OHSMS in the Construction Industry?

James Platner, Ctr to Protect Workers’ Rightsjwplatner@cpwr.com

Gregory Zigulis, Univ of TennesseeConstruction Industry Research and Policy Center

gzigulis@ln.utk.edu

Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS)

• AIHA Guidelines

• ILO 2001 Guidelines

• ANSI Z10 Committee

• National Standards in the UK & Elsewhere

• OSHA VPP

Complexities of Construction

• Transient Workforce

• Changing Workforce & Employers on Site

• New Organization on Each Project

• Organization Defined by Many Contracts

• Each Project Is Unique

• Multiple Employers

• Limited Management of Work Process

Key Features of OHSMS

• Management Commitment

• Worker Involvement

• Defined Performance Responsibilities

• Measurable Performance Metrics

• Mechanism for Audit or Data Collection

• Feedback of Performance Metrics

• Continuous Improvement

Management Commitment

• Multiple employers-for each project stage

• Responsive to Client/Owner Requirements

• Complex Multi-tier Management Structures

• Design & Build Often Contracted Separate

• Limited Oversight of Work Process by CM

• Communication Challenges

• Production Incentives and Deadlines

Worker Involvement

• Continuously Changing Contingent Workers

• May Draw on National Labor Market

• Craft Workers May Define Work Process

• Diverse Skills and Tasks

• Employees, Co-employees, Self-employed

• Multiple Employers on Site

• Language and Literacy Challenges

Defined Performance Responsibilities (Who Does What?)

• Requires Advance Assessment of Hazards

• Regular Changes in Project

• Unexpected Hazards and Occurrences

• Every Project Different

• Production and Deadlines Dominate

• Limited Cooperation Across Employers

• Limited Safety Management Personnel

Measurable Performance Metrics

• No Standardized Measures

• Incentives Effecting Reporting of Injuries

• Limited Reporting of Disease

• May Be Defined by the Owner/Client

-Focus on Value-Added for Owner

• Must be Task Based - Complex Metrics

• Metrics Vary Between Employers on Site

Mechanism for Audit or Data Collection

• Small Work Crews Dominate Construction

• Small Employers Rarely Hire Consultants

• No Standard Data Collection Processes

• Most Performance Audits Driven by Owner

• Must Audit During Narrow Task Window

• Few Employees on Same Task - Poor Stats

• Internal or 3rd Party?

Feedback of Performance Based on Metrics

• Subcontractors and Workers May be Gone to Another Job Before Report Completion

• Every Project is Different

• Communication Challenges on Site

• Workers Change Between Audit & Report

• Employers Change From Audit to Report

• Tasks Change from Audit to Report

Continuous Improvement

• Requires Continuity of Relationships

• Requires Defined Repetitive Tasks

• Requires Continuity of Other Factors– Management Commitment, Worker

Involvement, Responsibilities, Metrics, Measurement, Feedback

CONCLUSIONS

• Most Applicable to Large Contractor & CM

• Likely to be Owner/Client Driven

- Can Provide Value-Added for Owner

• Challenging to Implement Effective System

• Largely Transferable Site-to-Site

• Needs Standardized Metrics to be Accepted

• Potentially Valuable Tool to Reduce Injury