Round I Concurrent Sessions

1. Leading Indicators to Measure Safety Performance at a Job Site: It Really Makes a Difference

Measuring safety performance tells you what is working, what needs to be changed and how to make better decisions about managing safety on your job site. Performance measurement is a given action as a safety professional, but the success you achieve in being proactive in your role will be dependent upon the extent to which you are able to identify and capture the most valuable data – leading indicators. In construction safety, there are specific leading indicators that are a product of the unique workforce and environment on a job site. In this session, you will learn how construction companies of all sizes use leading indicators to provide them with the proactive data that really makes a difference in their safety performance.

Dan O’Brien, CSP
Zachry Construction Corporation
San Antonio, TX

2. Crane Safety – Platitudes or Practices?

On the first day at any job, we train and warn our workforce about the hazards associated with the use of cranes. Our communications typically include these messages “Don’t go under a suspended load,” “Never overload a crane or rigging gear,” “Don’t use equipment unless you have inspected it” and “If you are unsure about a lifting operation, ask your supervisor.” While all of these statements are valid, they are often just platitudes that do not reflect the practices seen in the field. We need our communication to reflect the reality. In this session, you will learn the communication that best addresses crane practices in the field. You will also take away benchmarks to critically evaluate and inspect your lifting operation safety; a listing of current crane safety resources that support lifting program enhancements; and a summary of impending changes in lifting regulations and standards.

Bradley Closson
CRAFT Forensic Services
Bonita, California

3. REF Your ISLs (Recognize, Engage and Foster Your Informal Safety Leaders)

Who is really leading your construction site? The startling truth is that there is a core group of people, mostly rank and file employees, within your organization and on your work site who are leaders. These leaders have great influence over the actions (safe versus at-risk) and attitudes of those around them. In most cases we do not have a strategy to plug into the great power and influence these leaders have over others – until now. In this session, you will learn how to articulate your safety goals to this core group of people who can really lead the site to safety success. You will take away the details and importance of a means to Recognize, Engage and Foster your Informal Safety Leaders.

Matthew A. Forck, CSP, JLW
K-Crof Industries, LLC
Columbia, MO

4. Quick Hazard Recognition Techniques to Use in the Field – and They Work Too!

We can all develop a list of hazard recognition techniques such as Job Hazard Analysis, Pre Task Safety Analysis, Root Cause Analysis, Management of Change, Blueprint Reviews, Behavioral Observations, Permitting, SHE Reviews and more. We need these techniques, but there must also be several easy-to-use, practical techniques for the construction worker in the field. In this session, you will learn and practice the quick and easy way to implement techniques including: Last Minute Safety Check, Out-of-Plain-View Audits, Equipment Inspections, The Ten-Second Drill, and What-If Analysis, that are useful on construction sites.

David F. Coble, MS, CSP
Coble, Taylor & Jones Safety Associates
Cary, NC

5. Rescue After a Fall

Falls from a height continue to be one of the construction industry’s greatest nemeses. Some contend that regulatory approaches don’t always address real-world problems, and that the impracticality of typical fall arrest systems makes them impractical for field use. Nevertheless, organizations that employ workers at heights have an obligation to provide fall protection and to effectively prepare for rescue in the event that a worker becomes incapacitated. The complexity and environmental uniqueness of high-angle incidents makes planning for these emergencies difficult at best. Appropriate preparation requires forethought, planning, and ongoing training to predetermine levels of capability. In this presentation, you will learn how to develop appropriate plans that establish clear roles and responsibilities and maintain a ready state for fall and rescue emergencies.

Loui McCurley
Technical Rescue Specialist
Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Round II Concurrent Sessions

6. The Organizational Scorecard and Performance Management

Traditionally, construction projects as well as the organization as a whole have been managed with a focus on financial results. While the project must keep the budget and schedule in mind, the organization’s bottom line is impacted by the effectiveness of safety management. This requires having the ability to align safety with operation and business goals. In this session you will learn the applications for the organizational scorecard to influence the performance of safety at a construction site, align safety with your organization’s business objectives and create a measurement system that will enhance communication with your senior management.

Peter G. Furst, MBA, CSP, ARM, REA
Liberty Mutual Group
Pleasanton, CA

7. Preventing Strains/Sprains and Slips/Trips/Falls in the Construction Industry

Soft-tissue injuries and slips, trips and falls are continuing problems in the construction industry. Traditional strategies have helped to a point. While environmental controls and targeted policies/procedures form an important foundation, it’s necessary to go beyond just these to attain higher-level performance. Experience has shown building next-level safety requires engaging workers to make the most effective personal decisions and individually act with optimum safety - while being highly productive at the same time. In this interactive session, you will learn leadership strategies for motivating safer behaviors among construction workers. You will take back to your work site knowledge of the critical mental and physical skills these workers need to exercise for the prevention of soft tissue injuries and slips, trips and falls.

Robert Pater, MA
Strategic Safety Associates
Portland, OR

8. On the Yellow Brick Road of Litigation, Avoid the Potholes

The litigation trap has sprung, and you’ve been caught! What can you expect and how will your involvement impact your professional and personal future? In this session, you will follow down the treacherous path of safety and health litigation related to construction and by illustration and example of past mistakes, learn preventive actions for the future. Your day in deposition or court may be sooner than you expect, because as a safety and health expert, you probably know where all the skeletons are buried!

Kenneth S. Cohen, PhD (Ret.)
Consulting Health Services
El Cajon, CA

9. VPP and VPPAC: Excellence in Construction Safety in Your Organization

Statistical evidence for OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)’s success is impressive. The average VPP worksite has a Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) case rate of 2% below the average for its industry. These sites typically do not start out with such low rates. Reductions in injuries and illnesses begin when the site commits to the VPP approach to safety and health management and the challenging VPP application process. Join us for this session to learn more about the benefits of your organization becoming a member of VPP. You will also learn about the Voluntary Protection Program Association for Construction (VPPAC), a forum that recognizes, promotes and serves entities throughout the construction industry that strives to achieve or support excellence in safety and health matters.

Michael W. Hayslip, Esq., P.E, CSP
VPPAC
Dayton, OH

10. Overcome The Five Fatal Flaws Blocking Effective Near-Miss Reporting

We all know the value of near-miss reporting data and the insight it gives us to determine where we are exposed to loss on our construction sites. We do our best to record details, track data, and even deploy expensive data management software systems, but are not able to achieve the results we need. It’s not the process that is inhibiting reporting, problem resolution, and trend tracking. Join us for this session and find out what the barriers are to your near-miss reporting success and how to overcome these challenges.

Todd Britten, MS
CoreMedia
Portland, OR

Round III Concurrent Sessions

11. Environmental / Industrial Hygiene Issues on Construction Sites

Learn the most current status of environmental and industrial hygiene issues in construction. Topics will include: pre-qualifying and selecting an IH/environmental professional along with updates on asbestos, lead/lead-paint, hexavalent chromium, silica, noise, and heat stress. You will also find out what is new in resources available to assist you in managing the industrial hygiene component of your responsibility on a construction site.

Jeffery C. Camplin, CSP, CPEA, REP
Camplin Environmental Services, Inc.
Rosemont, IL

12. The Minneapolis Bridge Collapse: A Lesson in Successful Crisis Planning

It is not a matter of if, but more precisely when a crisis will occur on any construction project. When the I-35W Bridge collapsed on August 1, 2007 in Minneapolis a pre-planned Crisis Management Plan was implemented. In this session, you will learn how to use a crisis management plan to maximize management of a disaster and start the recovery efforts. You will also learn the elements of crisis management planning, including how to communicate with and control the media and enforcement officials.

Garry Kroft, CSP, MS
S&N Consulting, Ltd.
Maple Grove, MN

13. The Issues and Control of Substance Abuse at a Construction Job Site

Substance abuse is a serious topic in any industry. However, at a construction job site, there are many unique challenges that make the control of this difficult problem even more perplexing. You need to know what type and method of drug testing is most appropriate for your job site; what actions to take during the implementation phase of a new drug testing program; and how to implement a reasonable suspicion drug and alcoho ltesting program. In this session, you will learn the three P’s, Policy, Procedure and Personnel to train in order to respond to these challenges.

Carl Moses, MBA
Pembrooke Occupational Health
Richmond, Virginia

14. Leadership Insight for the Construction Industry

Organizing the safety leadership of your construction project is a challenge, as it typically involves different trades with competing interests, egos and personalities. To optimize safety leadership on your project, all groups need to be calibrated to achieve the best results. Designated and empowered persons with the requisite ability to lead need to be identified and empowered. These members of your organization should be skillful in leadership techniques such as the use of the powerful group dynamic of your labor force to achieve performance goals. In this session, you will learn how to make these critical actions happen and take away insight for leadership development at all levels of the project.

John J. Meola, CSP, ARM
VMS Inc.
Richmond, VA

15. Lessons Learned in Fall Protection: A Personal Experience

As a union carpenter by trade, I worked on high-rise construction sites and practiced loss control with fall protection equipment and procedure. My approach to fall protection seemed effective until the day that I took a 30-foot fall. I was injured, but I was grateful to survive and now feel a commitment to communicating information about fall protection in the construction industry. After my own experience, I learned many approaches to fall protection that I will share with you in this session.

William Goodyear, Jr.
Goodyear Builders
Gilbert, AZ

Round IV Concurrent Sessions

16. Template for a World-Class Safety Program

This session will take you on a visual journey of a three-year effort to transform the safety program of a mid-size construction company to a world-class performance level. Learn what it took to become a leader in safety including the tools, training, and metrics and transform an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 1.19 to an EMR of .72. You will take back to your workplace many ideas from the approaches used to come from the back of the pack to being a leader in safety.

John Lanigan, CHST, OHST
Corman Construction
Annapolis Junction, MD

17. Know the Hazards of Electricity on Construction Projects: It May Be a Shock!

The three main hazards of electricity: electrical shock; electrical arc-flash; and electrical arc-blast and the physiological effects on the human body must be understood by everyone working on or near electrical circuits and equipment. The physics of electricity are the same for everyone. However, the safety practices to avoid electricity-related injury could differ on a multi-employer worksite. Please join in on this session to learn the latest information on electrical hazards, specific approach distances, and protective measures for those hazards that are applicable to construction sites.

Dennis K. Neitzel, CPE
AVO Training Institute, Inc.
Dallas, TX