INDUSTRY AWARDS

Strong safety culture leads to safety award recognition

Mechanical Construction Manager Simon Ridley (right) accepts the safety award from Guam Contractor’s Association President James Martinez (left)

It has become a commonly held belief that safety culture underpins safety performance. Companies who have a strong and positive safety culture are likely to also have excellent safety results. Implementation of safety procedures provides a structure and control system for safety behaviours, but what really drives a true commitment to the right behavioural norms is the right organisational attitudes. In fact, research by the Western Sydney University in 2013 concluded that investing in more protection and engineering a safer work environment does not always produce better safety performance without the improvement of safety culture.

“What really drives a true commitment to the right safety behavioural norms is the right safety attitudes”

Smithbridge Guam is an excellent example of an organisation whose safety culture has driven a remarkable safety performance. Smithbridge Guam has achieved over 4 million-man hours LTI free – that means

they haven’t had an LTI since August 2000. Their safety performance was further recognised at the 2018 Guam Contractors Association Excellence in Construction Awards, where they were named the Category Winner for Excellence in Project Safety, Speciality Contracting Under $10 Million for the Anderson Airforce Base Tank 3-1 Refurbishment. The team was also the recipient of this award in 2016 for the Cetti Bay Reforestation. Guam Contractors Association Excellence in Construction Awards celebrates and rewards quality craftsmanship in the Guam construction industry and has a dedicated award for excellence in safety. Simon Ridley, Mechanical Construction Manager at Smithbridge Guam, believes the team’s safety culture was key to their excellent safety performance on the Tank 3-1 Refurbishment Project and throughout the rest of the business. The awarded project scope included fabrication and installation of a new set of aluminium stairs and handrail for a jet fuel tank on the Andersen Air Force Base.

“We promote an environment where open and honest dialogue between co-workers is encouraged,” Simon said. “When planning the daily activities, particularly for the high-risk demolition phase where the

Smithbridge Guam team, from left to right: Graeme Ridley, Simon Ridley, Bruna Ridley, Albert Smith, Shayne Smith, Nixon Mercado, David McCallum, Scott Reed, Ben Bailey, Dashelle Bailey

corroded stairs and handrails were unstable and unknown, we held at minimum daily planning sessions with the team, ensuring they all understood the steps required to safely dismantle and remove the structure.”

Despite working to an aggressive schedule, an unrelenting focus on safety over schedule enabled the team to complete the project on time with zero incidents. The team introduced a modularised system of demolition designed to remove large sections safely and productively, addressing key project risks of working at heights, confined space, and complex crane lifts.

Smithbridge Guam adopted the DuPont Safety Training Observation Program (STOP) in 2003. When an individual sees another undertaking a task in an unsafe manner, the STOP card allows a positive discussion to take place without concern about disciplinary action. Every employee receives training to become skilled in recognising and eliminating unsafe acts and conditions which are the major cause of most injuries.

This is strongly supported by the Smithbridge Guam leadership team who invest time in the field interacting with the work crews through safety observations using the STOP cards. Smithbridge Guam Vice President Steve Radonich has been part of the implementation of the STOP program since Day 1.

The standard you walk past, is the standard you accept.

“We are really proud of how far our safety culture has come in the last 10 years,” Steve said. “I am a big believer in the saying ‘The standard you walk past, is the standard you accept’ and that’s the mantra we live by every day. The team knows if I walk past a trip hazard or see an unsafe technique, I’m going to say something! And that kind of thing from all the team leaders is really what drives our safety performance. 

Has your team been recognised for excellence in safety? We’d love to hear from you! Share your story with us at liftingmatters@writestrategy.com.au.