Safety in the spotlight in 2004.

An old saying has it that habits are safer than rules. However, I would say that one can only maintain safety on the construction site by having both good rules and good habits.

Construction activity is expected to pick up in both 2004 and 2005, and as there is more activity on more building sites, ensuring safety will be more important than ever. Commercial construction, for example, is expected to rise by six percent in 2005, according to a report issued by the AIA.

Loss control is a high priority on every construction project. A proper loss control program allows exposure to be managed.

At HRH, we have developed a corporate safety program which has substantially reduced the frequency of unsafe conditions, and consequently reduced insurance costs.

Our program exercises all available means of eliminating and controlling the hazards and risks on HRH projects, and consequently the risks for our clients, trade contractors and the general public.

As part of the program, we require every contractor to submit a copy of their safety, fall protection and hazard communication programs with their bid package, prior to commencement of work.

If a contractor does not have a program, HRH will assist them to prepare one.

Our commitment to maintain a safe work environment on every project has resulted in safety auditing and training for all of our staff and the contractors on our projects.

Risk management and/or loss control personnel should attend every pre-construction project meeting, as I do. And, they should be involved in the most important aspects of the project. It is impossible to control safety on a project when one is not directly involved, or is sitting behind a desk back in the head office.

The safety survey is an important element in ensuring compliance to the corporate safety program and site-specific program. At HRH, field personnel conduct project safety surveys routinely on each site.

We also enforce every contractor's attendance at our monthly project safety meetings.

These meetings support the development and maintenance a strong working relationship with the contractors.

They also provide the contractors with an understanding of the ever-changing statutes which may affect their portion of the project.

A safety program can only succeed if all levels of management are supportive and involved. For management, a commitment to safety and the reduction of hazards is the ultimate realization of enlightened self interest.

This commitment is good for the workers on the job site, for the client and the bottom line.

Risk management and loss control thus become everyone's responsibility.

The entire project team is trained to keep an eye open and control potential dangers. Safety relies on good rules, and on the good habits and team effort that those rules establish.