Bantrel

At the Petro-Canada Horizon project in Montreal, construction workers are now doing more to help their peers work safely on-site.

People Based Safety, which is used on all Bantrel and Bechtel construction sites, was kicked off in early April with volunteers from each of the three contractors on-site.

The program has two objectives. The first is to provide a supportive environment where workers are reminded to practice safe behaviours by a peer who is trained in behavioural observation. The 'no name, no blame' coaching philosophy of the program appeals to individual workers.

Bantrel's People Based Safety in action

The second objective is to collect data that provides an overall statistical view of safety performance. This is done by monitoring the percentage of safe behaviour versus at-risk behaviour for each observation category - for example, tools, PPE, vehicles, etc. The goal is 100% safe behaviours.

"The picture allows you to see what an observation would look like on-site," says Heather Murch, HSE Manager in Toronto. "We can't publish an actual observation because people who are observed are anonymous. Their names (and faces!) are not recorded. The principle of 'no name, no blame' develops a trusting atmosphere that allows individuals to openly discuss and correct at-risk behaviour without fear of reprisal."