{"id":17381,"date":"2023-05-23T05:03:27","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T12:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/strong-voices-safe-choices-highlight-the-importance-of-construction-safety-week-2023\/"},"modified":"2023-05-23T05:03:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T12:03:27","slug":"strong-voices-safe-choices-highlight-the-importance-of-construction-safety-week-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/strong-voices-safe-choices-highlight-the-importance-of-construction-safety-week-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong Voices, Safe Choices: Highlight the Importance of Construction Safety Week 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Strong Voices, Safe Choices: Highlight the Importance of Construction Safety Week 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Construction Safety Week<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was created in 2014 to emphasize construction\u2019s top priority: protecting workers.<\/p>\n

Jobsite health and safety programs have become more dynamic and advanced through technology, including data retention and analysis.<\/p>\n

In a recent conversation between Donna Laquidara-Carr, industry insights research director at Dodge Construction Network, and Nathan Wood, founder and chief enabling officer at SpectrumAEC and executive director at Construction Progress Coalition, safety was at the forefront of the discussion.<\/p>\n

Through Dodge\u2019s research-based studies, the company has begun to educate the market on digital transformation and worker safety \u2014 gathering data on ongoing opportunities and challenges for implementation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started on these studies, one of our goals was to demonstrate that in addition to the really valuable benefits associated with improving safety and worker health, there are real business benefits of safety,\u201d said Laquidara-Carr. \u201cAnd those studies have conclusively shown that. We consistently found that you see improvements on safety elements such as recordable injury rates and worker willingness to report unsafe conditions, but you also see business improvements. Things like improved worker retention are widely reported across all the studies we\u2019ve conducted. The ability to bring in new work for many contractors is influenced by what they\u2019re doing in their safety program.\u201d<\/p>\n

The improved safety programs examined in the studies utilize technology, and thus, data, to make construction a safer industry for all involved. Although these technologies sometimes require more effort for inputting data, the output and results from the data collection greatly outweigh the input.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you say technology, what I hear is data, right? How is the collection of\u00a0data\u00a0<\/em>impacting safety on the job site? And you have to say as a whole, it\u2019s improving it,\u201d said Wood. \u201cThe more you measure it, the more you\u2019re aware of it \u2014 the more it starts to change those behaviors. But, there can be unintended consequences as well. There can be impacts on productivity and it can create more data entry than maybe you had before. So, I think it brings up this very interesting conversation with safety as such a core principle to what makes construction important. Getting home safe is paramount to everything. But with all this technology that\u2019s around us, we need to prove that it\u2019s not a distraction and that we\u2019re actually using it to measure the right things and deliver feedback that\u2019s actually making us safer. It\u2019s a fine line to walk, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most recent\u00a0Civil Quarterly<\/em>\u00a0from Dodge highlights how technology and data are making a distinct impact on jobsite safety: 67% of civil contractors cited lower recordable injury rates as a benefit to utilizing data analysis to manage safety. The research also showed that more than half of civil contractors expect that more than 10% of civil construction companies will be utilizing predictive analytics and AI in the next three years, with 47% of contractors expecting these tools to have a notable impact on safety. The report featured additional qualitative insight from within the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the\u00a0Civil Quarterly<\/em>, we featured a couple of companies using data to improve their safety programs,\u201d said Laquidara-Carr. \u201cOne of the companies talked about how they have this very elaborate safety checklist, and they said it seems kind of tedious at first, but they say just doing our checklist is a learning opportunity. If someone is relatively new to their company, and they have to go through 20 questions about how well-anchored something is, they\u2019re going to get the message about all of the things that they\u2019re expected to keep in mind. So it\u2019s more about the interaction, than it is necessarily how you\u2019re making that interaction happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from Construction Safety Week, May is Building Safety Month, which continues to raise awareness for safety and health in the industry. This dedicated time not only reinforces how important these safety initiatives are, but encourages industry professionals to challenge themselves to have harder conversations than usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe month of May is now forever ingrained in my head as not just safety, but Mental Health and Suicide Awareness Month,\u201d said Wood. \u201cSo as we look at different months, March is obviously very focused on women\u2019s history, women\u2019s advancement, and women construction days. May is really all about mental health and safety practices. As much as we should be thinking about safety and health all months of the year, having those months to really reflect on it and remind ourselves and look back on how far we\u2019ve come in the last year, I think, are important steps to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about Dodge Construction Network reports and insights,\u00a0click here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Construction Progress Coalition,\u00a0click here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About Dodge Construction Network<\/strong>
Dodge Construction Network leverages an unmatched offering of data, analytics, and industry-spanning relationships to generate the most powerful source of information, knowledge, insights, and connections in the commercial construction industry.<\/p>\n

The company powers four longstanding and trusted industry solutions\u2014Dodge Data & Analytics, The Blue Book Network, Sweets, and IMS\u2014to connect the dots across the entire commercial construction ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Together, these solutions provide clear and actionable opportunities for both small teams and enterprise firms. Purpose-built to streamline the complicated, Dodge Construction Network ensures that construction professionals have the information they need to build successful businesses and thriving communities. With over a century of industry experience, Dodge Construction Network is the catalyst for modern commercial construction.<\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/strong>:
Cailey Henderson | 104 West Partners |\u00a0ca**************<\/span>@*****<\/span>st.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n