Construction High Risk Strategy

3 min read

The Construction High Risk Strategy (HRS) is designed to reduce the construction industry’s serious injury rate through risk-reduction tactics focused on health and safety responsibilities specific to planning and supervision and high-risk work activities.

Table of Contents

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The statistical data shows that although the injury rate has been slowly decreasing over the past six years, the serious injury rate has remained steady. This has prompted a layered approach to identifying and correcting high risk work conditions and practices. The strategy looks at task or environmentally created hazards, and at responsibilities, planning, and the effectiveness of supervision.

Goals

Prevent unsafe acts or conditions that cause workplace serious injuries and fatalities by addressing identified shortcomings in planning and supervision and by ensuring a proper selection of tools, equipment, or processes.

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Approaches

The 2018-2020 Construction HRS is focused on three areas:

Health and safety responsibilities — Planning and supervision
Officers will conduct workplace inspections focused on health and safety planning and supervision. They will engage prime contractors, owners, employer, supervisors, and workers to promote effective supervision and planning to prevent the development of unsafe working conditions and practices.
Tools, equipment, and processes — Choosing the safest option
The target risks and injury areas for this initiative will focus on the selection of the right tool, equipment, or process to reduce workplace incidents resulting in serious injury and the development of high risk violations at workplaces. Shorter term inspection campaigns, designed to be interchangeable and flexible, will also be conducted by officers.
Partnerships and collaborations
This focus will include working with internal and external stakeholders, like the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA), to encourage and foster communication to proactively respond to evolving industry challenges and emerging risks.

Deliverables and timelines

Activities	Details
Inspections — Prime contractor responsibilities Q1–Q4 2018	Inspections focused on prime contractor responsibilities Inspections focused on health and safety planning, supervision, and oversight Education presentations to workers
Inspections — Falls from elevation Q1–Q2 2018	Inspections focused on: Fall protection Ladder use Scaffolding andwork platform use Mobile work platforms Any work conducted at elevation
Inspections — Struck by injuries Q3–Q4 2018	Inspections focused on: Work around mobile equipment Leading edge work
Inspections — Explosions Q1–Q3 2018	Inspections focused on: Fire and explosion risks Hazardous materials storage Shipping containers used as storage areas
Fall prevention workshop Q1–Q4 2018	Deliver, with the support of the BCCSA and other industry partners, a fall prevention workshop with a focus on ladders, scaffolding, work platforms, and supervisor responsibilities
BCCSA partnership Q1–Q4 2018	Continue to assist, support, and partner with the BCCSA around WorkSafeBC’s Construction HRS, including the Bridging the Gap conference Meet with the BCCSA to discuss the HRS focus and identify partnership opportunities Develop resources related to data analysis for focus areas
“Is this the Right Tool for the Job?” initiative Q1–Q4 2018	Focus on reducing serious injuries related to ladder use by having workers consider “Is this the right tool for the job?” before they reach for a ladder Develop a strategy for expanding this messaging further into the construction industry, including a review of the communication and marketing plan
Residential Builders Alert initiative	Focus on all aspects of safety in the residential construction industry, with a strong emphasis on fall prevention and occupational disease prevention (asbestos) Develop marketing tools and resources, and distribute to cities and municipalities and to stakeholders in the residential construction industry Develop and provide options for promoting resources and key messages

Updates and results

High Risk Strategies and Industry Initiatives identify and target industries and employers with a high risk of serious workplace injury and a significant contribution to the serious injury rate. Each strategy focuses prevention initiatives on identified areas of high risk in order to apply resources and effort where they will be most effective. As part of our strategic initiative to develop measures to assess the effectiveness of prevention activities, we are providing updates of our High Risk Strategies and Industry Initiatives.