Contractor Safety Challenge #2:
Time constraints
Workers in high-risk industries face immense pressure when working on a project to follow the timeline presented. This is so they don’t go over budget or cause delays to project completion. Time constraints like these, often affect the quality of the work and could result in a less than ideal work environment.
In fact, 10,793 Americans responded to a National Survey where information was collected to assess job schedules and occurrences of workplace injuries or illnesses. Based on the findings of this survey, it was discovered that long hours and overtime resulted in a 61% higher injury rate at the workplace. When employees worked 12 hours or more a day, a 37% rise in hazard rates was found, with a 23% rise in hazard rates when working 60 hours a week or more.
When the stakes are so high, workers may rush to get the job done, without taking the necessary precautions. This puts them at a higher risk of injury or illness and affects the quality of the project itself. If workers are injured, this could result in days lost and project delays, costing the organisation more money.
This could happen in all four elements of your Control of Work process. Within risk management, for instance, proper risk assessments may not be conducted or seen in time, leaving the hazard present on site. Remember the previous example of Mr. Lusby and the gas canister? This is because individuals are under pressure to get the job done.
Within your Permit to Work processes, projects may be delayed because the right permits are not issued or located in time. This may be due to the massive administrative burden resulting in using paper-based processes when creating, managing and issuing permits. The scope of the project may also result in the need for more workers. This could cause delays as you would have to check that they have the right permits to complete the project.
This also results in limited accessibility to permits when travelling to different sites as their copy may be misplaced or lost, causing them difficulty in beginning their work. Managing worker competencies of hundreds of workers could also result in delays with so many different elements to keep track of. This could result in project delays and result in more time constraints.
Certain isolation management steps may be missed or overlooked because of pressure to finish projects. For instance, workers need to communicate when machines are being shut down and turned on again. Doing this manually may take a while, as they need to locate all the right key stakeholders. When under pressure, this communication may not be fully completed, putting workers at risk.
Your Solution to this Challenge
What’s the solution to time constraints which may affect your control of work processes? You need to have the right tools and techniques in place beforehand, to prevent bottlenecks and streamline processes. One such tool is a cloud-based, safety solution.
Let’s take your risk management procedures. A digital tool can help key stakeholders mitigate risks faster through automated processes. Now you don’t have to wait for your supervisor to eventually get to your task-based risk assessment or risk assessment method statement (RAMs), as they will receive a notification once you have sent it. This allows them to see how the employee or contractor has assessed the hazards and risks and communicated the safe work procedures in real time with your organisation.
A digitised system can also help you accelerate your Permit-to-Work procedures. The creation and issuance of permits is done within the system, allowing you to avoid time crunches. The workforce can also have access to their permits, pulling them up in seconds on their phones, avoiding any problems getting on-site. Worker competencies can also be managed through a cloud-based system allowing you to easily maintain and keep track of all required training and credentials.
In addition to a digital system, it’s also important that the employer does what they can before the project begins to prevent the pressure of time constraints on the workforce.
Here are some tips to consider:
Analysis
It’s vital that you analyse the project from all angles, taking into account the scope, potential risks that may arise, cost, and more. Once all these elements are understood, you can create a proper timeline and ask for the resources required.
Flexibility
The timeline created should account for unexpected delays, allowing more room for flexibility.
Communication
You should also regularly communicate with your team to keep everyone up to date with the current status of the project, as well as potential hazards or risks that may arise at every stage. Also encourage your workforce to provide feedback, as they may reveal hazards that aren’t visible at a management level.
Risk management
Make sure you’re always conducting risk assessments to prevent the injury or illness of the workforce. This can be completed in just a few clicks with a digital solution!
These are just some of the many ways that you can get ahead of the pressures of project delays and time constraints.