Job sites are dangerous places on the best of days. That’s why general contractors have safety teams and OSHA has inspectors.
Add a natural disaster or other emergency situation into the mix, and what was already dangerous becomes potentially lethal. That’s why it is vital for GCs, developers, and stakeholders to have proven risk mitigation processes in place before disaster strikes.
Although “National Preparedness Month,” falls in September, during the Atlantic hurricane season, construction cranks year round. The nationwide initiative designed to increase awareness of the need for disaster and emergency planning is important, especially in light of the dangers involved.
Why Do You Need a Disaster Plan?
In 2020 alone there were a record 30 named storms, while wildfires in the western U.S., Canada, and Australia decimated millions of acres of land. According to the UN Office of Disaster Risk Reduction, weather-related emergencies and disasters displaced more than 30 million people globally and insured financial losses due to those events topped $105 billion.
Extreme heat is also of increasing concern. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 436 deaths have been attributed to heat exposure on the job between 2011 and 2021.
Events like these, and human-created emergencies that could include anything from an equipment failure to widespread illness to a firearm-related event put already stressed work crews at even greater risk.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides emergency preparedness resources for the construction industry and includes any “situation that threatens workers, customers, or the public; disrupts or shuts down operations, or causes physical or environmental damage.” These emergencies can include but are not limited to:
- Hurricanes
- Tornadoes
- Earthquakes
- Floods
- Wildfires
- Winter Weather
- Chemical Releases/Spills
- Disease Outbreaks
- Biological Agent Releases
- Explosions (with radiological sources)
How to Create a Disaster Plan for Your Construction Site
There are various risk mitigation models available, but a prevailing planning model adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) breaks down into five areas, known colloquially as “The Five Ps” of preparedness, based on the agency’s National Preparedness Goal, and 32 “core capabilities” designed for managing a large, national crisis.
Many cities in the U.S. have adapted the five Ps into their risk management and disaster planning efforts. Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery are the five Ps adopted by cities like St. Louis, among others.
The National Association of Safety Professionals provides a plan blueprint specific to the construction industry that includes six steps:
1. Assess Potential Risks
Identify and document potential risks. Assess the possibility of problems and the risks they may cause, include risks like climate and weather conditions, traffic patterns, etc. and define individualized risk mitigation and emergency response plans for each potential event.
2. Identify Reliable Emergency Resources
Determine the location, viability, and contact points for local public emergency services like fire departments, police stations, and health care centers near your project site. Then, make contact with those providers and give them a copy of your emergency response plan so that they are looped in and ready to respond quickly should disaster strike.
3. Establish Emergency Communication Protocols
An emergency communication plan isn’t just how you talk to the emergency services teams, it is critically important to how you define responsibilities and communication avenues for your team. Communication plans streamline reporting and response times to help keep people safe. GPRS offers several products that can aid in communication, like FLRPLN to provide layout maps, or WalkThru 3D that can provide an instant navigable virtual escape route with directions to get your team out of harm’s way as quickly as possible.
4. Develop Procedures for Response to Specific Hazards
Every hazard brings its own specific risks, so each one needs its own set of response protocols. Everything from how you communicate the hazard (like safety data sheets), proper PPE, and how your team is expected to respond to an emergency event can play a role in how harmful and widespread it can become.
5. Implement Ongoing Employee Training and Instruction
Training your team to know your emergency procedures, from preparation through response and recovery, gives them confidence that they can respond effectively to any high-risk event and makes them more aware of the risks they encounter daily. It also instills confidence in the leadership of your safety team because your crew knows you have their backs.
6. Assess Effectiveness and Refine Your Plan
Build in regular reviews of your risk mitigation and emergency response procedures, request the thoughts of your team on what they’re encountering on the job, and create an ongoing process of refining and discovering new tools to help keep your people safer on the job, whatever it may bring.
It may feel like a lot of “What if?” scenarios and playing pretend about unlikely events, but creating individualized plans can make a huge difference when a disaster or emergency does occur. They can be the difference that saves lives, equipment and assets, and your budget.
GPRS sponsors several specific safety events throughout the year. We would love to bring our complimentary safety training to your jobsite or office.
Concrete Sawing & Drilling Safety Week
Water & Sewer Damage Awareness Week
And various Lunch & Learns, Toolbox Talks, and Construction Tech Days
How can we help you create a safer job site? Click here to learn more.
