My safety Communication Plan with frontline staffs
My safety shadow
The recent Strut dislodgment incident in Havelock has impelled me to reflect on my safety leadership and
safety shadow cast on our frontline staffs who carried out the dismantling work. Though I have walked
the site and carefully reviewed and ensured (1) temporary work was checked and adequately designed
(2) GEMS and workshop procedures were strictly adhered to and (3) pictorial method statement is
provided and prominently displayed and followed at site, we still had a strut dislodgment incident that felt
through all the protection layers in our “Swiss cheese” model.
The incident serves as a serious reminder to me to critically reflect on how my message and influence
that I have made to the frontline workers. One of the key contributing factors to the incident came out
from my reflection is how the drawings, procedures are being transpired and understood right by the
frontline staffs. Essentially, how information and safe practices are being communicated and understood
by frontline staffs.
My communication and engagement with Frontline staffs
I have initiated an “inquiring and sharing” session with our frontline staffs. The 2 way dialogue session
was done in the following ways:
1) During my site walk and on my observation, I ask frontline staffs to describe to me step by step their
understanding on how the work is being carried out; what are the hold points and safety measures that
are put in place so that the construction work can be carried out safely. I highlight to them on the critical
area of work and emphasize on the risk involved and to be mindful of. I have done this in Havelock strut
removal activity.
2) I continue my dialogue with the frontline staffs and monitor their work sequence and method of
execution through weekly site walk and Senior Management Inspection.
3) I share lessons learnt from other projects with frontline staffs to inculcate in them the grave
consequences resulted from unsafe work practices. Some of the lessons learnt shared in the regular
TWC meetings are: Global Switch recent Electrical Flashing incident; Mayflower boom lift traffic incident;
Havelock coupler installation issue, falsework failure incidents, etc.
4) I encourage staffs and supervisors to speak up, stop the work and report if it is not done in a safe
manner or in according to the approved construction drawings. (Rebars fixing work was stopped when
the bar chairs were not properly installed – Havelock project)
Training and Keep staffs informed
I conduct falsework training to the frontline and supervisor staffs to refresh and enhance their
understanding on safe erecting & dismantling of temporary work. I share on industrial development and
improvement on formwork/falsework modularization on and scaffold systems.t they are kept abrase of
the industrial development and Gammon’s requirements. (scaffolding guidelines, coupler checking and
installation method are shared and circulated for to all frontline and supervisory staffs.
My safety mindfulness is a continue scrutiny and probing into existing expectations, trade practices and
constantly anticipate “what if something is going wrong” when situation changes.
What influence have I made to the workers to make the work on temporary structures safer? Where the
weak signal and what are the areas required improvement?
10 Jan 19 JSThen
It is a reflection of what we do and what we say. From time to time, we need to step back and ask what
shadow am I casting?
Stop work Site Supervision and inquiring
Workshop discussion
Sharing of incidents
10 Jan 19 JSThen
Dfma
BIM in design
To ripe apart buildings in component and build them off sites and assemble on site.
Critically look at each area how I can prefab and do it off site?
10 Jan 19 JSThen
