|
Tier
3 Charter Accredited Arrow International and
their leadership role in the Canterbury
Rebuild
Increased health and safety a 'silver
lining' in the Christchurch Earthquake
Rebuild - for builders and
homeowners.
Arrow International (NZ) Inc has
been instrumental to health and safety
improvement as project managers in the
Earthquake Rebuild. They see their role as
fulfilling an educational need to both
subcontractors and earthquake-struck home
owners in managing hazards. Lauren Prestney
from Site Safe speaks to Operations Manager
Iain Sillars and Health and Safety Manager
Grant Craig about their achievements at
Arrow International (NZ)
Inc.
Managing Hazards - Involving the
Homeowner:
In Canterbury, residential construction
remedial work has been split into two basic
categories: 'over cap' and 'out of scope'.
When dealing with the 7000 'over cap'
customers, the work is major repairs and
the homeowners tend to move out. For the
17,000 'out of scope' repairs which are
more focussed on driveway and paths for
example, construction is able to commence
faster. For the 'out of scope' sites, the
contractors have to work around people in
their homes and this can create risks from
work hazards for the contractors and the
home occupiers. Arrow International has
developed an innovative yet simple solution
which is to induct the homeowner onto the
work site: the home becomes the
construction area.
The
home owner inductions are done in two
steps. First, the project manager (who is
an agent of Arrow International), meets
with the homeowner. In that meeting the
Project Manager develops a form which
discusses the probable work to be commenced
and the potential hazards as a result of
the construction. The Project Manager has
the home owner sign the form to verify they
have been inducted and are aware of the
possible hazards. This takes place 1-2 days
prior to the contractor who will be
performing the construction arriving on
site. The contractor can then communicate
to the owner what the actual hazards are on
site during the construction process using
health and safety management tools.
This
approach enables the contractor to record
the details of the steps taken to identify
the site risks and inform the home owner
about the hazards.
|
|
|
|
An Arrow project managed
'out of scope' job in Canterbury
where contractors induct the home
owner onto site.
|
An Education Process:
Health and Safety in Employment Act
1992
Part 2 - General duties of employers'
duties relating to health and safety in
employment
-
Every
employer shall take all practicable steps
to ensure the safety of employees while
at work; and in particular shall take all
practicable steps to-
(a) provide and maintain for employees a
safe working environment; and
(d) ensure that while at work employees
are not exposed to hazards arising
(i) in their place of work; or
(ii) near their place of work and under
the employer's control; and
(e) develop procedures for dealing with
emergencies that may arise while
employees are at work.
Hazard
Hierarchy:
The steps are to take all practicable
steps to manage the likelihood that a
significant hazard will be a cause or
source of harm to the employees. The hazard
hierarchy is to first eliminate, or if
impractical to isolate, or to finally
minimise the hazard from employees.
Grant
Craig says "This induction is an education
process - illustrating how to handle
hazards and risks." One of the main hazards
that the contractors have to control are
the 'access issues' to site. As inducted,
it is the owner's responsibility to stay
clear of the construction site within the
site/construction zone.
Contractors
manage site risks such as the hazard
presented by children and dogs. The
arrangement provides for home owners to
agree to take "all practicable steps" to
keep them away from site and other know
hazards. "Also to mitigate risk, under no
circumstances is the home owner to assist
or help with the construction work" says
Iain Sillars.
Home
owner:
"The induction is a
positive experience for home owners as the
educating process makes them feel actively
involved and safer in their homes" says
Craig. The Project Manager and client
relationship begins some time before the
contractor comes to complete the work." The
Project Managers build a rapport with the
client over a period of time and are
available for more information" adds
Sillars.
Sub-Contractors:
The contractors have been
very receptive to the inductions." One of
the main reasons for this is because they
have an increased ability to speak to and
manage the hazards onsite with this process
and system" says Sillars. It is reducing
risks for their businesses. Grant comments
"there hasn't been any kick-back and
overall we've had a very strong buy-in from
residential builders."
Continued
Coaching Leading to Health and Safety
Improvement for the Residential Sector:
Arrow International is
holding weekly forums for the contractors
working under them in the rebuild
arrangement and they have nine 'pods'
geographically located around the city who
all are staffed with a health and safety
professional. Arrow International invited
all the individual residential building
companies working for them to go into their
'home base' office to provide assistance in
getting up to speed in providing a quality
health and safety processes. This mentoring
and coaching period given to contractors
was over four months and continues as new
contractors come on board.
Contractors'
health and safety is now being audited on
site. For Arrow International, it gives
them mentoring and coaching capability for
future improvement. Sillars predicts "As a
result of the work currently being done in
Christchurch we at Arrow International are
expecting to see general improvement over
time in health and safety systems from the
residential sector."
Arrow
International sees this mentoring on health
and safety to subcontractors as part of
their role in running safe construction
sites. "We had the perspective that the
majority of the residential sector had a
perception of fear and reservation towards
health and safety on site. Contractors
would tell you of bad stories they had
heard about the Department of Labour -
basically it was a fear of the unknown."
Now with the benefit of Arrow
International's coaching, residential
construction business owners have grown
both their confidence and capability in
managing health and safety on site. "We now
have our subcontractors meeting Department
of Labour inspectors at the site gate and
showing them around" says Grant. Arrow
International have been developing their
business and thinking outside of the square
in order to achieve their safety goals.
Grant sums up their recent success "we've
been evolving - and running with it: and
it's paying off".
|
