Resilience in construction: How a positive safety culture can reduce risk

Construction can be a risky business for employees — it is often cited as having among the highest workplace fatalities of all industries. Furthermore, data from the US, the UK, and Australia shows that suicide rates among men working in construction are consistently higher than those of many other industries.

For employers, practicing proper health and safety can mitigate the risk of accidents while keeping workers safe and productive. Beyond this, a positive safety culture can potentially help businesses stay compliant with regulations, respond quickly to incidents, save time and money, enhance their reputations, and attract and retain top talent.

With trading environments under pressure from risks including inflation, climate change, and cyberattacks, focusing on employee health and safety can provide construction businesses with a way to increase resilience.

The importance of building a positive safety culture

Construction companies have traditionally taken a variety of measures to address safety risks, including training, fall protection systems, rules/guidelines, and providing people with the necessary equipment for the job. While these are a solid foundation, safety culture which extends to the health and wellbeing of the workforce is critical, as a basic safety program alone is unlikely to meet an organization’s risk management goals. Instead, business leaders should strive to embed a culture of safety health and wellbeing throughout their organization.

A positive culture fosters good decision-making and communication. It can motivate people to respond appropriately to an issue and promote continuous training and attentiveness on the job site.

Engaging employees in building a positive safety and wellbeing culture helps to create awareness, which means actions to avoid physical injuries and support mental wellbeing can become part of the job rather than a reaction. Having a positive culture is not easy and does not happen overnight. However, it is pivotal.

Creating a safety culture

Leadership tone and participation are critical, as is a network of safety specialists and advocates embedded in site teams. All employees, sub-contractors, and suppliers need to be involved in their own safety and that of their colleagues. A safety committee, formed of employees, can set realistic safety goals that are incremental and achievable and track trends. Rewards and recognition of safety performance reinforce the message.

There are seven common factors found in a positive safety culture:

1. Commitment. Making health and safety a real and tangible core value creates a belief that the workplace can be 100% accident-free. This starts from the top down and includes every member of staff. It must be a standing, meaningful agenda item, part of the company’s constant discourse, and a routine part of the business decision-making process.
2. Investment. Health and safety should be funded properly. It is an investment in your employees and business, and can potentially lower claims and insurance costs, and increase productivity.
3. Health and safety improvement process. Resources and time must be set aside to identify ways to strengthen and improve safety performance. The process should recognize that risk controls developed with employee input are more likely to be effective and more likely to be adopted in practice.
4. Training. Employees who are properly trained in safety are more aware of how their actions can affect themselves and others. Training and on-the-job coaching should be ongoing and part of the development of an employee, with a focus that extends beyond achieving a certificate or passing a site induction course.
   
5. Analysis. Data analysis is instrumental in devising appropriate control and prevention measures. Developing key performance indicators that target specific safety metrics is essential to understanding where the issues are and what is working. Combining safety analysis with a learning culture is a proactive way to help embed good practices.
   
6. Adoption of a “just” culture. This encourages employees to report incidents (injuries, ill health and near-misses) so that corrective actions can be taken, while also taking appropriate actions against non-compliances and unwanted behaviors. It is important to find and correct the root cause of incidents and learn from other incidents in the industry in order to prevent reoccurrences or escalating impacts.
   
7. Celebrate successes. Providing appropriate recognition for managers, teams, and employees for their commitment to safety is essential in reinforcing the psychology of safety.

Adapting to a safety culture and mitigating safety-related risks

Involving whole teams and employees in risk management allows employers to tap into their collective expertise and experience to create more effective risk mitigation strategies.

Due to the nature of construction and the physical risks for employees, there is a need to constantly develop and adapt a safety culture. Marsh and Mercer can help companies chart their health and safety maturity and performance and set targets with actions to help close gaps. For instance, we can support with:

• Efforts to create a continuous performance mindset to mitigate safety risks.
• Measuring risk and safety culture and developing actions for improvements.
• Developing integrated frameworks and tools to assess, control, and govern enterprise risks, particularly key areas of concern, such as supply chain, fraud, professional indemnity (PI) issues, quality assurance, and latent defects.
• Providing training to frontline workers through Marsh Learning Companion, powered by SC Training.

To discuss how a positive safety culture can benefit your construction organization, please contact your Marsh advisor.