Ss56-03 Creating and Promoting a Culture of Prevention in Construction: Role of Leadership, Stakeholders and Technology

Abstract Introduction Construction in India is the second largest sector in terms of employment with over 55 million workers, after agriculture. With a multitude of challenging factors in this highly hazardous industry efforts are needed at various levels of the organizations, led by the management team. Materials and Methods Initiatives were taken by the leadership through infusion of technology to enhance all the dimensions of Vision Zero in alignment with the hierarchy of controls. This included enhancement of hazard identification, equipment safety, developing competence, stakeholder engagement, etc. Deployment of the latest technology on multiple fronts included surveillance and analysis of OSH data. Simultaneous monitoring and management of these leading indicators and lagging indicators with reference to set objectives, led to digital applications being put into use. These digital applications are aligned with OSH parameters, including EHS observations, “Safety Observation and Safety Contact”, incident reporting (FIRI), status of corrective actions taken (CAT), workmen training planning and coverage, virtual reality modules for training as well as image analytics for OSH surveillance. Results A culture of prevention at construction projects, as measured through data points of leading and lagging indicators from various project sites, signalled an overall improvement over the study period. Conclusions Enabling the leadership team and stakeholders resulted in effective contributions in a graded manner through periodical review and facilitating continual improvement of OSH culture at project sites. Leadership engagement in occupational safety and health and technology enhances the pace of our journey towards Vision Zero through focus on leading indicators, review, and rigorous follow-up.