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When I ask people for their thoughts on what is important for safety and prevention of injury to the workforce at construction sites, invariably the response is focused on PPE, safe work procedures, toolbox and prestart talks specific to the site. With the privilege of writing this editorial for our EHS magazine, Helmet, I use this opportunity to reach out to our entire L&T family to remind all that any project is a long journey, starting at the tendering stage, undertaken by all our managers from head office to site, technical members, and the client, that directly correlates to safety at the construction workplace.
My involvement with the rescue at the Silkyara Tunnel collapse was a poignant reminder to me of the critical importance of the actions of the senior management in relation to safety at the workplace and the unsavory consequences of shortcuts taken or poor standards accepted during the journey of the project. While the tragic event at the Silkyara tunnel gripped the nation, it also spotlighted the consequences of some practices that have crept into the construction market that weaken our safety culture.
Safety Risk is inconspicuously and unnecessarily raised when at the tendering stage and construction strategies are inadequately costed and poorly validated, leaving project teams stretched to meet completion timelines and budgets with more work than was anticipated in the tender. Perhaps the whole methodology was not adequately thought out!
I’m sure everyone will have examples where a Client or a PMC may push the contractor to take risk or shortcuts to meet milestones; GFC drawings may be ignored in temporary works especially in ground support; equipment maintenance may be skipped because the plant is urgently required to meet schedules. With the experienced staff being few, we largely rely on inexperienced fresh engineers or face a shortfall in labour, leading to overwork and fatigue, safe work method statements not being up to the mark, perhaps with the wrong equipment but having to push on regardless of the consequences for the sake of cost and time. Again, during construction, design changes may be required but are not made because there isn’t time or the budget for them. This was very evident at the Silkyara incident, especially with respect to the required change management for ground support.
The Silkyara tunnel tragedy starkly illustrates the consequence of what happens when the shortfalls described above align for a perfect storm.
The unfortunate reality is that component actions in parts, from tender bid’s direct cost estimates being inadequate, to not maintaining essential managerial protocols, are being made today across the construction industry and not only in tunnelling.
This collapse, forged from a journey of good intent but less than ideal decisions and actions, is a fortuitous ‘Near Miss’ that should not be wasted. As managers and leaders throughout the whole project cycle, please remember that ALL our contributions and decisions DO ultimately affect the safety of our workforce at site. We do influence whether our colleagues go home to their families healthy, alive, and in one piece or, in some tragic cases, become memories.
In the wake of Silkyara, we have an opportunity to take some time for introspection, check our contributions and approaches, learn from our experiences, reevaluate if necessary, and make the difference in how we can make the project safer, however far away it is from our desk.
I would urge that we should make ourselves accountable to ensure healthy and functional project execution.
In the wake of Silkyara, we have an opportunity to take some time for introspection, check our contributions and approaches, learn from our experiences, reevaluate if necessary, and make the difference in how we can make the project safer, however far away it is from our desk.
