Safety Management Systems - Discourse on safety in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry on 27-Mar-2013

Safety Management Systems
A discourse on Construction Safety
in Sri Lanka
Presented By Indunil M Weerasinghe
On the 27th of March, 2013
At the Advanced Construction Training Academy, Sri Lanka
A seminar sponsored by:
Orca Aviation Analytics
And hosted by:
Signature Events

Boston, 2006
10 ton construction platform collapses onto traffic, killing three instantly
© 2013 Orca Aviation Analytics 2

Bellevue, 2006
A crane collapses onto an apartment building, killing 1 man in his home

Manilla, 2011
10 workers dies after an elevator plunges 25 floors

The Construction sector has the
highest number of work related
accidents in Sri Lanka
Department of Labour (2012)
Colombo District Factory Inspection Engineer AW
Alahakoon in an interview to The Island Financial Review

Safety Performance of the Sri
Lankan construction industry
Statistics from the Department of Labour

Safety Performance of the Sri
Lankan construction industry
* GDP & Employment statistics quoted from ICRA Lanka report (2011)
8% 7% 5%
27%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
GDP Employment Non-fatal
accidents
Fatal accidents
National index
Construction Industry

1 of 6 (labour) accidents
and 25 of 40 deaths
in construction
are due to negligence
or carelessness
Statistics from the
International Labour Organisation
as quoted by Karunasena et al. (2013)
(University Of Moratuwa)

74% of contractors [in Sri Lanka]
have safety policies for their sites
Most incidents & injuries at construction
sites are a direct result of not adhering to
established safety procedures
Karunasena et al. (2013)
(Uni. Of Moratuwa)
Dissanayake et al.
(Uni. Of Peradeniya)

“Policy and procedure” alone is not enough...
We need to breed a culture of safety,
from board-room to brick-layer,
to take a holistic
system-wide approach to safety.
i.e.
Implement a robust, “Safety Management System”

Overview
1. Why is “Safety” Important?
2. The "Management Paradox"
3. A Systemic Approach to Safety
4. Implementation Framework
5. Risk Management
6. Promoting a Culture of Safety
7. Summary

WHY IS “SAFETY” IMPORTANT?
Part 1

1. Ethical obligations
2. Regulatory obligations
3. Organizational benefits:
– Better morale
– Increased productivity & efficiency
– Lower staff turnover
– Protect brand equity
4. Financial benefits:
– Reduced schedule disruptions
– Reduced workers’ compensation
– Lower insurance premiums
– Lower legal fees
Why is “Safety” Important?

Work-days lost in Sri Lanka
• ILO estimates for Sri Lanka:
– 4,000 accidents per year
(taking into account under-reporting)
– 600,000 work-days lost
• Based on this, we can infer that accidents cost
the Sri Lankan construction industry an
estimated 40,000 work-days.

Employee injuries accounting for 6-9% of
project costs can be reduced to just 2.5%
with a well-implemented safety program.
Mark Steinhofer (2013)
Safety Management Group, USA
Companies can expect a return
of $4 to $6 for every dollar
invested in a safety program

THE “MANAGEMENT PARADOX”
Part 2

The “Safety Reflex”
• We never
compromise on
safety!
• What about the cost
of safety?
• What about
time, cost, and
quality?
• Even at the price of
progress?
• Safety at all costs!..
• Safety is our
number 1 priority!

[Safety] compliance should not create an
additional financial burden on an
organisation if it provides little or no
safety benefit.
Ron Bartsch (2007)
Aviation Law Assoc. Of Australia & NZ
Safety benefit
Cost of
implementation

The Management Paradox
• Limited resources to be balanced between:
– Protection vs. Production
Source: International Civil Aviation Organisation Doc 9859
19© 2012 Indunil M Weerasinghe

Solving the Management Paradox
• Acknowledge that safety issues are:
a) a by-product of producing goods or services
b) to be managed as a “business function”, much like
operations, finances, HR, IT etc
 A well-implemented Safety Management System will:
– Complement the corporate Quality Management System
– Be an explicit element of the management activities
– Set out the company’s safety policy
– Standardize processes to ensure acceptable safety outcomes

Solving the Management Paradox
• Management of quality is about:
compliance to existing standards
• Management of safety is about:
asking what risks are involved in meeting
those standards?
What can we do to mitigate them?

A SYSTEMIC APPROACH TO SAFETY
Part 3

© 2012 Indunil M Weerasinghe 25
The “Organisational Accident”
Prof James Reason (Uni. Of Manchester)
• Sometimes known as the “ ”
Source: Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, “SMS for Aviation – A Practical Guide”

UNSAFE ACTS
(Errors)
(Violations)
Unfavourable
CONDITIONS
PROCESSES
(Goals)
(Structure)
(Culture)
(Decisions)
DEFENCES
ORGANISATION WORKPLACE INDIVIDUALS
ACCIDENT

• Safety management objective:
– Break the chain of conditions/events pro-actively

IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK
Part 4

Implementing a Safety
Management System
• Cooperative Research Centre for Construction
Innovation:
• Safety principles to be applied at four key
project phases:
1. Planning
2. Design
3. Construction
4. Post-construction

The ICAO Framework
SMS framework established by the
International Civil Aviation Organisation:
1. Safety policy & objectives
2. Safety risk management
3. Safety assurance
4. Safety promotion

1. Safety policy & objectives:
– Defines the “way we do business”
– Safety as a means to meet the production goals
– Relationship with QMS
The ICAO Framework
2. Safety risk management:
– Identifying hazards
– Assessing and managing risk

3. Safety assurance:
– Audits
– Investigations
4. Safety promotion:
– Training
– Campaigns
– Walking the talk!
The ICAO Framework

RISK MANAGEMENT
Part 5

Risk Management Objective
• Risk management forms one of the
fundamental tenets of a Safety Management
System
• Control risk exposure to be within acceptable
limits

1. Identify hazards
2. Assessing and managing risk:
– What is the likelihood of it actually occurring?
– What are the consequences/impact if it does?
Safety risk management

“Acceptable” Levels of Risk
• Risks should be controlled to be ALaRP:
– As Low as Reasonably Practicable

ILO Guidelines for
Construction Sites
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
The Safety and Health in Construction
Convention, 1988 (No. 167)
&
Safety and Health in Construction
Recommendations, 1988 (No. 175)

Preventive Measures
• Work to be planned such that:
a) risks liable to arise at the workplace are prevented as soon as
possible;
b) excessively or unnecessarily strenuous work positions and
movements are avoided;
c) organization of work takes into account the safety and health of
workers;
d) materials and products are used which are suitable from a safety
and health point of view;
e) working methods are employed which protect workers against
the harmful effects of chemical, physical and biological agents.

Common Risks
• Common risks at most construction sites
• As a minimum, should be addressed through both safety
policy as well as risk assessment & management plan:
– Scaffolds
– Lifting appliances & lifting gear
– Excavations, shafts, earthworks, underground works & tunnels
– Work in compressed air
– Pile driving
– Work over water
– Health hazards
– Dangerous atmospheres
– Fire precautions
– Radiation hazards

Risk Management Process
• Common methodology
applied in aviation
– System & task analysis
– Risk assessment
– Risk management
– Risk monitoring
– Safety assurance
– Continuous
improvement

Process Overview
System & task
analysis
Day to day
operations
Safety policy &
objectives
Risk
Management
Plan
Assess risks
Identify
associated risks
Identify hazards
Monitor
Continuous
improvement

PROMOTING A CULTURE OF SAFETY
Part 6

Walking the Talk!
• Safety is everyone's business!
• The success of a Safety Management System
requires buy-in from all levels in the
organization:
• Directors to set the correct policies
• Senior management for resource allocation
• Operational management for procedures &
oversight
• Employees for implementation

What is “Culture”?
• A collective way of thinking
• Influenced by our social environment, namely:
NATIONAL
PROFESSIONAL
ORGANISATION
Illustration adapted from ICAO Doc 9859

The Evolution of Safety Culture
Safety cultures evolve through five stages:
1. Pathological
2. Reactive
3. Calculative
4. Proactive
5. Generative
Patrick Hudson
(As published in
Flight Safety Australia)
Where does your
organization stand???

GENERATIVE
“Safety is how we do
business around here”
CALCULATIVE
“We have systems in place
to manage all risks”
PROACTIVE
“We work on the
problems that we find”
REACTIVE
“Safety is a priority, we do a
lot when we have an accident”
PATHOLOGICAL
“Who cares as long as
we’re not caught”

A “Good” Safety Culture is...
1. Informed
2. Reporting
3. Just
4. Flexible
5. Learning
Prof James Reason
(Uni. Of Manchester)

SUMMARY
Part 7

Summary
• 27% of labour-related deaths in Sri Lanka take
place in the Construction industry
- Dept of Labour statistics, averaged between 2002 - 2007
• Implementation of Safety Management Systems
can improve safety performance, yielding multiple
benefits.
• Key aspects of successful Safety Management are:
– Risk management
– Safety Culture

Benefits of Safety Management
• Protect employees, customers, and the general
public from sources of harm
• Protect the public image and share value of the
organization
• Make safety an integral part of how business is
done
• Improve operational efficiencies through better
productivity and lower downtimes

And most importantly...
• Contribute to the company’s financial
performance:
Employee injuries accounting for 6-9% of
project costs can be reduced to just 2.5%
with a well-implemented safety program.
Mark Steinhofer (2013)
Safety Management Group, USA

Thank you...
For more information, please feel free to contact:
Orca Aviation Analytics
Indunil M Weerasinghe
Tel: 077 352 5623
Email: indunil.w@OrcaAnalytics.com
www.OrcaAnalytics.com
Signature Events
Ramani Peiris
Tel: 077 580 5229
Email: ramani.peiris@signatureevents.lk

Safety Management Systems - Discourse on safety in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry on 27-Mar-2013

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