the leading edge - injury-free · pdf fileas you will see in this edition of the leading...

The Leading EdgeDecember 2013

In This Issue

3 First Skanska-branded IFE® commitment workshop

5 Safety Hero Anthony Romano

8 Temporary Works Standard

9 Excelling in Safety

The Leading Edge - December 2013

It begins with me

Hendrik van Brenk, Chief EHS Officer

2014 Safety Pledges from around the US

“In 2014, I pledge to hold myself and my managers accountable for providing a safe work-place for our employees and maintaining zero tolerance toward unsafe acts.”

- John Crecco

Vice President - Field Operations, USA Civil

“My pledge is to make safety a priority at my home, workplace and in transit. From driving with a headset to baby-proofing my house, safety is a priority in my life. My husband and 20-month old son need me to be safe as much as I need them to be!”

- Alissa Roberts

Director - Business Development, Sports Center of Excellence

“For 2014, I pledge to wear proper reflective safety gear while running or walking my dog when it’s dark out.”

- Brette Healy

Associate Corporate Counsel, USA Building Check out page 10 for more pledges!

Alissa with her husband, Ben and son, River.

This short, yet profound, statement underscored the 2013 Skanska Management Meeting. This concept of personalization is central to building an Injury-Free Environment®, yet it is often too easy to forget what a difference each one of us can make.

During the holiday day season the custom in my family is to watch several traditional holiday

movies. One of my favorites is “It’s a Wonderful Life” where the lead character gets to see a world in which he did not contribute, and how important he was, then, to the world, his friends and family. The subtle places in which we affect the lives of those we interact with are all too often hidden from our perception. This is especially true with safety since we rarely see the contribution we make or how our devotion to safety prevented serious injury or worse to a fellow worker.

The reduction of safety performance to impersonal and dehuman-izing statistics makes it difficult to personalize and understand our role in the creation of an Injury- Free Environment. Safety perfor-mance as measured by the number of accidents continues to rank Skanska as one of the safest construction companies in the United

States. While this may be acceptable for many organizations, we have come to realize that we simply cannot be satisfied with our performance. As we reflect upon this past year it is clear we have a real opportunity before us.

As you will see in this edition of The Leading Edge, we have launched a new 2-day IFE commitment workshop. It is my hope that each of us participates as a partner in this workshop in 2014, because I remain convinced that sending everyone home to their families every day is not only a possibility but our obligation.

IFE is not about avoiding accidents, nor is it measured by traditional statistics such as lost time accident rate. IFE is about seeking excel-lence in each activity and process designed to create a safe work-place. It involves fully engaged pre-task planning, having a strong management system in place and practice, stretch and flex practiced at every office and project, and site safety visits that truly demon-strate leadership and inspire craft.

IFE is within our grasp, but we have to remember: It begins with me.


Our IFE® Culture

On December 11th and 12th, the first Skanska-branded IFE Commitment workshop was held in Portland, OR, the very city where our IFE commitment workshops began ten years ago.

The new workshop focuses on how far we have come over the past ten years and where we are heading on our journey to zero. The goal of the workshop is to lead each participant to a transformational experience that encourages a personal discovery regarding their relationship to safety and the impor-tance of leadership.

The workshop was led by Rebecca Pizzi, project executive with USA Building, Larry Gillman, vice president with USA Civil and Al Gogolin, senior vice president with USA Build-ing, who shared their own personal experiences throughout the training. Over 70 people attended, including employees from the Portland office and all Skanska USA EHS Directors.

Hendrik van Brenk, chief EHS officer for Skanska USA, began the first day by explaining that the new workshop is part of our aspirations for the future in which “we, as an organiza-tion, recognize that being Injury-Free is absolutely possible. IFE is the idea that none of us will settle for mediocrity, that every day on every job site we don’t settle for paper only pre-task plans and just checking the box. IFE is when safety isn’t just about being safe – it is also about leadership. We are a remarkable company when it comes to safety, but our goal is to be even better than that. We must continue to strive for safety excellence.”

Attendees were then asked what IFE meant to them. Responses ranged from being safe at work and home to a holistic approach to safety through systems, process, commu-nication, leadership, behavior and accountability.

A new IFE video was debuted during the training with fol-low up table discussions afterward. Throughout the two day workshop, there was a strong focus on in-depth table discus-sions and exercises supported by the trainers. The workshop concluded with each person making their own safety pledge.

In 2014, we will launch the workshops across the US and all leaders will have an oportunity to participate in them.

First Skanska-branded IFE Commitment Workshop provides a transformational experience.

“I know that IFE is alive on a jobsite when I look around and everyone is a partner, liv-ing and breathing IFE. When you have that culture, a new employee comes in and they can feel it, and it changes them.” - Mark Dumas, EHS vice president, USA Building

“IFE is not a 9 to 5 thing. It’s hard work that takes courage and a willingness to change.” - Larry Gillman, vice president, USA Civil.


Our IFE CultureRecommiting to our Journey

On October 25, the Florida Polytechnical University Team held an IFE Recommitment Luncheon. During the lunch, the team and 310 workers made a personal commitment to IFE. Shirts, designed by the project’s management team, were handed out after-ward.“We have an outstanding safety record to date,” said Chuck Jablon, vice president of operations with USA Building, “and we are determined to finish our proj-ect with the record staying strong. Every worker and supervisor here absolutely understands the impor-tance of an Injury-Free Environment and we won’t accept anything else.”

“To see every worker on site recommit to IFE was a very power-ful moment. It was a fantastic and meaningful event.”

- Sam Ruggerio, Sr. EHS Manager,

USA Building


Safety Hero Anthony Romano

Safety Heroes

The importance of construction plans, pre-task plans and toolbox talks can never be discounted - this became apparent recently on the Newark Energy Center jobsite.In early November, the project team attended their monthly Toolbox talk. This one had to do with safety when using a telescopic boom lift, specifically if it becomes stuck among rafters. This topic was also discussed in the project’s construction plan.

On November 12, two ironworker apprentices in a JLG 1350 telescopic boom lift were coming down from the top of turbine rafters approximately 100 feet high. While one of the apprentices operated the controls, the computer counterbalanced the lift, causing it to become wedged in the rafters.Anthony Romano, an ironworker journeyman, was nearby in another JLG when he saw the apprentices stuck in the rafters. Anthony yelled to them to not try and free the machine, but to wait for his help. Once he reached them, the two apprentices transferred from the stuck basket into Anthony’s while remaining tied-off. They then dedscended safely to the ground and notified supervision.Anthony’s quick action saved the apprentices from possible, serious injury. When an AWP basket is stuck in steel, operating the machine to try and free it builds pressure on the boom arm. When freed, the arm acts like a catapult. Because Anthony recognized this scenario from the construction plan and toolbox talk, he steped in and took action before anything went wrong - a true IFE moment.

By Kevin Newlan, Safety Engineer

What does being a Safety Hero mean to you?

Do you know a Safety Hero?

We’d love to hear from you!

Contact [email protected]

Congratulations to the HESS-Newark Energy Center team for winning Civil Northeast’s 2013 Safest Project of the Year award!

mailto:Jessica.vann%40skanska.com?subject=


Prefabricated metal stairs By Bryan Northrop, Vice President - Project Executive

At our Novartis project in Cambridge, Mass. we had our structural steel subcontractor prefabricate all metal pan stairs off-site and erect them with structural steel to eliminate the need for extension ladders or gang ladders to access all levels below the derrick floor. This included placing reinforcing concrete in the stair/landing pans off-site.

Permanent railings were not prefabricated with the stair as outlined in the original scope of work as the railing design was changed by the design team just as we were going into fabrication. We therefore utilized the two line

cable rail both the inner and outer stair rails.

The team’s decision to use prefabricated stairs was driven by the numerous safety benefits associated with having permanent stairs available for use so early in the project. In addition, we eliminated approximately 2,200 hours of work at height for the installation of the landings, stringers, and pans in an open shaft.

Below are photographs of the prefabricated stairs in the fabricator’s shop waiting to be filled with concrete and the concrete filled stairs delivered to the site.

The scope of work in the Structural Steel Fabricator’s contract included:

1. Engineering data - Before any stairs are fabricated, engineering data shop drawings are required to be approved by the Architect. This Subcontractor is responsible for the structural design and supports for these systems and must show its proposed systems on these drawings. All shop drawings must show all load conditions and design calculations relative to connections. Calculations and drawings must be prepared by a Structural Engineer licensed in the State of Massachusetts and shall be signed and sealed by this Engineer.

2. Subcontractor shall engineer, furnish and install all metal pan stairs.

3. Subcontractor shall engineer, furnish and install mid stair rails (wall rails to be by others). Mid stair rails will be installed at the same time as the stairs to ensure the stairs are ready for immediate use.

4. Subcontractor shall furnish and install temporary rails on the proposed wall side of the stairs. Temporary rail will be a 2-line cable rail and will be installed at the same time as the stairs to ensure the stairs are ready for immediate use.

5. The stairs are to be prefabricated off-site and sequenced with erection of structural steel. This includes furnishing and installing concrete and reinforcing in treads.

6. The stairs are to be installed and up to the floor just below the derrick floor.

Innovation Spotlight


Health ForumPrescription Painkillers on the Jobsite

Take Action

By Melanie Parks, EHS Director

An incident happens on your site, and a worker is injured. She is transported to a medical center, treated, and returned to the site to work on light duty. You are examining the discharge papers from the medical center, and you notice that the worker has been prescribed oxycodone to manage the pain of the injury. What does that mean? What are the risks?

Increasingly, site EHS professionals and field supervisors need to be informed about the nature of certain painkillers, possible restrictions, and potential risks associated with use.

Opioids, like Percocet, oxycodone , hydrocodone, and methadone, are increasingly being prescribed for injuries that were previously treated using over-the-counter painkillers.

At the same time, the misuse, illegal use, and addiction to these drugs is becoming more and more common. According to the Center for Disease Control, the legal sales of opioids have increased by 300% since 1999. This category of drugs was the cause of 14,800 overdose deaths in 2008, which is more than heroine and cocaine combined. More than 12 million Americans reported using prescription painkillers for non-medical purposes in 2010.

These facts combined mean that we have many workers being prescribed these drugs as a result of work-related injuries, and we have workers on our sites that may be abusing this category of drugs.

If you believe someone you work with is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, follow the five steps of the Reasonable Suspicion testing process:

• Observe

• Document

• Confirm

• Confront

• Transport

For more information on this process, be sure to attend the next Reasonable Suspicion Training offered in your area or direct your questions to your local EHS Director.

Here’s what you need to know:

When a worker is prescribed a painkiller as a result of a work-related injury, their supervisor needs to understand what the possible effects may be and the restrictions of use.

For example, someone prescribed an opiate may not be able to drive to work, operate, or be around any kind of machinery onsite. If the restrictions are not known or not understood, a doctor or pharmacist can assist is learning about the drug in question. Also, certain medical centers are more likely than others to prescribe these types of painkillers than others.

If you notice that this seems to be the default treatment at the occupational medical center that you send injured workers to, you may want to meet with them to discuss your concerns or possibly interview a new provider.

For more information regarding the prescription, use, and abuse of prescription painkillers, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

http://www.cdc.gov

http://www.cdc.gov


Inform, Educate, Prevent

USA Civil has rolled out a new temporary works standard as well as training for it. The main intent of the training is to bring attention to the classification of all temporary works systems and what associated design, inspection and competency protocols should be followed.

Temporary Works means all temporary works structures required for construction of the Permanent Works and the remedying of any defects, such as:

• Temporary work decks or access platforms

• Scaffolding

• False work systems to support slabs and wall construction

• Formwork systems for in-situ concrete construction where system or component failure could negatively impact workplace safety

• Support systems for deep excavation

New Temporary Works Standard for USA Civil • Working platforms for heavy mobile equipment

including cranes and piling rigs.

Temporary Works require engineering design and expertise in application. The failure of temporary work structures is often due to lack of necessary engineering controls. Operations must ensure that all temporary works are adequately deployed and maintained for their intended use.

Stay safe this winter when walking on ice


Excelling in Safety

In September the Ambulatory Care Center expansion at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio surpassed one million work hours with no lost-time incidents. Additionally, the $80 million Phase 2 project went the entire month of September with zero injuries (including no first-aid cases). The Lackland team has found that focused and thorough Executive Site Safety Visits have added to their strong safety culture as well as recognizing those team members who go above and beyond in regards to safety.

ENR Southeast recognized our Nemours Childrens Hospital project with an Award of Merit for Excellence in Safety as part of their annual “Best Projects” awards. The project also won ENR’s 2013 Southeast Project of the Year.

The Los Angeles Exposition Line Phase 2 transit project reached over one million hours without a lost-time injury in October. This project is being constructed in an extremely busy urban environ-ment with employees working on 25-foot bridge structures and in trenches over 20 feet deep. The safety of the workers and public is a top priority for the team. One unique aspect on the project is the requirement that new apprentices, who are not familiar with job-site hazards, must wear blue hard hats for their first 90 days of work so more experienced workers know to pay extra attention to them.


On November 14, Nick Bishop, environmental director with Skanska USA Civil, was recognized at the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s annual Bull Moose Awards Dinner for his exceptional contribution to cleanup efforts after Hurricane Sandy.

Welcome to our newest team member, Kenny Herrera, EHS director with USA Building in California!

Save the Date

Safety Week 2014 May 4 - 10

2014 Safety Pledges from around the US

“For 2014, I pledge to hold my project staff team accountable for all safety-related require-ments and encourage them to engage with the crews onsite on a regular basis in an effort to drive home our vision of creating an Injury-Free Environment.”

- Erin Conlan

Safety Manager, USA Civil

“I pledge to ensure that we are creating an IFE culture on all our sites so that our workers understand, value, and share our vision of making sure that everyone goes home safely every day.”

- Greg Peele

Senior Vice President - Account Manager, USA Building

“My safety pledge for 2014 is to continue to build our IFE culture and promote its importance among our subcontractors so that we can create a meaningful, potentially life-saving safety envi-ronment on our project. I will also ensure full commitment to our safety policies and programs.

- Philip Vann

Assistant Superintendent, USA BuildingPhilip with Superintendent Andy Tippens.

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