'Stop the Drop' is the new mantra at the Scotford Upgrader Expansion 1
project in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.
As construction moves into the above ground phases, project leaders
successfully launched a major safety initiative to halt falling objects from
scaffolding to unsuspecting workers below.
"Our Stop the Drop campaign helps to raise awareness about some of the
hazards of working up high," says Bantrel HSE Manager Don Thornton at the
Scotford site. "We have a good percentage of our crews on scaffolding right
now so we need everyone to think about dropping equipment, supplies and
tools. Some of these objects are heavy, and can be extremely dangerous to
workers below."
The campaign has focused on education, prevention, and compliance.
Tradespeople from every construction company employed at Scotford will be
reminded about Stop the Drop in safety meetings, bulletins, and posters as
well as from their peers and managers over the course of the campaign.
'Increase Field Oversight'
Bantrel Constructors Co., which is spearheading
construction in the Utilities and Offsite area of the
project, also initiated a program to collect feedback from
the trades about the initiative. "We're asking the craft to
tell us what they are doing, or planning to do, to avoid
dropped object opportunities and increase field oversight,"
says Thornton.
Stop the Drop, which was introduced at Petro-Canada RCP,
has been received positively by tradespeople. Thornton says there has been greater
awareness and better reporting since the campaign was launched a month ago.
Safety is a huge focus for Scotford Upgrader Expansion 1. Construction
began in May 2007, and now two years and three million workhours later,
there has yet to be an LTI. There are approximately 2,000 personnel on site.