A driving factor in achieving this goal is enhancing the organization’s culture, and focusing on the safety values that live in its people. As my colleague Shelley Brown, safety, health and environment (SH&E) manager, , “safety, by its very nature, is emotional.” Our “Culture of Caring,” where employees hold themselves accountable for the safety of their colleagues by gently pointing out risks to prevent injuries, shows our people how to conduct themselves as 91Ӱ�� employees.

As fundamental as a safety culture is for improving an organization’s safety, health and environment outcomes, we cannot take it for granted once its roots have taken hold. It is essential that an organization continually evolve and enhance its safety culture by focusing on ways to help people better connect to it. For most organizations, this comes down to driving leadership involvement and employee engagement.

We work to gain additional leadership involvement by setting higher targets for senior management observations. This is the kind of behavior we look to inspire in all 91Ӱ�� employees. To increase employee engagement, we made it easier for all of our people to report incidents and observations. Through safety management software such as IndustrySafe and LifeGuard, our employee population has access to project-specific tools to report near misses and safety observations. Through March 2016, there have been more than 35,000 observations made by employees.

But what if your workplace is a public space? This is an additional responsibility 91Ӱ�� and others in our industry face. We deliver projects all over the world — from Istanbul’s new airport, to the Crossrail 2 project in London, U.K., and the Panama Canal Expansion — and must consider the safety of the end user from the design stage to construction. Every day, 91Ӱ�� is also safeguarding the public from exposure to hazards that could disrupt their daily lives and prevent injuries.

As highlighted in our recently released 2015 safety report, we have exceeded our safety performance goal — coming in at 7.5 percent under our targeted corporate recordable incident rate. Similarly, our corporate lost workday case rate has reduced by 11 percent*. This number represents a significant decrease in both the number and severity of serious injuries globally.

All workers have the right to do their jobs in safe workplaces and come home to their loved ones every night. An organization that embraces a safety culture and energizes its people to embody its values through their individual actions is one that is best positioned to help ensure this happens.

Safety Tip: When you’re working on a project, think about how an incident could affect your quality of life and your family members at home. Allow that mindset to determine your attentiveness to the safety of you and your colleagues.

*To account for 91Ӱ��’s integration with legacy URS, this percentage is the average improvement from 2010 to 2015. 2010 to 2014 data reflects legacy 91Ӱ�� operations; 2015 data reflects the combined company’s operations.

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At 91Ӱ��, safety is a core value, and the values of an organization start at the top. The next stage of safety success starts with leaders who understand that investing in safety should be a priority. 91Ӱ��’s leaders know this well, and our company is headed in the right direction.

Once an organization has a plan to invest in safety, the next step is to take action and communicate safety messages to employees. Communication is not simply a series of composed newsletters or verbal messages about the status quo or things to come — it is how leaders share their core values and what truly matters to them through the decisions they make.��When the message is consistent with their choices, leaders gain trust and guide others to align their own values to those of the organization.�� Leaders who give lip service to safety will never be as effective as leaders who consistently and consciously choose to enhance its value to their employees, relationships and the organization’s safety program.

Image: Gallatin Safety Girls (from left to right) Stephanie Miller, Alexis Ludovissie and Jayme Hobson.

Humans learn most effectively through experience, and what we see or feel is far more influential than what we hear.��Degradation occurs in employees’ willingness to propagate the corporate vision when their experiences tell them the alleged “core values” are nothing more than words on a page. We all see through words alone.��It takes authenticity at the source to trigger desire in others to follow.

I am fortunate to work at a project site where this transmission of safety commitment has taken a strong hold. At the Tennessee Valley Authority Clean Air Project in Gallatin, 91Ӱ�� project managers understand what safety as a core value really means. They understand that an investment in safety will come back around to improve the bottom line.��When you combine that kind of leadership with an interest in individuals and positive, reinforcing messages, the result is a workforce of employees who genuinely look out for each other and do their best for the team.

So ask yourself as a leader, “Do my choices align with our core values?��Am I leading authentically? Would employees in my organization say that I truly hold safety as a core value?” If we are to keep raising the bar in safety, we must continue to build on our coordinated commitment to show it through leadership actions.

Safety Tip: Make your decisions consistent with the safety-as-a-core-value message, and reinforce that desire in others by giving positive feedback, even to leaders, when you see the right behaviors displayed.

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When I first joined 91Ӱ��, I was the corporate safety, health and environment (SH&E) advisor. Initially, I looked after office safety and assisted in developing and implementing the SH&E management systems. I was also responsible for developing, coordinating and conducting SH&E training. I noticed that while we focus much attention on safety, we could focus more on health. I started by concentrating on different aspects of occupational health and addressing office ergonomics; introducing new benefits for expectant mothers (e.g. assisting in transferring from site office to the main office, relocate desks to ensure they have adequate space, provide foot or back support to increase comfort, educate them on different hazards that could be encountered in the workplace or at home) and providing education around heat stress prevention while trying to help employees lead healthier lives. Through conversations with employees I realized that there was a need to make the work environment healthier, comfortable and more personal.

We began organizing yearly SH&E campaigns in the Middle East, inviting doctors to carry out health checks and give lectures on different topics. We adopted the approach of trying to be preventative rather than dealing with the problem later. We made these campaigns more personal by involving family members and children. For example, one year we held a drawing competition that addressed different topics related to SH&E in the home and awarded the children who participated with various prizes.

Gradually my focus shifted towards wellness, something I am very passionate about. My intention is to influence a change in behavior and lifestyle, which will not only help create a better work environment and encourage employees to become more productive, but will help to positively influence life outside of work ─ which would be beneficial not only to the employees, but to their loved ones as well.

This year, I am collaborating with the medical insurance providers, employee assistance program providers, various health authorities and international organizations to create a successful and effective program. As part of the 2016 Wellness Program, 91Ӱ�� invited different health care providers to conduct employee health checks including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and BMI.

Taken during��one��of the wellness program health checks done in our Dubai office. The two women in white are��Irish medical clinic staff, and from left to right are��91Ӱ�� employees Al Sarkaji Isam, Camelia Pacurar, Anoop Alukkal and Roy Xavier.

I am extremely fortunate to have found something I am truly passionate about, and to have strong leadership support for all SH&E initiatives. I work in an environment where the leadership continuously strives to improve and demonstrate the culture of care towards employees.

My role also offers travel opportunities within the company that allow me to see beautiful places, be exposed to different cultures and work environments, and realize that every person that I meet has something great to share.

Safety Tip: Be passionate about yourself and stay healthy; make sure you have a well-balanced diet, sleep well, exercise regularly and avoid unhealthy behavior such as smoking.

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As children, we all tried to imagine our future job. I never guessed that I would be a health and safety manager, nor that I would love it. In fact, I was not even aware of health and safety as a career option. 91Ӱ�� opened the door for me to explore opportunities I never thought were possible. Now I’m getting ready for one of the biggest yet.

I graduated from college with a degree in geology and worked as hydrogeologist for more than eight years. At the beginning of my career, I was involved in environmental and civil works that demanded a high focus on safety, health and environment (SH&E) — investigation and remediation of contaminated sites or decommissioning and demolition of old industrial plants. Watching the benefits to personnel and project outcomes of embedding SH&E, I gradually became interested in this field.

One of the biggest projects I worked on as a SH&E supervisor was demolishing a 15-hectare (37-acre) oil and gas storage terminal. While initially some subcontractors viewed our comprehensive safety procedures with skepticism, in just a few months, the culture completely changed. They started to be proactive and saw value in working safely. This commitment resulted in no accidents during the project, a personal award from the client, and the annual Excellence SH&E Award to legacy URS for contributing to client’s SH&E success. This project was the perfect example of why we care about safety and was definitely one of my motivators to continue growing in this area.

Alberto on the��Lindane Landfill project site located in Sabiñánigo, Huesca, Spain.

I have been working in SH&E for more than ten years as 91Ӱ�� (and formerly URS) SH&E manager for Spain and with international clients in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.��Our team was recently awarded with the 91Ӱ�� Annual Continental Europe (CE) Excellence Award for the success of the safety integration in Spain for 2016.

In my international role, overcoming legislative, language and cultural barriers has been essential to consistency and good safety performance across the countries I oversee. Many companies think of safety as just a legal issue, but I am proud to say that at 91Ӱ��, safety is a lifestyle, and that is what we want to transmit to employees, subcontractors and clients.

Health and safety has taught me to help others, listen, communicate, be open, stop and think before resolving difficulties and more. Last year, I joined the new global SH&E innovation and collaboration excellence committee to help promote collaboration, growth and development within the 91Ӱ�� SH&E organization. My next challenge is moving to the U.S., where I will assume the role of area SH&E manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Washington D.C. metro area. I am excited to work to ensure a safe and healthy workplace in the new location.

Health and safety makes a difference at every company, so I hope reading my own experience and thoughts motivates others to integrate safety into their work and lives. It’s really worth it!

Safety Tip: If you are aware of an unsafe situation, speak up to your supervisor or another responsible party to ensure that it is corrected.

Alberto Munuera is a geologist, specializing in occupational safety, health and environment. He loves travelling, tennis (he’s been an international umpire for 15 years), the outdoors, learning new languages and spending time with his wife.
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Risk assessment is something that I have been passionate about for many years.�� For example, I have spent the past nine years with 91Ӱ�� in a variety of Safety, Health & Environment (SH&E) related roles, and prior to that, served for six years in the Unites States Marine Corps as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Explosives Defense Specialist. (I know it’s a mouthful!) ��A major portion of my duties revolved around providing commanders with accurate and timely risk assessment that would allow them to make sound decisions.

Project managers, supervisors and employees all need to have a fundamental understanding of the risk they are being exposed to in order to make quality decisions.�� Risk assessment is the general process where you outline what tasks you plan to do and determine the level of exposure you have to the risks associated with that task. Specifically, you are considering the potential consequences of your actions and the likelihood of those consequences happening, then developing methods for mitigating those risks, and evaluating the level of residual risk left over after the mitigations have been put in place.

For the bulk of my career, there have been two major families of SH&E related risk assessments —qualitative and quantitative risk assessments.��Qualitative risk assessments require the developer to use personal judgement to determine risk based on general descriptions of risk level (e.g., high, medium, low). This is easy to develop, but offers minimal consistency since every individual may have a different opinion of what “medium” risk entails.�� Employees primarily based in the office may think that climbing up on a ladder is a medium-risk task, whereas engineers who routinely do bridge inspections may consider it a low risk task since they are used to working at heights.

Quantitative risk assessments include a scoring component where specific risks are measured against a set of benchmarks that have been established by the controlling organization, therefore removing the subjective nature inherent to qualitative assessments.�� Each individual risk is then compared to the benchmarks and assigned a score.�� Scores are totaled and a theoretical idea of the total SH&E risk of a task or project can be determined.�� While quantitative risk assessments provide a more accurate accounting of real risk, they require a significant amount of time, experience and expertise to be developed and used properly.�� This, and the fact that they don’t always migrate well from safety professionals to project staff, is why truly quantitative risk assessments are only used in a handful of high-risk areas such as the insurance industry, nuclear power and the military.

Having been exposed to both types of risk assessments, and seeing the pros and cons of both, I figured that there had to be a better option — something that would be easy to develop and use; provides some level of consistency across projects, personnel and geographies; and would give a relatively accurate accounting of SH&E risk.��By coincidence, I discovered that my primary client a few years ago was already well on its way to addressing this with the “semi-quantitative risk assessment.”

Over the course of a few years, I was able to work with my client and other industry professionals to hybridize a methodology that would fit our needs.�� With support from my management team, we were able to roll out the semi-quantitative risk assessment methodology to more than 900 staff in seven countries and the program is still in use.

Combining the ease of use of a qualitative system with the accuracy and detail of a quantitative one, I believe that it provides staff, management and safety professionals with the critical knowledge to answer, “How much risk are we exposed to and am I okay with that?”

Galen Cooter is the safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) manager for 91Ӱ��’s Design Consulting Services group in the Los Angeles metro area in California, United States.�� I have spent the past nine years with 91Ӱ�� in a variety of SH&E related roles, including five years as the global SH&E manager for 91Ӱ��’s BP and Tesoro Accounts.�� I reside in Corona, California, with my wife and two young girls and enjoy endurance car racing in my very minimal spare time.

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Child pedestrian casualties remain the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among 5 to 14 year olds in Great Britain. More than 69 percent of all children killed on its roads are pedestrians. Yet, this area is lagging behind in casualty reduction.

This is why I am extremely passionate about my research investigating the factors that result in increased casualty risk associated with male children. I firmly believe that increasing the knowledge behind the causes for child pedestrian casualties will help to implement new safety guidance to reduce child deaths on our roads, which is vital to helping to reduce overall accident statistics.

During my final year of university, I researched the relationship between gender and pedestrian casualty rates of children ages 0 to 15. Previous studies implicated gender as a potential risk factor, suggesting that male children were at an increased risk of injury. However, no research was found specifically relating to gender and its impact on child pedestrian casualties.

Percentage of��children��injured in pedestrian-vehicle collisions within six��local authorities of the U.K.��

The methodology used logistic regression modelling, producing statistically significant evidence suggesting that younger casualties were more likely to be male. Further findings suggest that males are more at risk when crossing away from pedestrian crossings, as well as crossing while masked by a parked vehicle. In regards to vehicle manoeuvre, this study found that males have an increased risk when a car is slowing, stopped or waiting.

Flowchart depicting the research methodology used in the study.

The reasoning behind this is complex and, ultimately, the findings are a result of behaviour, intellectual and cognitive development, risk taking and hazard perception differences in males and females. Thus, males make different, more-hazardous road safety decisions and ultimately, this increases male casualty numbers.

While it is not possible to design infrastructure for males and females separately, I do believe that we can use my research to help alter our approach to education. I believe that males and females should be educated in different ways in order to target specific risk factors associated with each gender, thus helping to improve all casualty rates.

Since carrying out this study, I have presented my findings to a number of target audiences, including the Society of Road Safety Auditors. I am hopeful that through further investigation, this study will help civil engineers design safer road networks for use by the younger generation.

I believe that civil engineers have a duty to ensure that every design is as safe as possible for all users. In order to do this, we must continue to adapt and learn from vital research being done on this subject. If each of us makes it our duty to learn from the data, then I am positive we will create a safer environment for everyone.

Lindsey McConnell is a civil engineering graduate working in 91Ӱ��’s highways sector. After falling in love with Newcastle in England while visiting her sister, Lindsey left Northern Island and moved to the city to study. She graduated in July 2014 with a first-class master’s degree from Newcastle University and is currently working on publishing her first paper on this topic.
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It seemed obvious to her. She was working in direct contact with a hazardous substance, and she had the classic symptoms of lead poisoning — abdominal pain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue — meaning her condition was potentially fatal. She reached a logical conclusion that her work on an old tailings site had compromised her nervous system.

As the health and safety manager at the time, I conducted an investigation into the control factors, the potential routes of entry, frequency of exposure, dust levels and the lead concentrations in the tailings. The reality was that there would have had to be a desert-like dust storm in northern Canada for staff to be exposed to anything even close to the occupational exposure limits for lead. The medical examination was also conclusive in revealing that her actual blood lead levels were far below those of a normal person. It turned out she did not have lead poisoning.

Sadly, this conclusion was made only after she had made herself sick with worry. It was a conclusion that should have been reached before work on site had started.

It might be surprising to learn that hazardous chemicals and substances cause the death of anywhere between 600 to 900 workers every year in New Zealand. There are an additional 20,000 to 30,000 new cases of occupational disease in New Zealand reported every year. These numbers are not unique to New Zealand; most developed countries face the same daunting numbers.

Compare the numbers of occupational illness fatalities to the officially reported 75 people who are fatally injured every year in New Zealand as a result of physical hazards at work. This number is easier to count and the hazards are easier to see.

The physical risks of a crushing machine, a sharp blade, mobile equipment, a deep pit or work on a high ledge are obvious to everyone. Furthermore, we intuitively know how to control these hazards with guards and barriers. We understand the importance of documenting this and training workers so everyone knows what they need to do and how they are protected.

Unlike the physical risks, hazardous substances are silent killers; some can seriously hurt you before you see anything, smell anything, or feel anything. Some you don’t even realise have caused damage until years later. The risks associated with hazardous substances (like lead, asbestos, benzene, hydrogen sulphide, arsenic, PCBs, fertilizers, and chlorine) are invisible and mysterious to most people.

“Health” has had a place next to “safety” (occupational health and safety) for years in New Zealand and around the world. But, if we are going to change the statistics and save our workers from chronic illnesses, acute poisons and premature deaths, we need to rethink the meaning and application of health and safety.

The simplest way to make this shift is to start treating the risks associated with hazardous substances in the same way we treat physical hazards. What are you exposed to, and how can we guarantee that you are protected? What information needs to be on a label or package? What training or education needs to be provided?

To address this imbalance, the Independent Taskforce for Health and Safety in New Zealand noted that there was a lack of accessibility to information associated with hazardous substances, and this was confounded by a lack of government accountability.

The taskforce called for serious reform to educate employers, protect employees and others as well as improve our ability to monitor occupational illness and disease. And now, the new regulator WorkSafe New Zealand and the new legislation, the proposed Health and Safety at Work Act, are poised to enact major changes based on these recommendations.

The new regulations will fully embrace the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals — the single internationally agreed system of chemical classification and hazard communication through labelling and Safety Data Sheets.

Compliance with this new legislation will result in sweeping changes. It is hoped that these changes will help avoid situations like that of the Australian hairdressing employees who suffered from skin irritations and respiratory illnesses as a result of what they thought was keratin hair straightening products. In this case, the product labels were written in Arabic. Once interpreted, it was discovered that the products were actually fabric softener containing carcinogenic formaldehyde.

As part of this shift, we all need to consider our individual responsibilities in the supply chain or lifecycle of hazardous substances. Under the new act, Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) will replace the term “employer,” reminding us that there are often multiple employers and stakeholders that need to work together to manage the health of workers.

Everyone has a role to play — from the manufacturer of a substance to the designer of the vessel, and from the transporter of the material to the PCBU whose workers are using, handling, or storing a hazardous substance or chemical. What do you know about a substance that needs to be passed to the next person in the chain to ensure everyone is protected?

And it’s not just those chemicals that come in bottles. There are health risks for people at abandoned mine sites, landfills or dump sites, and for those who work in old abandoned buildings or at sites where there is naturally occurring radiation. Regardless of the form hazardous substances can take, our obligation to review the hazards and controls, communicate the risks to those affected and confirm appropriate mitigation measures, equipment and emergency support is still the same.

Everyone has a right to go home safe and free from acute harm at the end of each day. But everyone also has a right to a long life, free from chronic illness, lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease, nervous system disorders, asbestosis, lead poisoning — and other diseases often caused by encounters with hazardous substances. I am forever thankful for my free lesson in northern Canada. But I often wonder — what if the story had ended differently?

Wendi Croft is the safety, health & environment manager for 91Ӱ��’s New Zealand operations. She has more than 15 years of experience as a safety professional; an environmental scientist; and a leader in business excellence, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. She is an elected member of the WasteMINZ Health and Safety Steering Committee, an appointed member of WorkSafe New Zealand’s Hazardous Substances Guidance Group, chair of the Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum’s Technical Advisory Group and a consultant on the WorkSafe New Zealand Specialist Consultancy Panel.
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References:

McAllister, S, Derrett, S, Audas, R, Herbison, P, and Paul, C. (2013). ‘Do different types of financial support after illness or injury affect socio-economic outcomes? A natural experiment in New Zealand’. Social Science & Medicine, Vol. 85, pp 93-102.
Pearce, N, Dryson, E, Feyer, A-M, Gander, P, McCracken, S and Wagstaffe, M (2004). The Burden of Occupational Disease and Injury in New Zealand: Report to the Associate Minister of Labour. NOHSAC: Wellington.
Statistics New Zealand (2010).
INDEPENDENT TASKFORCE ON WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY April 2013
Working Safer: A blueprint for health & safety at work, gov’t of NZ, August 2013

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Jacy Good, co-founder of Hang Up and Drive, spoke at a recent industry event attended by 91Ӱ�� employees during the company’s Safety Week at the end of April. Here, Good retells her story and makes the case for banning all forms of cell phone use while driving, in the name of safety.

During a speaking engagement, Jacy discusses the dangers of cell phone use while driving.

While my parents and I drove home from my college graduation in May 2008, we were involved in a three-vehicle collision caused by a driver talking hands-free on his cell phone, doing what we’re often told is “safe.” The dairy truck that struck our family station wagon put an end to my parents’ 58 years of life and left me with a 10 percent chance of surviving the night. Impeccable medical care kept me alive and four months later, after several potentially deadly setbacks, I was stable enough to return home. It was then that I began to understand what happened to leave me in such excruciating physical and emotional pain.

Jacy and her family at her college graduation the morning of their accident.

Since that day seven years ago, I have learned to live in my partially paralyzed body and spend my days trying to prevent other families from having to endure the agony that touched my life. I began by working toward stricter legislation regarding cell phone use behind the wheel, with moderate success. Today, I live in New York state, where we have some of the strongest laws in the entire country, and I have yet to find a day where I haven’t seen a driver making the phone a priority over the road.

Jacy and her husband danced after one of Jacy’s rehabilitation sessions following the accident.

As a result, my mission has transformed from legislation to behavioral and cultural change. Laws don’t necessarily change habits, but helping people to understand the very real potential ramifications of their actions through education can and has made that change. In the last four years, I’ve been privileged to share my story at more than 500 different events nationwide, including the recent Enbridge Pipeline Construction Safety Roundtable that many 91Ӱ�� employees attended in Dallas, Texas, during their company’s Safety Week.

The largest of my goals in these presentations is to dispel the notion that texting is the main culprit in distracted-driving crashes. According to the U.S. National Safety Council, it is actually cell phone calls, not texting, that cause the significant majority of the approximately 1.4 million phone-related crashes on U.S. roads annually. Additionally, there are more than 30 studies proving that a hands-free device does almost nothing to alleviate the danger; it is the cognitive demand of the conversation that makes the driver four times more likely to crash, not whether or not the phone is being held. This doesn’t mean that it is safe to text and drive, but this information is meant to point out the real danger of talking on the phone while driving — hands-free or not.

A recent photo of Jacy and her husband, Steve Johnson.

Over time, public knowledge and laws will reflect this reality, but for now, it is up to us to make the change in our driving habits. There is encouraging headway being made in the corporate world, including at 91Ӱ��. Well over half of all Fortune 500 companies have banned employee cell phone use while driving. Polls have shown that 83 percent of those individuals whose companies ban distracted driving have reduced or eliminated their phone use while driving on their own time as well.

When it comes down to it, this is a human issue. These crashes might impact corporations, but they destroy families and ripple throughout entire communities. Momentum is building, and I urge you to join the fight. Do it for yourself, for your family and for everyone else who shares the road with you. It’s as simple as this — Hang Up and Drive.

Jacy Good, co-founder of , is��a speaker-advocate on the well-researched and widely recognized dangers of cell phone use while driving. Jacy lives in New York with her husband Steve Johnson and has been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, at Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference,��and at the United Nations with Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
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I began my career in underground mining in the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania, United States. Safety was paramount and essential in order to survive in the harsh work environment, and I owe a lot of what I’ve learned to the coal industry and the miners who helped keep me safe. I learned the value of strong safety systems, compliance with regulations and the benefit of employee involvement in reducing injuries — all before I became a safety professional. I’m very proud of having been a coal miner and, due to my deep respect for safety, I jumped at the opportunity to become a full-time safety professional when I changed my career from mining to the construction industry.

Based on my experience in underground mining, enhancing 91Ӱ��’s culture of caring has been key to my role as the chief safety officer at 91Ӱ��. As the company strives to lead our industry in safety, health and environment performance, our expectation is that all of our employees actively participate in 91Ӱ��’s Safety for Life program and are not only their own personal safety managers, but also look out for their colleagues — as many of my fellow coal miners did for me. Employees are also encouraged to support our efforts by making observations of conditions in the office and field as well as reporting and investigating near misses.

91Ӱ�� has made great progress in reducing the frequency and severity of incidents. We can attribute this improvement to several factors, including support from executive and senior leaders as well as a focus on leading indicators that concentrate on processes for incident prevention.

We also continue to develop our systems, processes and tools to improve our ability to support our global operations with a particular focus on risk assessment and employee training. As a result, we have seen a significant reduction of injuries.

Another factor that has contributed to our success has been the addition of talented safety professionals. With the addition of URS and Hunt Construction, 91Ӱ�� now has more safety-trained supervisors than many other companies in the world. In addition, we now have more certified safety professionals than many of our competitors. This combination of trained supervision and licensed safety professionals forms the foundation for 91Ӱ��’s Safety, Health and Environment (SH&E) group to perform at a world-class level.

However, with such a large workforce, a challenge we now face is ensuring that we are providing a safe work environment for all employees. The risk profile of the legacy URS and legacy Hunt projects is far more complex than the majority of 91Ӱ��’s previous projects. Since both legacy URS and Hunt self-perform construction to build their projects, this means that our direct-hire employees have exposure to construction hazards that, if not mitigated properly, could cause serious injury.

In addition, as projects become more technically complex, we are challenged to identify new methods to mitigate risk. For example, some of the new roof designs for sports arenas and buildings in the Middle East present challenges related to constructability. To address this, we are using our skills in design safety to mitigate these risks and to work with our project management staff on constructability practices, which incorporate safety practices to reduce risk to construction personnel.

Despite these inherent challenges, 91Ӱ��’s SH&E team has accomplished a lot over the past year. For example, becoming a member of the Campbell Institute is a high honor for our company as it recognizes our SH&E best practices among top organizations. We’re also very proud that our Chairman and CEO Mike Burke was selected for the U.S. National Safety Council’s “CEOs Who ‘Get It’ ” list for his dedication to building a strong culture of safety at 91Ӱ��. Personally for me, winning an 91Ӱ�� CEO Award was extremely gratifying as it acknowledges all of our employees for their dedication to our Safety for Life program.

A personal safety achievement that I am proud of is being named chairman of the Safety Management Visiting Committee by my alma mater, West Virginia University. As chairman, my aim is to increase enrollment in the university’s Safety Management Program — especially given the worldwide shortage of safety professionals.

By advertising to undergraduate students early on about what a rewarding career safety can be along with the unlimited opportunities it provides, I believe we can continue to grow the pipeline of safety professionals to fill this global void. I’m also looking forward to helping plan the first Safety Symposium in the university’s history featuring leading experts from across the United States. Held in October, the symposium will be attended by employees across various industries in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Please join me in celebrating 91Ӱ��’s third-annual Safety Week by checking out the 91Ӱ�� Impact blog posts from our global safety professionals as well as the of 91Ӱ��’s safety video competition below.

91Ӱ�� Chief Safety Officer Andy Peters has more than 35 years of experience in safety management, loss prevention and human resources, and is responsible for 91Ӱ��’s global SH&E programs. He played college football for Bobby Bowden, a famous American football coach, and in 1973, he was named the Most Valuable Player in the West Virginia University old-timers game versus the University of Pittsburgh.

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In my first real job, I worked on environmental education projects at Parque Estadual da Cantareira (Cantareira State Park) in Brazil. At the time, I lived very close to the area and was just finishing high school. In addition to helping me pay for college, the job was also a great opportunity ��to work with children and learn the business.

After graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, I began working as an intern at an air quality consulting firm. I was responsible for conducting industrial hygiene assessments, which was my first exposure to working on safety projects. I remember my first survey was at a foundry, where the work involved melting metals into liquids that were then poured into a mold. Once you remove the mold material or casting, the metal solidifies as it cools.��At the site, employees wore all applicable personal protective equipment (PPE) that included a face cover. Although I couldn’t see any of the employees during the normal shift, I made it a point to reach out to them during lunchtime. This became a routine way for me to connect with the employees and exchange life experiences, as well as discuss any safety problems they encountered during work.

At that point, I realized just how important and exciting it was to be able to take care of people by helping to improve their work conditions, keep them safe, and ensure they return home smiling at the end of the day. This is core to 91Ӱ��’s safety culture and overall culture of caring. Beginning in 2005, I rendered services for a legacy 91Ӱ�� company in Brazil, and as the firm’s strong focus on safety resonated with me, I later joined the firm as an employee in 2012.

In my role as the safety, health and environment area manager for 91Ӱ��, I work to manage the company’s safety program across 10 different countries with 10 totally different cultures, laws and requirements. As with any geography, there is also variety from client to client.��For example, in Brazil, all PPE must be approved by the Ministry of Labor Department, so we are not allowed to use any PPE without this specific certification. Meanwhile, in other countries, there is no specific requirement about local certification.

However, the most interesting challenge working in Latin America is trying to keep everyone on the same page while respecting each person’s culture. My belief that culture is an educational process has helped me to overcome many of these challenges. I focus on ensuring that there is improvement every single day at every moment. However, it is also a trust-based process because your team must believe in you first. My feeling is that if you really believe in what you’re saying, doing or requesting, then employees will follow your lead, regardless of the issue.

Again, safety is an educational process, which means sometimes you must be more direct — even with your people or with a client. In my opinion, if you see or are made aware of any inadequate behavior, the best way to fix the problem is to have an open and honest conversation with the person. This will help you better understand why this kind of behavior was exhibited as well as properly explain safety issues.��However, it’s also important to remember that, in any situation, you must first respect the other person.. You must understand the employee’s side of the story in order to help them fully embrace the safety culture and, then, you must be clear in communicating requirements.

I thoroughly enjoy what I do on a day-to-day basis and, since my career chose me, I’m happy to say it’s one of the best choices I never made.

Sandra Barana works as a chemical and safety engineer in 91Ӱ��’s environment group, and is the safety, health and environment (SH&E) area manager for Latin America; the practice leader for the SH&E auditing department in Brazil; as well as the São Paulo office regional manager. Nowadays, her main hobby is taking care of her two-year-old daughter. She is married and also has five dogs and one chinchilla — a big family.
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