywhere.
One of the biggest challenges they faced was pressure from contractors. Our client was a subcontractor and held to deadlines outside of their control. Many times, pressure from contractors would push employees to cut corners or rush jobs, which put them in danger.
Implementation of AOE Rewards
Sometimes, it's a challenge to get senior leadership on board with safety initiatives. But from the beginning, this client's senior leadership were advocates for safer working conditions and eager to be involved in the program. The CEO was a champion for AOE Rewards. His support at launch helped to impress the importance of safety on managers and the confidence that he had their back— confidence they would need when things got challenging in the field.
They had three goals: to increase compliance with OSHA, create consistent enforcement of safety protocol, and a universal safety culture. Using insights gained from their incident data, meetings with senior and field leaders, and employee perception surveys, we created a recognition strategy to target all three.
Results
After just 1 year with AOE Rewards, this client lowered their TRIR from 7.2 to 4.1 and their DART dropped from 2.6 to 1.0. They also received national recognition as one of the top 5 safest companies to work for in their sector. Receiving national recognition was a huge boost to their confidence and their reputation.
Behavior Change in the Field
It didn't take long for the old problem of contractors pressuring our client to resurface. But this time, managers had a different response. After feeling the support of senior leaders at launch, site leaders and employees felt empowered to tell contractors what their boundaries were and confident that their leadership would have their back. The BSCI team suggested that the regional safety manager and general contractor to have a casual lunch with the contractor's safety manager and general contractor and explain the importance of the safety on their sites. So far, this simple strategy has worked on numerous projects.
"Instead of asking employees to point out flaws in each other, we encourage leaders to meet unsafe behavior with curiosity— it's about giving managers the language to uncover pitfalls in the system that lead to accidents," said one of their senior leaders.
These results aren't unusual. Learn how 1 company cut accident spending by 80% with AOE Rewards in the second installment of our Construction Case History series.
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