This will be familiar for many of us involved in tenders and vetting new subcontractors. It studied 52 safety prequalification surveys used in the construction industry to identify the types of questions asked.
[NB. I’ve used the authors distinctions between leading and lagging indicators, even though I have quite some issue with the delineations, as others like Hopkins have argued.]
Results:
To summarise, it found:
• 83% contained questions on lagging indicators
• 75% on safety management leadership, and
• 60% worker training
Most interestingly, 90% were absent of questions for safety management elements like hazard prevention and control, program evaluation and improvement, and absent of questions for communication and coordination. 23% of surveys were absent of questions pertaining to safety management systems. Only a small number contained all of the elements associated with a robust safety management system.
On the latter, little attention was given to communication with employees, or with worker participation and involvement.
None of the surveys had questions relating to worker perceptions of the work environment; which authors describe as a way to gauge the efficacy of safety communication and evaluation of safety programs.
Predictably, almost every survey included lagging indicators and these were pretty standardised – almost all injury or OSHA citation related. Although many surveys included leading indicators, a number omitted questions around safety management systems. For leading indicators, a large variety existed.
Where training was indicated, it usually revolved around the training of frontline workers, but far fewer questioned training for supervisors, managers etc.
Little consistency was found across surveys relating to use of leading indicators.
The authors conclude that additional research is needed to support the assumption that contractor prequalification (in the form of surveys) aids in the selection of safer contractors.
Authors: Kang-Hung Liu, Jamie Tessler, Lauren A. Murphy, Chien-Chi Chang, and Jack T. Dennerlein, A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 2018
Study link: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1048291118813583
Link to the LinkedIn article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gap-between-tools-best-practice-analysis-safety-ben-hutchinson
SafetyInsights.org 