The Leading Edge - Injury

August 2012
The Leading Edge
What is in this issue...
page
3
On the journey... one
executive talks about his
safety journey
page
4
Safety Week? What
about a Safety Month!
USA Civil kicks off their
summer with a month of
safety!
page
7
Project Spotlight
Brooklyn Bridge
page
Two
8 Business Units, One Approach
OSHA contributes to The
Leading Edge!
Check out this article on
staying cool
page
14
Skanska is celebrating
our first 125 years
See what you know
about our history in It’s
Puzzling!
Hammering
Home Safety!
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 2
Visible Leadership in Safety
Erin Conlan sits down with Vice President of Operations, Larry Gillman
Larry Gillman
Vice President of Operations
What are your thoughts on safety? Can you give us a little insight on your own
safety journey?
I’ve been working in the business for 25
years and even though we didn’t think about
it as much before, the safety of our people
has always been our highest priority. I don’t
think we knew how to express it well or
communicate it in the past. I think what’s
most important in the journey we’ve taken in
the past 7 or 8 years is that we really learned
what it means to care about our people. That’s
really what I’ve learned through my personal
journey – safety is all about caring for people
and expressing that care and making sure our
actions reflect our feelings.
Speaking of zero, according to the Safety
Road Map, our goal for 2015 is zero
fatalities and an LTAR of 1.0. Do you think
this is an attainable goal and how can we get
there?
I do think it’s an attainable goal and I think
it’s a milestone that we absolutely have to hit
because there’s no reason why people should
be getting hurt on our jobsites. We need to
make sure that the safety of our people is our
highest priority and is shared by everyone in
the organization.
Does safety sell? How does our strong safety
program set us apart from our competition?
I really do think safety is a terrific selling point
and a differentiator for our company. Recently
we’ve been working on the Tappan Zee Bridge
pursuit. So far, we’ve had seven meetings with
the client and their consultants and at every
meeting we had a safety moment to start the
meeting. That has become the highlight of
the meetings. The direct feedback we recieved
from the owner was that the safety moment,
our focus on safety and actually acting on it
differentiated our team in a very positive way
from the other teams. That’s the most recent
experience I’ve had with the difference safety
can make.
While most people are well aware of the
cost savings associated with having a safety
program, what are some others benefits
of an effective safety program in today’s
competitive market?
I think that our focus on safety and people
attracts the best and most people and I think
that when we have the best people, productive
people, it’s going to make us more and more
competitive.
Do you think it’s safe to say that those who
feel safe on the job or feel that their safety is
a top priority are more productive and do
better work?
Absolutely! Quality, production and safety –
it’s all a big circle.
August 2012
Real Talk
The Leading Edge
Page 3
On the journey...
An executive talks about his safety journey and what it
means to be a leader
by Dave Schmidt, Co-Chief Operating Officer
The “Amen” meeting
Dave Schmidt
It was the summer of 1995 and I was on my second interview trip with Baugh Construction in Oregon. We
Co-Chief Operating Officer
joined in on a safety lunch at the Intel Ronler Acres campus. I remember thinking little of it on the way out,
but was interested in meeting others with the company. Upon arriving to the lunch, I was taken back by the number of craft – well over 300.
Within ten minutes a site leader began to give an impassioned speech about caring for one another and the responsibility each employee had
to ensure no team member got injured. At the conclusion of each important point or recognition, the crowd would respond with a very loud,
“AMEN.” The site leader was DJ (Dan Johnson). I joined the company.
IFE Always – “Even If the Client and Industry Don’t Care”
Although we had seen great outcomes on our Intel campus, and our general safety results were much better than industry average, we
struggled with consistency, and experienced serious incidents. Full implementation of IFE™ was thought to be too big of a change for
“straight forward” commercial construction, and neither the subs, nor our owners would support it. To those already fully committed to
IFE none of these excuses mattered and in 1997 the rest of us were told to join a two-day commitment workshop led by JMJ. This was an
uncomfortable change for many of us. After all, I had been building high rise hotels, condos, and offices for many years and I was safe and
I did care. I went into the workshop as a tourist. It turned out to be one of the most valuable two days of work I’ve ever spent. Not simply
changing my approach to safety at work, but as importantly in my life. Thank you, Dan Quatier.
Challenged to Lead
We were out of the ground and finally ready to erect iron on the Port of Portland headquarters by the fall of 1998. We had a structural steel
package with a very good local subcontractor and I had a terrific site team. About three days into the steel erection, I received a call from our
general superintendent, DJ, expressing his concern about the second tier subcontractor on the project. I asked if he had discussed this with
our superintendent, project manager, and safety director. He had, but thought I should meet directly with our sub and the erector. I told him
I would make a call and get the meeting set. His answer was no, “We will demand a meeting at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning before any more
work gets started, and we will be there every morning until we are satisfied that they understood how serious we are.” It was a lesson for me
in the impact of visible leadership.
Bright Days
By 1998, the executive safety leadership team, local safety leadership teams, and project safety leadership teams were all established and active
in changing us at an accelerated rate. Both minor and serious injuries had gone down on all our jobsites. We continued to attack issues and
adopt new ways of working including stretch and flex, glove policy and other safety initiatives. Near misses still occurred, but time was spent
identifying root causes in order to avoid repeating the incident. The effort was enormous and the satisfaction that our efforts were making
meant a lot.
Lightning Strikes – Darker Days
It was a beautiful morning in August of 2000. We had a lot of work, and were doing well as a company. At about 7:30 a.m., I received a
call from my project manager on a project about 100 miles away. We had a “serious accident.” No, we had a fatality. One of our apprentice
carpenters was removing material from the roof in order for installation to begin. My heart sank at the thought. How could this be? We had
engineered protective grates at all of the skylight openings, and the parapet was over handrail height – with one exception, the roof stair
hatch. The hole had been cut, marked with cones and orange paint, but not fastened. Our apprentice had picked up the edge of the plywood,
stepped forward as he lifted, and fell to his death. In the weeks and months that followed, I saw great compassion and leadership. It was the
most difficult period of time in my career, and I was driven to NEVER re-live that tragic experience.
Commitment Renewed – Going National and Global
Several years after we joined Skanska, a meeting of the Sr. Leadership team took place, hosted by Dan Quatier in the Beaverton office. The
meeting was the launch of our IFE journey as USA Building. As our various companies joined a single brand, IFE became a foundational
element in bringing us all together. Lead by Johan Karlstrom, Mike McNally and Bill Flemming, IFE evolved and continues to play a key role
in how we define our organization. I am very proud to work for a company that continues to expand its commitment to IFE, both in the U.S.
and abroad. Not only is it a great differentiator for us in the marketplace, but it is a foundation that binds us to a single brand. I am thankful
to everyone who began the journey, and to those who are just beginning the journey. The efforts of those just undertaking the journey today
remind us that our work is never done.
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 4
Safety Week? What
about a Safety Month?
by Erin Conlan, Safety Engineer
For seven years, Skanska has led the industry with
Erin Conlan
the deployment of Safety Week, a global initiative
which is focused on safety throughout our company Safety Manager
for one full week. This initiative has developed
to the point that it is now recognized as the largest company safety focused
initiative in the world. Skanska believes that going a week without an injury is
just one small step towards achieving our ultimate goal of zero accidents.
Now, USA Civil believes we need to raise the bar and set our sights on a going a
full month without injury. Summer Safety Month may appear to be a daunting
challenge, but we believe it can be done. The theme for the month is “Doing
What We Say We Do,” with the main objective being to ensure that every
jobsite refocuses on running our systems 100 percent as intended, resulting in
everyone going home safely at the end of every day.
Safety Month Themes:
•• Week 1: Safety Health & Environmental Management System (SHEMS):
How does it function and what does it mean?
•• Week 2: Understanding Heat-Related Illness
•• Week 3: Heavy Equipment Inspections / Maintenance Program
•• Week 4: Electrical Safety / Lockout Tagout Program
Safety Month Objectives:
•• Weekly Themed Toolbox Talks
•• Daily themed morning meeting items – Projects are required to discuss
the week’s theme at every morning meeting and ensure that the message
is carried to all employees during the daily job briefing.
•• Safety Rollback
•• Crew Reviews
•• Safety Month T-Shirts
•• Vacation Schedule Survey – Projects will be required to survey key
operational team members (project managers, superintendents, safety
staff and foremen) for their summer vacation schedules. This will enable
us to identify potential coverage and training needs.
•• SHEMs Monthly Management Review Meetings & Safety Committee
Meetings – Corporate Safety Committee members will be included in
this month’s Management Review Meetings and/or Safety Committee
Meetings. Executives also attended as part of their monthly executive
safety site visits (ESSV).
•• PAS Audits – Each site will be assessed on their monthly conformance
to our program through the PAS System striving for 100 percent
conformance in every aspect of the audit.
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 5
The Doorminator
by Melanie Parks, EHS Director
Innovation
Spotlight
It could protect
you!
Melanie Parks,
EHS Director
Melanie Parks is the EHS
Director in the Carolina | Virginia
office. She and her team
support the environmental,
health, and safety programs
on 10 jobsites. Melanie also
has previous experience in the
Nashville and Texas divisions,
as well as Skanska Residential
Development Nordic. She is an
avid contributor to The Leading
Edge, often writing about great
new safety innovations that her
team has developed.
No, this is not a new superhero on the scene! Though you could think of it that
way if your goal is to reduce the number of soft tissue injuries and caught-betweens
on your jobsite.
The Doorminator, a Telpro Inc. product, is a stabilizing and transport caddy to
help workers install doors of all varieties. It has been used recently at the James
B. Hunt Library project in Raleigh with much success. Typically, door installation
involves one worker struggling to hold the door upright and in place while they try
to plumb it. This can lead to back and shoulder injuries, as well as the possibility
of getting fingers caught between the door and the frame. The Doorminator
engineers these hazards out by doing the heavy lifting and positioning.
The Doorminator helps the worker not only transport the door on wheels from a
staging area to its particular frame, but also holds it exactly in place as the worker
plumbs it for installation. The elimination of risks is one benefit, but productivity
is another benefit. On a large project like the James B. Hunt Library, the cost of
a Doorminator can be spread out among a large number of doors, making this a
great advantage to a subcontractor that wishes to use them.
The results spoke volumes for our project. The installation of the doors was
completed without injury and in a timely manner.
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 6
From across the pond:
Back on the Jobsite!
Skanska UK Executives go back to the workplace to understand
potential exposure to injuries!
by Mike Bradley, Customer Solutions Direction Skanska UK
At one of the early leadership team meetings, some members of
the team felt that they may have become out of touch with what
the current site environment is really like. We decided that the
best thing to do would be to get back out on the jobsite and see for
ourselves, by way of working on site for a day.
I had the great privilege of joining the Borough Viaduct Project
as an assistant for Vince, part of our logistics support team on the
project.
My day started with my 4:45a.m. alarm call to catch the 5:53 a.m.
London train from Haddenham and Thame Parkway to get me to
Borough Viaduct by 7:30a.m. Following induction and a drugs and
alcohol test, I was fitted with full PPE and introduced to Vince, my
team leader for the day.
My job was to support Vince by delivering tools and supplies to
each of the work areas on the Borough Viaduct project in and
around London Bridge Station and Borough Market where all,
without exception, had extremely difficult access problems, in short
it was a logistical nightmare.
The potential for accidents in these small congested working areas
was plain to see with major plant materials moving continuously to
support steelwork erection, underpinning foundations in railway
vaults and archaeologists trying to exhume 19th Century graves.
book in nature. We often have to deal
with conditions like Borough Viaduct
where the man - machine interfaces
are difficult to control and cannot
be eliminated and the worksites,
whilst controlled, always have hidden
dangers.
Mike Bradley
Secondly, the importance of speaking
Customer Solutions Director
up when we see dangers that have the
potential to cause harm to ourselves or
workmates was obvious during my visit.
Finally, I could see that having good relationships helps when
looking after one another. There was a great rapport on site with
humor helping to build, mould and support these relationships,
although I recognized the need for greater interaction between
Skanska staff and our subcontractors.
Thanks again to Susan, John Rooney and the rest of the Borough
Viaduct Project team for organizing my visit, but particularly to
Vince for making the day so entertaining.
The work was physically demanding and I was greatly relieved
when the morning’s 30 minute break arrived. This allowed time for
a refreshing cup of tea and a chat with Vince, an ardent West Ham
supporter with the amazing ability to gently taunt Tottenham
supporters working on nearby projects as we traveled between
worksites throughout the day.
I then went back to work lifting bags of cement, transferring
diversion signs for Sunday’s street closure program, delivering and
recovering tools from worksites to stores meant that my day at “the
sharp end” passed extremely quickly and safely under the expert
eye of Vince.
Retracing my journey got me home around 8:00 injury-free except
for a few aches and pains the next day from muscles I hadn’t used
for a number of years.
The feedback I got from Vince and the team indicated that they
were happy with my productivity on the day, but I really think they
were only trying to be kind!
So what did I learn from the experience in relation to Injury-Free
Environment™? First, the environments we work in are rarely text
Vince was Mike Bradley’s Supervisor during his back on the jobsite day.
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 7
Project Spotlight:
Innovations on the Brooklyn Bridge
by Maggie Bonafair, Director Technical Writing
by Michael Bruno, Safety Manager
Not many construction companies can say
that they work on a globally iconic structure
like the Brooklyn Bridge, but we are not
like many construction companies. When
we began work on the rehabilitation of the
approach ramp slabs and spans in 2010,
we knew the task of keeping the job safe
would take the combined effort of everyone
involved, including the tradesman.
One of the biggest safety challenges facing
the project is the extended work hours
required to meet the owner’s schedule. The
hours include daily nine hour night shifts,
and up to 56 hour round-the-clock weekends.
One particular weekend in June, we were
scheduled to demolish 4,000 square feet of
concrete roadway decking, clean and repair
525 linear feet of steel stringers, install 22
pre-cast decking panels, weld 1,400 studs to
the top of the stringer and clean and open
the roadway. A tall order! The NYCDOT
permitted us to close the ramp to traffic from
7:00 am Saturday until 6:00 am Monday (47
hours) to get it all done.
These weekends present several unique safety
challenges for the project team including
worker fatigue, worker complacency,
different trades working in close proximity,
multiple cranes servicing the work and for
this weekend in particular - the hot weather.
When the safety managers arrived onsite at
6:30 am to begin their shift, the temperature
was already a balmy 80 degrees. They
immediately began to mitigate the safety
challenges a weekend like this presents. With
the high for the day expected to be near 93
degrees, one of the biggest concerns for the
safety managers was heat stress. With little to
no shade when working on the roadway of
an approach ramp and the hot sun beating
down on you, heat stress can occur quickly.
A number of safe guards were immediately
put into place.
•• A canopy was setup to provide the
workers with shade during breaks.
•• Additional drinking water stations
were setup on various locations
along the ramp.
•• Toolbox talks were given by the
safety managers and superintendents
on heat stress during the morning
daily job briefing.
In addition to these items, an innovative
idea was developed by Dan Romano, a
Skanska Koch Superintendent. He devised
a water mister using a Venturi Tube and
a garden hose (see diagram to make your
own). A small wooden frame was built to
support and elevate one end of the tube.
Then, a compressed air line was attached
to the Venturi Tube inlet. A garden hose
was placed at the narrow end of the tube.
The compressed air velocity in the tube
coupled with the water from the garden
hose creates and propels mist of cool water.
A mesh screen was installed over the wide
end of the Venturi Tube to prohibit debris
from been projected through the tube.
The Venturi Tube misters cooled the
tradesman and reduced the air borne silica
dust as they worked, while the canopy and
additional water stations provided a good
break area. The combined effort of the
project team kept the job safe and allowed
the work for the weekend to be completed
on-time.
Jim Clemens, Executive Vice President, Aviation CEO
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 8
The First Aid Files:
by Tom McCarthy, Compliance Assistance Specialist for OSHA
Tom McCarthy
Compliance Assistance
Specialist for OSHA
How
much
water
should you
drink each day?
The Institute of
Medicine determined
that an adequate
intake for men is
roughly 3 liters (about
13 cups) of total
beverages a day. The
for women is 2.2 liters
(about 9 cups) of total
beverages a day. In
hot weather or during
strenuous work this
needs to be increased
to even more fluids.
Water!
Rest!
Shade!
Upright, bi-pedal, forward looking, binocular vision, opposable thumbs….these are characteristics
we all possess that contribute to Homo Sapiens’ place as an apex predator. Sure, our advanced brains
contribute to our evolutionary success, but have you ever considered the role our body’s cooling
system plays in our existence?
Our remarkable cooling system relies on the evaporation of sweat from our skin to maintain our
core body temperature at a safe level when ambient temperatures soar. If this cooling system breaks
down, we’re in serious trouble! Construction personnel, excavators, linemen, and mark out technicians* who labor in hot outdoor environments must remember to stay hydrated and get out of the
sun for quick breaks during the day.
Water is our body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of our body
weight. Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when we don’t have enough
water in our body to carry out normal functions. Fact: If we’re thirsty, we’re already dehydrated.
Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired. In 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 40 workers died due to heat-related causes and that 4,190 workers experienced
heat illness.
It’s not just the sun that’s heating you up – it’s the work you do. As you work, your internal temperature rises as your body meets the metabolic demand you place on it. You’re being heated from the
inside and the outside. Symptoms of heat illness include thirst, cramps, headaches, nausea, dizziness,
weakness, heavy sweating and an increased body temperature. The symptoms of heat stress include
confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures, a very high body temperature and hot, dry skin or profuse
sweating.
The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
recognizes the hazard, and has launched a National Heat Stress Initiative which is described at www.
osha.gov. OSHA has even provided an app that you can download to your smartphone. The app
combines temperature and humidity into a useful, easy to use heat index, so you can better gauge
your heat risk.
Water. Rest. Shade. A simple, common sense strategy that could
save your life.
Connecting the Dots
If we’re thirsty, we’re already dehydrated.
Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.
There’s an app
for that!
Click here to get the
Heat Safety Tool to help
calculate the heat index
on your jobsite!
The Leading Edge
August 2012
Page 9
The Rigging Corner
by John Glinski, Crane Coordinator
Signaling Cranes
Signaling cranes is one of the most important jobs on a construction site, but is also one of the most
untrained positions. For this reason OSHA, as part of 1926.1400 Sub Part CC, which took effect
November 8, 2010, has included in the regulation to read, “The employer of a signal person must
ensure that each signal person meets the qualification requirements of 1926.1428.”
So what does this mean for the construction industry?
This means that the employer must ensure that the signal person has been properly trained, tested
and documented by a third party evaluator or an employer’s qualified evaluator in the following
areas:
•• Know and understand the types and signals listed in Appendix A of the OSHA Hand
SIGNAL Chart.
•• Be competent in the application of these signals.
•• Have a basic understanding of equipment operations and limitations, including all phases of
Crane Dynamics.
•• Know and understand the regulations 1926.1419 through 1926.1428.
•• Demonstrate that he/she meets the requirements through an oral or written test and a
practical test.
USA Civil Northeast is now training and qualifying all of the employees signaling cranes with a
four hour class and written and practical exams. Currently over 100 people have gone through
the program with great success and positive feedback. Skanska is constantly working to make the
construction site a safe place for all.
John Glinski,
Crane Coordinator
John Glinski has been
a crane coordinator for
26 years, has been with
Skanska since 2009 and
is currently with the
Maspeth Equipment
department. Operating
cranes since 1986, John
educates us on the
importance of crane
safety and putting
employee safety first. He
has shared his expertise
through various training
classes as well as in
every issue of The
Leading Edge through
his column “The Rigging
Corner.”
Check it out!
Did you get a chance to read our article in coasttocoast?
On Budget, On Time and Safer than Ever
The Employee Magazine for Skanska USA
2012/Issue 02
coasttocoast
On Budget, On Time
Bridging
Scissor Lift
Dos & Don'ts
and
the Safer than Ever
Throughout the life of a project, a constant eye is kept on the
schedule and the budget. Luckily, there’s a tool deployed at
Skanska that can help do both, and keep the project safe, too.
It's known as OHSAS 18001 certification.
Do!
Use a scissor lift to hoist workers
and equipment inside the basket.
Workers must have both feet on
the floor of the basket while staying
within the lift’s weight capacities.
Also, lower the basket to its original
position before moving from
one location to another to avoid
accidents and injuries.
Toasting to
125 Years
Inside Bayshore
Bayshore Concrete Products, page 8
Skanska's Year of Firsts
First U.S. PPP, page 10
First U.S. development property sale, page 11
Not Your Average Trailer
Field offices get creative, page 14
Skanska celebrates 125 years of success, page 12
Finding a balance
To maintain OHSAS 18001 certification, both USA Building and USA Civil must provide
evidence that the system is operating effectively and that Skanska is striving for continuous
improvement.
This is accomplished through internal and external audits of Skanska’s systems. These audits
not only provide feedback to top-level executives about how their jobsites are performing with
regard to safety, but also to predict potential breaches, prevent potential injuries and keep the
project on schedule. This type of leading indicator is revolutionary in the safety industry, which
mainly focuses on lagging indicators typically based on the number of injuries. For Skanska, the
audits allow the company to foresee a lack of engagement and provide an opportunity to place
more attention on management systems, reengage the team and possibly prevent an injury, all
while increasing productivity.
Together, Skanska’s management systems, like OHSAS 18001 certification, and behaviorbased programs, like Injury-Free Environment®, are the perfect balance of initiatives to help
both construction business units not only achieve their 2015 safety goals, but provide a One
Skanska approach in safety reporting, too. This common language gives Skanska a unique
market advantage, as well as operational efficiency, supporting the profitable growth strategy.
By engaging in both initiatives the company has a tactical balance of a caring approach to safety
with a definitive structure and measureable targets provided by the OHSAS 18001 certification.
Skanska is currently the only construction company in the U.S. with dual certifications in
OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 – an environmental management system for companies. OHSAS
18001, specifically, has a proven track record in providing world-class safety performance, giving
Skanska the best possible chance of sending everyone home safely every day. ◆
On
e2
A safety process
Pag
While OHSAS 18001 is a safety certificate, it’s much more than just a plaque
on the wall.
The certification is a way to ensure management systems are working
effectively. The system follows a risk analysis process, identifying potential
safety hazards and putting into place control programs to mitigate risks
associated with the work being performed.
The process forces project teams to look ahead and pre-plan upcoming
activities, assess risks, develop controls and document the process, enabling
Skanska to communicate these aspects to the frontline. The management
system lays down a foundation, not just to be safe, but to be organized and
forward thinking about the upcoming work. If genuinely implemented, with
everyone on site actively engaged, this process will increase operational
efficiency, resulting in a project that’s on time, on budget and most of all safe.
2
coast to coast
coast to coast
Don’t!
Scissor lifts can’t support or lift
equipment or be used as a crane.
Using the scissor lift in these ways
can potentially exceed the weight
capacities or cause the scissor lift’s
center of gravity to shift, resulting in
the lift failing and collapsing.
3
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 10
Real Life Heroes on the Jobsite!
by Maria Houle, Project Manager
the rescue. After the incident was under control Matt stated, “My
training allowed me to focus on the emergency instead of letting
my adrenaline and nerves control the situation. Don’t minimize
the importance of safety training and planning. The right training
and an effective emergency action plan saves lives.”
Early morning on May 25, a 911 emergency was in progress at the
UF & Shands at Springhill project.
While installing ductwork on the 3 third floor, a 24-year-old
mechanical employee complained of chest pains and difficulty
breathing while working on a ladder. His crew got him to the
ground and called 911. Superintendent Bryan Marlow and his
team responded to the medical emergency and implemented
their emergency action plan as if they performed under this
environment every day. Upon receiving the call, Bryan Marlow
immediately directed the team to take action. Matt Pinkoson,
who is trained in first aid and CPR, was dispatched to the
third floor to direct the situation. Collin King dashed to get
the AED to the emergency location, while Matt took vitals.
The employee stopped breathing and lost consciousness and
without hesitation Matt administered CPR continuously while
waiting for the Gainesville Fire Rescue team to arrive. The
employee had stopped breathing several times during CPR and
through Matt’s actions, left the job breathing and alive.
The actions undertaken by Matt were integral to saving the
employee’s life as he had stopped breathing several times during
In the photo from left to right: Collin King, Bryan Marlow, Paul
Ventresca, Matt Pinkoson, Will Maddux
New Faces in Virginia
Time Dare is the new EHS director for USA
Civil Southeast. Tim has been in construction
safety for over 20 years and has been involved
with industrial, civil, and marine construction
projects in many areas of the country. Prior
to joining Skanska, Tim was with Granite
Tim Dare,
Construction for six years in the role of regional
EHS Director
safety manager, based in California and New
York City. He has also worked with PKS and Modern Continental.
Notable projects he has been involved with are Boston’s Big Dig and
the new San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. At Skanska, he will oversee
all projects for Civil Southeast including Pier 5, Huguenot Bridge and
Midtown Tunnel.
He has held a Safety Professional Certification for 16 years and completed
the ASSE Certificate in Safety Management Program. Prior to his
construction safety career, Tim served nine years in the U.S. Navy as a
nuclear propulsion operator and instructor.
Jason Timmerman has joined
our team as an EHS director
supporting the Rockville
operations for USA Building. He
has extensive experience with
many contractors around the
Jason Timmerman,
region, on both the corporate
EHS Director
side as well as jobsites. Some
notable projects Jason has
been a part of include The North Shore Connector and
Miami Internation Airport South Terminal expansion.
In addition to his experience in EHS, he has also spent
a great deal of time focusing on the insurance side and
has a solid understanding of workman’s compensation
issues. Jason holds a B.S. in education and a M.S. in
safety and environmental management from West
Virginia University where he played college football.
Jason and his two daughters live in Arlington, VA.
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 11
World Class Recognition
Winning a customer-sponsored safety leadership award is always noteworthy; winning the award 11 times is
unheard of.
Skanska was awarded the coveted “SSLEA” or Supplier Safety Leadership Excellence Award by Intel Corporation for the 11th time. The submission criterion focuses on 5 key areas:
•• Unwavering Management Support for Employee Well-Being
by Blake Devine, Senior Project Executive
•• Field/Line Management Ownership
•• Innovation
•• Strategic Cultural Development
•• Community Influence
The invitation to be considered for the award is sent to all Intel global construction
suppliers. The Oregon office drove the submission and more than 20 people from USA
Building and USA Civil participated in supplying specific content for the presentation.
The submission included both a PowerPoint presentation and a safety self-assessment.
Skanska presented their submission to Intel management in Arizona this past February.
The presentation team consisted of Bill Flemming, Dave Schmidt, Ross Vroman, Jim Link,
Beth Heider, Hendrik Van Brenk and Blake Devine.
Skanska’s theme focused on “Investing in Safety.” Key components of our submission
were the safety roadmap, environmental stewardship, global and national safety leadership teams, global safety week, global safety standards, safety competency and the safety
performance network. Special recognition within our presentation was given to Leroy
Moore, Joe Forest, Ricardo Mora, Steve Brisotti, and Scott Hansma for their safety efforts
in 2011.
The concept of an injury-free culture was born at Intel over 15 years ago. They are a
premiere Skanska customer who truly believes in this concept. They are also a customer
that walks this talk. Whether it is partnering on driving safety into the field or funding
safety events, Intel has always been there to support Skanska. Being recognized by Intel
as a construction industry safety leader with the SSLEA is an achievement each and every
Skanska employee around the globe should be proud of.
Skanska accepting it’s 11th SSLEA award! From the
left; Blake Devine, Jeff Leeper of Intel, Jim Link.
Blake Devine,
Senior Project Executive
Skanska wins
it’s 11th SSLEA!
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 12
Let the Map Guide You!
The Safety Road Map is changing safety in Oregon
by Jay Weisberger, Director of Communications
Our Safety Road Map should help Skanska hit
its 2015 business plan goals. But like any good
map, if it’s designed properly, anyone should be
able to read it – and benefit from it.
Jay Weisberger is Director of Communications
for Skanska’s western region. He is also a
member of the National Green Council and is
often the person behind Skanska’s tweets. To
follow Skanska on Twitter please use @SkanskaUSA
The Portland office took this to heart with a recent effort aimed at not only improving Skanska’s safety efforts, but also that of the entire state
of Oregon.
Jay Weisberger
“For 15 years, we’ve held meetings with our ‘Top
Director of Communications
40’ subcontractors to share best practices,” says
Vice President of Operations Dan Johnson. “If you put them together with us, we’d probably be one of the top 10 employers in the state.
That’s a chance to really change the way we approach safety.”
After asking Oregon’s Skanska staff to evaluate our company on the roadmap – and seeing some surprising results – the office team chose to
take the roadmap to the Top 40 to take the pulse of the construction industry in the region.
“This was eye-opening,” Dan says. “It showed some areas where we all align on strengths, but also on weaknesses. It helps us have an idea of
how we can help our subcontractors and puts everyone on the same page to work together to improve overall.”
For the office, this is a significant change in the way measuring safety is approached. “Historically, the measure of safety has been the recordable incident rate,” says Vice President EHS Bob Moore. “That number alone won’t drive improvement. We needed something that gets
more at the people side of things that really makes people grasp behavior. This tool, we think, has done the best job of that to date.”
In Oregon, the Top 40, which meets annually, was charged to come back next year ready to talk solid plans for improvement. Action will be
happening sooner, though, because of an expansion to a local job site.
“We realized that 25 of these subcontractors work on one of our major project sites, where there are currently 6,000 total craft workers
across the campus,” Dan says.
So, the team performed the same exercise on the job site. The end result was identifying 11 areas on the roadmap to focus on for improvement. Every one of these 25 subcontractors along with the Skanska project team
will come up with strategies to address all 11 topics. These will be combined for an
action plan. Firms will be selected from the group to drive improvement for the
entire group for a given area. This group meets monthly, so action will be quick.
Collaboration among the group is already strong because of the long relationship.
“This was an easy step to take with the group since we have a long history of meeting together,” Dan says. “But I could imagine other areas starting with a smaller
group and gradually widening the net. If there’s enough motivation among an
initial group, one thing will lead to another and it will grow.”
As the process gets under way, there is significant excitement. “The enthusiasm
among the subs was fantastic,” Dan says. “Everyone is looking for what the next
big splash in safety is. We had gloves, then stretch-and-flex. The Road Map could
be the next thing. It’s renewed my excitement in the cause of safety and makes me
think we can drive to hit zero accidents.”
August 2012
The Leading Edge
The Fitness Forum
Get Fit this Summer the
Correct Way!
Though most of us would agree that any exercise is better than none,
fitness experts have found that some tried-and-true moves, when
done incorrectly, can cause more harm than good. We spoke with our
top-notch personal trainer, Jon Gallo, to better understand why certain
exercises can be harmful and what alternative moves can help you
achieve the same results.
Sit-Up
Page 13
We’d Love Your Input
Do you have a comment or question
you’d like to ask The Leading Edge?
Or maybe an idea for a story in the next issue?
If so, then write to Tina Banks via email
([email protected]).
The Leading Edge is a national publication. We welcome
comments and suggestions from any of our colleagues th-
roughout the United States in any business unit.
Sit-ups are easy to do anywhere and definitely work your abdominals,
but unfortunately, the exercise also puts strain on your spine and can
cause back pain. “The mechanics of the movement and position of the body throw the [momentum] into the lower back, forcing your hip flexors
to pull directly on the spine. Over time, this will leave you with lower back pain,” explains Jon Gallo, CPT, certified fitness trainer and founder of
Now I’m Fit, Inc. and Cycle Revolutions.
Replace with the plank: like sit-ups, the plank—holding a push-up position on your hands (or forearms) and toes with your body in a straight line
and your abdominal muscles tightened—can be done anywhere you have the space. But unlike sit-ups, the plank is much easier on your back,
while still strengthening your core. “The plank is an isometric strengthening exercise. It tightens the muscles without causing damage to the joints,”
says Gallo.
Push-Up
Although push-ups can tone your arms and abs, often they’re performed incorrectly, causing harm. “Most people don’t really know if they have
shoulder ‘stability’ as they execute the exercise, nor do they know if their body is in proper alignment. There are a multitude of body malfunctions
that can (and often do) happen in a push-up, like lower-back caving,” explains Karyn Klein, cocreator of Do or Die Fitness tools and former director
of dance at the University of Southern California. “When people are lowering their body toward the floor, they are usually working so hard at
managing the difficulty of the exercise, they lose the ability to stay connected to their core.” Another typical problem? “Winging shoulder blades—
when the muscles in the back and shoulders aren’t strong enough to stabilize the arms to the body—which can make the back vulnerable,” Klein
adds.
Replace with a modified push-up: “By making a few adjustments to the push-up, you can maximize the benefits and get rid of these problems,”
says Klein. Performing push-ups on your knees, instead of on your toes, allows you to draw your shoulder blades down and keep them stable—
challenging your triceps and back muscles instead of stressing your back. Other tips: Keep your head aligned with your neck and spine, and tuck
your abs and ribcage in to protect your back.
Crunch
While you lift and lower your entire upper body when doing a traditional sit-up, a crunch is a smaller movement that focuses on lifting only until
your sternum meets your pelvis. But like a sit-up, it can also injure your
back. “If done improperly (and they often are), crunches can cause
stress fractures and spinal injuries. Many people tuck their chins and
strain their necks to lift their bodies,” says Daniel Holland, DPT, physical
therapist and special advisor to the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Did You Know...
That the term “The Leading Edge” is not the name of
our magazine by chance! It is actually a very popular
construction term used on our jobsites everyday!
The leading edge is the unprotected side and edge
of a floor, roof, or platform that you may be working
from. It is important
to always remember
fall protection requirements when working
near the leading edge.
Replace with C-curve: The Pilates C-curve—when you sit up straight
with your feet on the floor and pull your lower abs in as you curve
your spine—is much more beneficial to your abdominal muscles than
crunches. “It’s an orthopedic back stretch, which works the abdominal
muscles more deeply (by using part of the abdominal wall), while
releasing tension in the lower back,” says Suzanne Bowen, certified
group fitness and Pilates instructor and creator of the Gorgeous Core
workout program.
For more information, visit
www.jongallofitness.com
August 2012
The Leading Edge
Page 14
It’s Puzzling...
by Lou Dema, Safety Engineer
15.Nashville
14.Cortez
11.Chicago
8.Parsippany
7.
New York
5.Florida
3.Philadelphia
2.Phoenix
1.Oakland
Down
17. Los Angeles
16.Durham
13.Michigan
12.Malmo
10.Atlanta
9.Newhaven
6.Evansville
4.Riverside
2.Portland
Across
Answer Key
Across
2.
Founded in 1972 as Baugh Construction and acquired in 2000, this office built the first LEED Gold Certified Hospital in the nation.
4.
Founded 1919 as E.L Yeager, acquired in 2002, this office has placed over 30 tons of asphalt.
6.
Founded in 1964 as Industrial Contractors, and acquired in 2011, this office has worked 7 million man-hours without a lost time incident.
9.
Skanska’s first office opened in USA that was not an acquisition. This office was also responsible for some of Skanska’s first key acquisitions in USA.
10. Founded in 1905 as Beers Construction, this office has built the worldwide headquarters for Coca Cola, Home Depot and UPS.
12. Skanska was founded in this city in Sweden in 1887.
13. Founded in 1939 as AJ Etkin Construction, and acquired in 1999, this office has completed projects in 14 states and Canada.
16. Founded in 1918 as James A Davidson and acquired in 1994, this office is credited with piloting tablet computer technologies on project sites 9 years ago. Today it’s a Skanska standard.
17. Founded in 2012, the county it is in enacted referendum in 2008 to provide nearly $40 billion for transit projects over next 30 years
Down
1.
Founded in 2006, this office is currently working on first IPD project. Its Central Plant Project is LEED Platinum and has won 10 awards to date.
2.
Founded in 2010, this office held the very first Building/Civil wellness fair bringing both units together to promote OneSkanska.
3.
Founded in 1913 as Barclay White, acquired in 2000, this office was named one of the “Top 50 Corporate Charitable Contributors 2012” by a local business journal.
5.
Founded in 1993 as Beers Construction, acquired in 1994, this state’s office has built projects on every major university campus in the state.
7.
Underpinning & Foundation located in this city, was founded in 1897 and acquired in 1973. Other acquisitions in this city were Slattery in 1989 (founded 1927). It is also home to the Mission Critical Center of Excellence.
8.
Founded in 1910 as Sordoni Construction, and acquired in 2000, this office is the states largest pharmaceutical builder with $2 billion in projects.
11. Founded in 2011, this newest office opened to help support thegrowth of the aviation market.
14. Founded in 1950 as Nielsons Inc and acquired in 1998, one of this offices newest jobsites is located at 13,100 above sea level.
15. Founded in 1977 as Patten Construction, and acquired in 1994, this office built the North American Headquarters for Nissan.