Winning Strategies from the Olympic Build

The health and safety techniques developed during the 2012 Olympic build can be mimicked in other construction projects to prevent injuries and fatalities, according to a recent study by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the U.K. Health and Safety Executive. From the findings, IOSH identified best practices in five key areas that could be used in construction companies and projects of all sizes. 1. Lead from the top. Set standards and visibly engaged with the workforce to direct, motivate and change behavior by focusing on its long-term goals. 2. Develop competent supervisors. Supervisors with technical, interpersonal and communication skills are more effective in conveying health and safety messages.   3. Foster an open, positive safety culture. Workers must be able to communicate problems without fear of retribution. Workers who feel that managers care about them are more likely to get involved with the health and safety process. 4. Reward good behavior. Incentives and rewards helped to promote and encourage safe and good behaviors such as reporting near misses. In many cases, positive feedback was the real reward, as it boosted morale. 5. Review and learn. Review any problems constantly and communicate them across the organization. Most importantly, use the lessons learned from the problems encountered to improve health and safety. According to Olympic Delivery Authority, an estimated 40,000 people worked on the build of the Olympics, and not one fatality was recorded during the construction phase. For more information, visit Lessons learned from the London 2012 Games construction project.