Boss on site
Is having a safe, efficient job site synonymous with having
an ever-present safety manager? Not necessarily. Again, you
must consider the level of risk for your site and crew. The
frequency of a safety manager’s site visit depends on several
variables like crew size, project, environment, conditions and
risk. According to Lescak, it’s not only about the quantity of
visits, but also the quality.
“If you’re there three times a day but on your phone and
distracted, that may not be as effective as being there once
every three days but being fully engaged and attentive, spending
time on who you’re seeing and speaking to, and listening,”
he said.
If a safety manager is trying to gauge their involvement,
Lescak says they might consider their comfort level concerning
their presence on site if something did go wrong.
“How comfortable are you with the amount of time you’ve
spent on site? When was the last time you were on site? Is
there something you could have, should have or did see that
could have been influenced by how often you were on site?
These are just some internal checks for safety managers. If
you’re asking and answering these questions honestly, then
you should get a good gauge on whether you should be on
site more often or if you’ve got a good balance.”
When the safety manager is on site, a big factor to look
out for is safety compliance. An organization can say they’re
the safest in the world with the best safety program available
in their industry. But if that organization is not actively
in compliance with their safety program, then it could be all
for naught. Consider the expectations of the various stakeholders
– employees, management, clients, regulators – and
consider whether the organization is meeting those expectations
as you walk around the job site.
Behaviour is another major factor to look at in terms of
safety. The safety manager needs to ask him or herself if they
have an understanding of what the right behaviour is, and if
it’s being observed on the job site. Stop and check. Ask someone
if they’ve done a hazard assessment and, if they have,
look at how effectively it was done. This is a great way to make
sure behaviours and expectations surrounding safety have
been clearly communicated.
There will be times, though, where you may come
across a person who isn’t displaying the behaviour you
want to see.
“Sometimes, a worker can trip themselves up when
answering a safety-related question. It might just be their
personality or it might be that they really don’t know what
you’re asking or how to answer. This can be a sign of where
FEATURE
MICHAELJUNG/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM 30 Q2 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
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