Safety Communication In Construction Projects

Communication of the human skills is the best way for effective and successful implementation of the safety program. Aim and meaning of the safety program is very difficult to understand for employees working in different industries. However, the risk communication design can help people work safely and brings the benefit to the workplace. According to the study from Ferguson et al. (2003), the risk communication has 3 elements in order to make it effective:

1) Usability - how easy is the material to read, remember and comprehend
2) Usefulness - the material relevant to the target audience and
3) Message framing effects - what is the influence of presenting the same risk information as positives or negatives

According to Herrero et al. (2002), one of the problems in safety management is the relationship between top manager and workers. The lack of communication from top manager to the workers could be damaged the safety management. Cullen (1990) also recognized that the break in the communications sequence between different of individuals and groups on the platform itself and the management structure is major factors contribute to the increase of the disaster.

Although many construction projects in Thailand should be intensive on safety regulation, the construction workers do not care about the safety because they are temporary employee. This can be the deficiency between the regulation and the actual that communication can solve and share the knowledge in safety together for improving the safety procedure. Finally, all the involve parties have to keep in mind that safety is the first priority for working in the dangerous workplace like construction project.

Mr. Somjate Chatutewaprasit made a research which main objective is to investigate the effective communication methods in managing construction safety and health. His sub-objectives were also explored as follows: (1) to conduct an exploratory study to identify communication methods in managing safety and health; and (2) to study problems in implementing the communication methods.

Conclusion

This study was concentrated on medium to large scale construction projects and focused on safety communication methods and the effectiveness of each safety communication methods.

For the main objective which is to investigate the effective safety communication methods in managing construction safety and health by using correlation between frequency (action) with level of safety awareness and level of understanding (output), to explain which safety communication are suitable with each situations are concluded as follow:

- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of Safety Awareness showed that safety communication methods do not have any correlation between each other. The meaning of this case is that if safety supervisors increase frequency of safety communication methods, the level of safety awareness in construction site would not increase following the frequency.

From this situation, the frequencies of safety communication methods are not related with safety awareness. Because of in construction site have many temporary workers so when temporary workers go out to work in agriculture field. Therefore construction should recruit the new workers who not have experience of construction work. The safety communication methods are maintained by safety supervisor, but level of awareness drop in a few months.

- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of New and Complex Safety Issue meant that correlation between safety communication methods with level of understanding of new and complex safety issue.

In this case, frequency of safety manual and procedure related with level of understanding of new and complex safety issue. Because of when project use new equipment or complex work methods, safety supervisor should put the work process in safety manual and distribute safety manual handbook to all workers. The process of work use cartoon to communicate to workers it easier than letters.

- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of Understanding of Safety Issue for Own Team and Subcontractor Team showed that there are correlations between levels of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team and safety issue for subcontractor team with safety newsletter and safety bulletin.

For correlation between frequency of safety communication methods and level of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team are related together. Safety newsletter and safety bulletin can communicate safety information such as report accident record, next activities and safety work process (from weekly work planning). Safety supervisor have to walk around and investigate workers and take pictures, after that put in safety bulletin to compare correct and incorrect work process to contractor team.

For correlation between frequency of safety communication methods and level of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team are related together. Safety newsletter and safety bulletin can communicate safety information such as report accident record, next activities and safety work process (from weekly work planning). Safety supervisor have to walk around and investigate workers and take pictures, after that put in safety bulletin to compare correct and incorrect work process to subcontractor team.

Perception of respondent of Effectiveness of Safety Communication Methods

Follow the result of this research, safety training is the best safety communication methods that safety supervisors using to communicate to all workers. The results showed that, all of safety supervisors that the researcher collected data from questionnaire, they are same perception that safety training is the best way to communicate with their workers. Because of safety training can transform all of safety information such as safety work process, checking how to check equipment before use. And then safety supervisors can investigate the workers work safety follow safety supervisor instruction, and safety supervisor can advice them in front of construction work area.
The main safety communication problems that related with subcontractor foremen and workers are lack of workers experience and lack of participation with safety supervisor. In case of lack of experience it tough to teach the workers who never work in construction site to work safety and use PPE. However safety supervisor should participation with workers and advice them repeatable, then workers will improve themselves.

His thesis abstract is copied and posted.

ABSTRACT

Due to the most important in order to get success and effectiveness in safety program is communication of the human skills. However, most accidents come from the lack of communication. The lack of communication from top manager to the workers could be damaged the safety management. Therefore, it is necessary to have the study on an effective safety communication in construction project. The objectives of the study is 1) to conduct an exploratory study to identify communication methods in managing safety and health, and 2) to study problems in implementing the communication methods.

The common ways of safety communication method are Safety training, Project meeting, Toolbox meeting, Safety orientation, Safety feedback, Safety incentive, Safety manual and procedure, Safety Poster, Safety Sign, Safety newsletter, Safety bulletin, MSDS, Safety suggestion box, and Morning talk. The problems in implementing the communication methods are Literacy, Time for explaining, Lack of workers experience, Challenge behavior of workers, Lack of participation with safety supervisor, Attitude of workers with safety program, Site environment, and Length of communication.
Data was collected by using face-to-face interviews. The analysis was based on the statistic techniques and interpreted in meaningful ways and presented in this study. Finally, the effective safety communication methods in managing construction safety and health were concluded. Accordingly, the results of this study can be used for safety management in order to provide and improve the effective safety communication methods. Safety communication problems are related with safety communication in construction site.