How Re-Work Impacts Safety

Is Re-work painful? Yes, according to J. D. Slaughter P.E., Vice President at S & B Engineers and Constructors Ltd., who spoke at the February 2016 Program Meeting held by the Southeastern Construction Owners & Associates Roundtable (SCOAR). Slaughter referenced a study his company conducted several years ago where they found that 72% of their workplace injury incidents occurred during unplanned work or rework. S&B Engineers and Constructors used that data to shield workers from the inevitable variability that occurs on projects.

In the context of crane and rigging operations, Cliff Dickinson, President of Crane Industry Services LLC, says, “When rigging there are many ways to connect a load. The only right way is when the rigging has the load secure and there is no possibility of the load slipping out of the rigging. When training crane operators, we emphasize that operators have responsibility to lift only after they are certain. No operator should lift a load wondering if it will work. Crane operators carry a significant share of the responsibility for lift safety.”

Slaughter held the SCOAR safety committee’s attention as he explained, “When crews have work that they have to ‘touch again’ due to rework or unexpected work, injuries are more likely to occur. The engineering and safety plans are not as fresh but work proceeds.” Slaughter recommends “shielding crews from variability” to maintain safe job sites.

Having led numerous projects for skilled craftsman, Dickinson suggests the following ways to safeguard crews.

Verifying and refreshing communication. When rework is required, it should be a standing safety policy to restate the work plans and responsibilities in the same detail as if the work had not been previously discussed or performed. This reduces the chance for there to have been gaps in communication and helps to identify if new procedures need to be added to the work process.

Practicing problems. Many companies hold safety briefings, but physically going through the motions (practicing) the response to a simulated problem may reveal gaps in the plan or the level of understanding or ability of the crew. This is why lifeguards practice CPR techniques on dummies.

Review and recite the safety and work plans. If the plans are too complex for the skilled workers who are responsible for delivering the work, then the plan is not actionable. Have a clear, job-relevant, single page plan that every responsible person can restate and demonstrate. This might include providing pictures or graphics to communicate “if this happens, then we . . .”

Hiding the clock. Set expectations for time of completion before work begins. Adding pressure to complete, when skill and precision are essential to the work, detracts from craftsmanship. Putting the focus on the clock, jeopardizes safety and quality.

Be certain and confident. Finally, here’s some more sage advice from Slaughter: “Great project safety is allowed to occur when projects have certainty.” Be certain all aspects of the lift and work plan are clear and the crew can execute with confidence.