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 this team to their limits. The company was growing rapidly, acquiring small mom-and-pop businesses across the United States. But that growth also presented a big safety challenge, because many of these new additions had little or no experience with OSHA regulations. Our client needed a strategy for creating compliance and enforcing safety that would work across their geographically diverse and often remote teams.
Across the company's branches, the average TRIR was 7.2 and the average DART was 2.6. When they met with us for the first time, compliance and accident prevention were at the top of their priority list. They needed cohesive communication about safety company-wide and open dialogue with each of their branches. They also needed the ability to track progress and engagement with safety initiatives remotely, since their teams often worked remotely in distant parts of the country relative to their corporate headquarters.
In the field, their crews faced major safety hazards from traffic on the highways and interstates they worked on. A speeding car, a distracted driver, or an errant pedestrian could mean major injuries or even death. In addition, our client was a subcontractor and held to deadlines outside of their control. Many times, crews reported contractors in the field would pressure them to cut corners and get the job done faster at the expense of their personal safety.
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 wasn't long before a contractor approached our client's crew and suggested some time-saving but unsafe behavior. 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. This simple face-to-face gives them a chance to impress on their client that their crews will put safety first on every job with the full support of their executive team. So far, this simple strategy has protected employees 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 when you work with the Bill Sims Company. 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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