A new bilingual safety campaign is being presented by LatinoBuilt and SafeBuild Alliance in an effort to support the construction industry’s Spanish-speaking population.

Safety Starts Here will provide videos in English and Spanish on safety-related topics such as personal protective equipment for power tools, ladder safety and fall protection.

“Latinx construction workers represent more than 30 percent nationwide and approximately 14 percent across the Portland-metro area construction workforce, according to Metro, yet safety information is often only available in English,” stated Rosa Martinez, board president of LatinoBuilt.

The nonprofit was founded in 2019 to improve opportunities for Latino-owned construction businesses in Oregon.

Leanna Petrone, LatinoBuilt’s executive director, said a campaign like Safety Starts Here is why the organization was formed. Much of the Latino community’s trust comes via relationships, she added.

“LatinoBuilt is that trusted family member for anybody in the Latino community,” she said.

LatinoBuilt, SafeBuild Alliance and Associated General Contractors are teaming up to get the videos out to as many general contractors as they can, Petrone said.

The campaign was made possible by a grant from Oregon OSHA. Visit to learn more.

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It was at a national company meeting in Miami that Skanska USA Building‘s Steve Clem heard of a program to save the lives of opioid abusers in the construction industry.

A manager in the construction giant’s Boston office talked about opioid addiction and how it affects the construction industry in that city. He also explained naloxone, a potentially life-saving drug that can reverse opioid overdoes if properly administered.

“For some reason it just resonated with me,” said Clem, who serves as a senior vice president for project planning services and sustainability in Skanska’s Portland office.

He brought his concern about opioid overdoses to the SafeBuild Alliance, a nonprofit based in Gresham that provides construction safety education and training. Clem serves on SafeBuild’s board.

SafeBuild Alliance soon launched a program in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, which provides kits for administering the medication but not the drug itself. Member companies are responsible for supplying the naloxone, administered as a nasal spray, at a cost of about $75 per two-pack. SafeBuild Alliance conducts training with construction workers and works with a Multnomah County physician to provide naloxone, which is also known by the brand names Narcan and Evzio.

Clem said he’s not aware of any local incidents of jobsite opioid overdoses. Nevertheless, Skanska has placed the antidote at jobsites since last summer.

It makes sense to get ahead of the problem, said Karen Blythe, executive director of the SafeBuild Alliance.

“There have been overdose situations I’ve heard of — not necessarily in the Portland area — but we know there’s an opioid epidemic here. So it’s just a matter of time, and we want people to be aware and know how to respond,” Blythe said.

Besides Skanska, other major contractors including Mortenson Construction and Howard S. Wright have participated in the opioid overdose training program.

Opioid addiction has hit the construction industry particularly hard as doctors overprescribed the medications for muscular-skeletal injuries and chronic pain, which are common among construction workers, said Cal Beyer, director of risk management for Lakeside Industries in Issaquah, Washington.

Prescriptions for opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone surged in the U.S. Abusers found the drugs could be crushed and snorted.

The drugs have been a key element in the “deaths of despair” that have lowered life spans around the nation, Beyer said. “Opioids made the existing issue with mental health and suicides a perfect storm,” he said.

The stigma around mental health issues extended to opioids, while illegal drugs still attracted far more public attention, Beyer said. More recently, awareness has improved, leading many doctors to tighten their opioid prescription practices and to more treatment and prevention programs.

SafeBuild launched its program earlier this year, and the plan is to make it an ongoing effort. “We have every intention of providing more training in 2020 and to raise more awareness,” Blythe said.

Training materials tell responders to first check for breathing and attempt to awaken the person who may be overdosing. After that, they’re instructed to call 911, begin chest compressions and then use naloxone if the victim has not responded.

Blythe compared naloxone to the automated external defibrillator units that many workplaces keep on hand in case of heart attacks.

“It’s part of their first aid, like they would use an AED,” she said. “It’s part of their first aid training.”

Responders won’t do any harm by using naloxone, even if the person is not overdosing, said Clem. “It’s another tool,” he said.

Naloxone’s shelf life is about 18 months. Skanska will donate any unused doses to clinics, allowing them to use it before it expires, Clem said.

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As building industry companies across the country celebrate Safety Week, Todd Coffman has an extra reason to kick up his heels. His team at EC Co., where he is vice president of construction, has been accident-free for two years.

That zero-incident streak isn’t a random occurrence, Coffman says. Instead, it’s something that he and his company have been working toward with focus and deliberation.

Coffman credits part of the accident-free record to his involvement with SafeBuild Alliance, a local group that promotes the idea that companies in the building industry can reach zero workplace incidents through collaboration.

In a world where companies are battling to attract and retain workers and find enough crew members to fill spots on job sites, SafeBuild’s collaborative approach is unusual. But when it comes to safety, it works, according to Coffman.

“When we’re in this group, we’re not competitors,” he said. “Keeping our workers safe is a common goal.”

SafeBuild strays from the path followed by other safety groups in other ways. The organization’s membership isn’t made up entirely of people with the word “safety” in their job titles. Instead, many of its members are general contractors and subcontractors. Similarly, the group’s programs and meetings rarely focus on presentations about safe equipment operating and fall arrest procedures.

“Our organization is more about culture change and not necessarily tactical efforts,” said Steve Clem, vice president of project planning services for Skanska USA Building whose involvement with SafeBuild goes back to 2012. “We do some of that, but our goal is to reach the (project) owners, the executives and presidents and influences of the firms we count in our membership in order to change their culture.”

Now in its 10th year, SafeBuild has had a clear mission from the start. However, the same couldn’t be said for the group’s name. It was known as the Greater Portland Construction Partnership until two years ago, when some rebranding took place.

“We wanted to make it clear what the mission was and also make it less Portland-centric,” said Clem, who helped lead the SafeBuild committee that organized events for this year’s Safety Week, including a morning safety meeting held last Friday at the World Forestry Center.

Clem also served as the group’s president in 2014, and it was during that time that SafeBuild launched a mentorship program in response to some minority- and women-owned firms and emerging small businesses that had requested help improving their safety programs.

Working with grant money provided by MDU Resources Group (the parent company of On Electric Group and Knife River), SafeBuild went to work.

“We were able to generate a lot of interest in the program and boost the diversity of our membership by close to 20 percent,” Clem said.

Also, a five-year goal was set to have firms that had gone through the program as mentees succeed with their own safety programs to a point where they could begin to mentor other MWESB firms. That mark was reached last year, just two years into the program, Clem said.

Rosa Martinez, president of PMG Asbestos Abatement, has been a mentee in the program for two years. While safety has always been important to Martinez and her staff, involvement in SafeBuild’s program has allowed PMG to take a safety program used at her mentor’s company and modify it to fit the smaller firm. The company also has adopted a program of stretches and exercises that employees run through each morning before starting a job.

Having those resources available, along with a mentor who Martinez can contact with questions about safety, has proven invaluable for PMG.

“Larger firms have one person dedicated to safety, (but) in small firms you don’t have that luxury,” Martinez said. “Being able to pick up the phone and know someone is going to answer, having that professional help available is a great benefit.”

But the benefits of the program swing both ways.

Coffman, who has been involved with the program since the beginning and currently is working with Inland Electric‘s Lori Benjamin, said he doesn’t view their relationships as mentor and mentee. EC Co. and Hillsboro-based Inland Electric have worked on jobs together, with Inland picking up scopes of the larger company’s work.

“She and I have become business partners,” Coffman said. “She’s smart about how she’s growing her company.”

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Of the many positive aspects of working in the electrical construction trade, the ongoing learning opportunities are the most rewarding to me. While the basics of electrical systems, circuitry and theory remain pretty much the same, new technologies, materials and electrical code requirements constantly evolve. Staying up to date with these industry changes requires self-study, enhanced with classroom and on-the-job training.

Since 1929, the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center – NIETC – has been providing education and training to meet this demand. Our students, both journey and apprentice level, attend courses based upon National Electrical Code requirements, product standards and workplace safety. These courses have a direct bearing on their performance of correctly installing and maintaining electrical equipment.

Perhaps stated a different way, the students have to know and apply newly learned concepts or risk undesirable economic consequences – building fires, equipment damage, loss of job, etc.  They understand this relationship, so it is no surprise to find students actively engaged in the learning process when I teach code-based classes. This is a good example of one of Malcolm Knowles’ principles of adult learning: when students understand that they “need to know” the information, they participate in the process. This naturally fosters a positive culture of learning.

Over the last decade, my work responsibilities have been primarily workplace safety and health related, and I cannot say that my student/instructor experience is exactly the same as described above when teaching safety classes. I will admit that making safety-training topics exciting can be challenging. However, it is the responsibility of a good instructor, including employer safety trainers, to illustrate why students need to know that the topic is important and necessary for workers, their employers and the industry.

A common theme within many past Constructing Safety articles has been the evolution and challenges organizations face when trying to strengthen their safety culture. I believe a key component of that mission has to include an evaluation of the culture of learning within the organization. Project managers, field supervisors and general construction workers can have completely different reasons for identifying with, and learning to execute, the strategies identified within upper-management‘s safety culture programs.

While employees closer to upper management level positions can have a similar need-to-know learning principle – primarily due to their direct relationship with, and comprehension of, company leaders’ vision of culture change – boots-on-the-ground employees in many cases do not. This can be especially true for workers new to the construction industry, including transitory ones, or those tackling short duration projects.

Sure, they can quickly identify with the importance of a safe workplace for their own health and welfare, and can understand and follow basic safety rules and job-site protocols. However, they unfortunately can be completely disconnected from the time, money and efforts their employers spend to improve an overall company safety culture.

Training organizations like the NIETC are a resource that employers should consider to help educate new workers and motivate experienced workers to learn why change is important – for not only their benefit, but also for the construction industry at large.

Often there is more time in a classroom setting than on a job site, to explain the direct and indirect relationships of workplace injuries and elements of a continuous safety improvement process. In these classes, students tend to be more vocal about workplace safety programs than they might be when speaking directly with their employers. I often hear spirited comments from workers about job-site safety programs in a negative manner.

Examples include:

• We only follow those rules when working at this job site or with that contractor.

• Because someone got injured now we all have to wear more PPE (personal protective equipment).

• I’m not ever reporting any near miss or minor injury. I (or our crew) will get in trouble.

• Accident investigation is just to find someone to blame.

The list could go on, but I think it clearly illustrates that, while not the opinion of all, there is work to be done to enhance the mindset, or culture of learning, of employees like these. Each of those comments is an example of a roadblock for employers trying to manage safety beyond minimum OSHA compliance.

When the focus today is on the benefits of using leading indicators, like near miss / incident reporting and accident investigation for root cause identification and corrective actions to enhance safety performance, negative employee attitudes toward safety is a real concern and can impede progress toward safety success.

Creating a culture of learning can drive results in safety, work quality, and employee retention, as well as support safety culture development.

Barry Moreland is the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center safety director. Contact him at 503-501-5066 or bmoreland@nietc.org. The NIETC is a member of SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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When thinking of conflict in construction, one might consider contract disputes and change orders; or heated discussions on the jobsite; or frustrations between the office and the field. Jobsite conflict certainly has the potential to negatively impact a project’s schedule, budget and quality – but it also can wreak havoc with the safety culture.

As stated on Bing.com, “Conflict is a disagreement or clash between ideas, principles, agendas or people.” When two people hold opposing viewpoints, conflict often is a natural byproduct. If conflict is ignored or handled improperly, communication breakdowns and lower productivity can result; such situations also breed unhealthy relationships.

How conflict and safety are interrelated

Distractions. When unresolved conflict surrounds us, we tend to be unsettled and distracted. Our minds often process the issue repeatedly, attempting to unravel the story and work out the details. This is not only inefficient and ineffective, because you are having the conversation only with yourself, but it keeps you from paying attention to your surroundings.

Irritability. Conflict can stir up the emotions that make us irritable and impatient. In this state of mind, we can be careless and absentminded. These small moments can make the difference between executing safely, and executing haphazardly.

Deteriorating relationships. As indicated, when we allow conflict to go unaddressed, relationships suffer. Trust can deteriorate sometimes to the point that people lose a level of caring for the welfare of others. While it is unlikely anyone would intentionally create an unsafe environment, we can become negligent or inattentive. When we lose sight of each other as people who we want to see go home safely to their families, we fail to protect them at the highest standards.

Unattended emotions such as anger, frustration, hurt, and a feeling of being not being heard or respected can generate an apathetic culture. Not caring is dangerous to a safety culture. It can be a quick decline of tending to the details – those nuances that may trigger incidents.

Attitudes and approaches to conflict

There are two general camps of how we approach conflict – we either avoid it or tackle it head-on.

Avoidance only generates more layers of complexity – deepening misunderstandings and resentment. We create a litany of stories about what’s transpiring while stockpiling our ammunition about why that person is wrong and a jerk. Once we’ve built our well-constructed stories, it’s difficult to be open to a new perspective or reality.

Those people who claim to tackle conflict head-on often tend to bring ultimatums to the conversation, standing their ground on the issue rather than seeking resolution. They seem to care more about being right than understanding another’s perspective and creating buy-in or collaboration.

So, why do we avoid conflict? It can feel vulnerable, threatening and just plain uncomfortable. We don’t feel in control when we engage in it. We may perceive it as a threat to our position, as if someone is questioning our competence and decision-making. We get annoyed and impatient, particularly when we are certain we are right! Sometimes we avoid it because we don’t want to damage the relationship. Mostly, I suspect we avoid it because we don’t have the skills and experience to navigate conflict confidently and successfully.

Address conflict in a way that resolves issues and enriches relationships

Remembering that conflict is natural – and not inherently bad – is a workable starting point to address what most people resist. Conflict is also valuable. That’s where some of the best solutions come from because oftentimes critical issues are unearthed. It’s also where people develop a mutual, deeper understanding and appreciation for team members’ diverse experiences.

Identify what’s actually happening. Really understand the issue(s), assumptions, what’s at stake, the people impacted and your own emotions around it. Get clarity about the issue at hand and the impact.

Define common ground. What are you both committed to making happen? What shared business outcome can you agree on? Where are you aligned? When we remember the common goal, we can start a conversation on the same page.

Seek to understand the other’s perspective. Conflict frequently comes from misunderstandings. Become clear on each other’s perspectives, to the point that each person could articulate the other’s argument convincingly, to help create a more optimal solution. This approach helps incorporate a more comprehensive resolution and create buy-in – which will improve execution of any idea or decision.

Brainstorm possible solutions. This approach can be facilitated by asking open-ended questions. Both parties need to truly listen to the answers with the intent of resolving the issue – not just defending one’s position. Keep the end goal front and center.

Most construction companies genuinely want to foster a healthy and safe working environment. If addressing conflict isn’t already in safety toolbox talks, consider integrating it on a regular basis. It provides one more compelling reason to get to the root of what’s not working, produce better outcomes, improve relationships and prevent conflict from escalating into a safety issue.

Are you ready to address conflict in a new way? Join me and Jordan Ramis attorney Roger Lenneberg on Nov. 19, for a deeper dive into safety and conflict at SafeBuild Alliance‘s quarterly program at McMenamins’ Kennedy School. Learn more at www.safebuildalliance.com.

Karen Natzel is a business therapist who helps leaders create healthy, vibrant and high-performing organizations. Contact her at 503-806-4361 or karen@natzel.net. She is a member of SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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Safety in an organization does not happen by accident. To be successful, an organization or company needs to build an intentional culture of safety that becomes embedded into its day-to-day operations and thinking. In order for this culture to be realized, safety must become part of an organization’s foundation, supported from the top, and owned by all staff members.

Building a culture of safety requires clear focus from the executive level and needs to be held up among the highest values of an organization. It must be clearly understood at all levels that safety will not be compromised.

Intentional commitment to safety – not only in planning work, but in mundane daily activities as well – is critical to the success and strength of the culture. Indeed, work needs to get done, but not at the expense of exposing people to unmanaged risks. Safety in the daily conversation and “messaging” raises awareness of potential risks so people are empowered and motivated to act. Focusing on continuous improvement regarding safety performance must be demonstrated through direct action with clear procedures, safety protocols and accountability.

At the Port of Portland, safety performance is a metric that is monitored as a strategic area of focus. The loss control manager provides a monthly update to the executive management group of any recordable and lost-time injuries, and the manager of a person who suffers a lost-time injury must file a report, meet with the executive group to explain the circumstance, and provide a plan for avoiding future incidents.

Safety can be built into a system, but it is essential that a safety mindset also is carried by all employees through their daily activities. It is clearly in everybody’s best interest to be safety-minded to ensure that each person is able to work and go home at the end of the day.

However, there are far too many examples in this industry where serious accidents occurred because somebody opted to take a shortcut in work or neglected to pause, step back or stop a task when the person’s inner voice, or gut, told him or her to do so. This is a common message from motivational speakers who talk about safety, many whom suffered serious injuries due to their own decisions to bypass safety protocols.

Likewise, there are many injuries – even minor incidents – that would have been avoided if the first impulse was toward safety instead of expedience or complacency. This goes well beyond safety vests and hard hats. It must include awareness, attentiveness and ownership.

An example of a cultural shift to embrace safety in the general population is the use of seat belts in automobiles. Many of us grew up not using seat belts, as members of large families that piled children into cars without requiring their use. The culture has changed due to creation and enforcement of laws, awareness of the risk and the desire to protect our families. Today it would feel odd to be in a car and not have a seat belt on. It is now part of our modern civic culture. Safety in the workplace needs to be embedded and embraced in similar fashion so it becomes central to how work gets done.

An element that is crucial in building a culture of safety is creating an atmosphere of empowerment and ownership. It requires an environment where people are trained so they are equipped to identify safety risks and are knowledgeable of how to respond to a given situation.

In such an environment people are able to recognize a safety risk and are empowered to take action. This could mean that someone tells a co-worker to stop an activity that poses a risk, even though that person may occupy a higher level of authority within the organization. It could be as simple as wiping up spilled coffee so that somebody doesn’t slip or reminding a co-worker that texting while walking down stairs is not safe. This also includes cooperation by staff when a safety issue is identified by a co-worker and they are told to stop their activity due to an identified risk. In such a culture, all members of the organization take ownership of safety for themselves and for their co-workers, and take action when they see something that poses risk.

For an organization to embrace safety as a cultural element, safety needs to become a natural response to the environment as well as an intentional focus of the staff. It requires broad support across all levels and needs to foster ownership and action by each individual in identifying and addressing safety risks.

We are very good at constructing buildings and systems. We should also be attentive to building a culture of safety that allows our industries to remain viable and protects workers in delivering those systems and services.

Greg Sparks is a registered professional electrical engineer with over 30 years of experience designing and operating industrial manufacturing and power systems. He is the project development manager for the Port of Portland and a member of SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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My career in construction has opened up so many fantastic opportunities over the last 18 years. It has allowed me to participate in cutting-edge projects, work with creative people and get a behind-the-scenes look at fascinating industries. I have been to the tip of a rotating tower crane 10 stories above ground as well as in dark and cramped underground steam tunnels.

Along the way, I have looked for ways to make a lasting impression on people and our community here in Portland. For a long time, I assumed that legacy would come in the form of a building, but I have realized (perhaps because we often demolish obsolete buildings) that buildings last only for a season. The things that outlast buildings and projects are relationships, and I am extremely privileged to be participating in a safety mentorship program created by SafeBuild Alliance and funded through a generous grant from the MDU Foundation.

Ten member companies of SafeBuild Alliance have been partnered with MWESB-certified firms that have self-identified as wanting to take the next steps in their journey to an injury-free workplace. There are several reasons why this program is so unique.

First, it is recognition that safety for one is safety for all. The mentors are freely giving their time and resources to accelerate the progress of their partner firms. This comes in the form of monthly meetings and discussions as well as sharing of actual templates, forms and proven best practice programs that the mentors have used to develop safety cultures. Creating company safety culture is an enormous investment – one that small companies often defer for the more pressing issues of winning and executing work.

Second, it is unique because several of the mentors are partnered with companies that could be future competitors in the same specialty trade. Some people may feel that helping a potential competitor build safely is eliminating a differentiator that could jeopardize selection on new work. The way I see it is that it lifts up both boats in the harbor; the emerging firm benefits from measurable safety performance improvements and the established firm benefits from the credibility that comes from being a mentor.

Last, the program was designed specifically to accelerate the progress of motivated MWESB firms. There is no correlation between MWESB certification and low safety performance; accidents can and do occur at all companies. SafeBuild Alliance desires its membership to reflect the community in which we live, so we saw it as an opportunity to increase the diversity of our membership. The mentorship program has become a member benefit as we all benefit from the increased perspective our new members bring.

Skanska is partnering with Crestview Construction, an earthwork contractor; we are meeting directly with one of the owners, Mark Dominguez. His commitment to his employees is admirable. Although he has a generally good safety record, he has been very transparent that it has been mainly through good luck, and not focused planning. He sees creating a safe work environment as his ethical responsibility to his team; he wants to send each person home at the end of the day the same way they arrived in the morning.

However, Mark has been equally transparent in describing the challenges faced by small businesses. In addition to being the owner, he also is the safety director, business development manager and project manager; plus, he likely fills many other roles as issues arise. He would love to create a safety culture, but he has the very real pressure of staffing jobs and keeping equipment in good working order. I am optimistic that this mentorship program can help provide practical tools for Crestview and that we will all be able to increase our level of commitment to the well-being of our people.

The nine other mentor relationships are developing and going through similar processes. We are all learning from these relationships and have room for improvement. Moving closer to injury-free is a legacy that will endure in Portland and beyond. It is a worthwhile movement in which I am privileged to be involved.

Steve Clem is vice president of preconstruction at Skanska. Contact him at 503-382-0909. He also is president of the SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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The baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, account for about one third of the U.S. population. As the baby boomer generation moves through time, a shift is reflected in the construction workforce that advances the average age of workers to an older level. With older workers, new challenges emerge to assure their safety and health.

While many boomers are reaching retirement, others continue to work in the construction trades. There remains a large baby boomer presence in the construction industry that will remain throughout the next decade.

Construction is characteristically heavy work. A startling, yet predictable statistic reveals that more than 70 percent of back, knee and shoulder injuries occur in older workers. These injuries often result in higher costs due to time lost from work, longer recovery times delaying their return to work, higher medical costs from surgeries, and vocational rehabilitation when necessary for retraining. These injuries commonly result from years of heavy work that may ultimately manifest in a significant injury from a routine task of bending, reaching, lifting or carrying.

When a young worker enters the construction field, two fundamental conditions exist. First, younger workers tend to learn via on-the-job training from senior tradesmen who have the experience and time-honored values, even if sometimes associated with an outdated approach to the work task. Second, the younger workers come with a new set of values, often challenging the working dynamics on the job previously set by the older generation of constructors.

These concepts, while not necessarily conflicting, can result in a blend of expectations for job performance. Older workers tend to revere experience gained over time, and therefore may hold on to methods remembered from a time when modern engineering controls weren’t yet available.

Regardless, hands-on work is still physically demanding. Aging workers are inherently disadvantaged by their diminishing ability to continue meeting the challenging physical requirements of the industry. However, once baby boomers recognize the advantages of processes that improve work conditions, they are increasingly apt to accept new alternatives to their work tasks that make them safer and more manageable. These alternatives can be gained from engineering controls, assistance from co-workers, and retraining in another component of the industry.

Business owners are aware of the costs associated with workplace injuries suffered by older workers. Unsafe work environments may not only lead to costly OSHA citations, but more significant economic impacts as well.

Workers’ compensation insurers have limited tolerance for companies with high claims costs. Additionally, indirect expenses can also have a negative impact on the bottom line. These include an injured employee’s time away from work, personnel replacement costs, training, repair or replacement of damaged equipment, work interruptions, and other unplanned expenses.

Most companies need assistance with development and implementation of programs that provide the framework for these transitions. Resources are available from trade associations such as SafeBuild Alliance and Associated General Contractors. Both provide training, site assistance, and other benefits to their members that offer support for advancing the safety culture of construction firms.

There are many tangible benefits to keeping baby boomers in the workforce despite the challenges. Experience, stability, work ethic, loyalty and dedication are all part of that generation’s contributions to the construction industry. Transitional changes to the work environment can be achieved by building a strong, cohesive safety culture within construction companies.

Mike Salsgiver is the executive director of Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter. He has served in that role since 2008. AGC is a member of the SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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Typically, competitors in the building industry do not share best practices with each other. But for safety, they can make an exception.

The SafeBuild Alliance, an 85-member nonprofit, has created a unique mentorship program in which nine contractors or subcontractors share with nine minority-owned, women-owned or emerging small businesses their methods of facilitating safe workplaces. Over the next 12 months, the partners will discuss both technical and cultural actions needed to improve workplace safety, SafeBuild Alliance board President Steve Clem said.

The basic premise is not for one company to show another how to rewrite its safety manual, said Clem, Skanska USA Building vice president of preconstruction. Rather, the idea is for experienced firms to share lessons learned whenever possible, he said.

“The bigger companies have invested money in consulting and training,” he said. “If there is a form needed, they probably have it. Small businesses meanwhile are just trying to stay in business. Safety takes money, time and effort.”

Each partnership will operate through its own rules. Participants will visit each other’s shop and work sites with the goal to make measurable improvements in safety over the next year.

The SafeBuild Alliance is hoping to generate from each partnership feedback that it can share will all of its members, Clem said.

He stressed that MWESB firms were participating willingly and that their role as mentee had nothing to do with poor safety records. Both sides can learn from each other, he said.

“Our organization (in the past) hasn’t embraced diversity as fully as it should,” he said. “People were contacted and self-identified who were really motivated and concerned about safety.”

The program mentors are: Mortensen Construction, Hoffman Construction, Skanska USA Building, Andersen Construction, McKinstry, TCM, Oregon Electric Group, EC Co. and Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty Co.

The mentees are: Affordable Electric, Inland Electric, PacificMark Construction, Crestview Construction, NWR Construction, Art Cortez Construction, Professional Minority Group, Parrish Excavating and Liberty Steel.

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Pop! The noise no person expects to hear after traversing the Atlantic Ocean only to find that her central processing unit (CPU) has blown up.

How could this be possible? Didn’t I purchase the adapter for the cord? Why, yes I did. Then how could the safety of my workstation blow up, literally, in front of me? Ah, yes, the switch! The magical switch that changes the voltage in the CPU. I was remiss to flip that switch. What does this have to do with communication and communicating safety, you ask? Everything.

Safety communication barriers in the workplace are much like the switch on my CPU. They are removed only if one knows how to flip the approach of language and different cultures. As a cultural trainer, I understand the importance of such approaches. They may not seem obvious, and may be subtle, but these important approaches prevent safety incidents and teach all employees sustainable practices.

Employees who work with many newcomers must follow best practices for safety, as well as find safe and culturally mindful ways to engage co-workers. This may be challenging for those who are not familiar with their co-workers’ cultures or languages. This is why simplicity is best.

I recommend initially using graphics with simple and clear language that newcomers can learn and utilize when trying to explain their safety situations. Much like children learning to speak, adults learn a new language when immersed into a culture.

Also, much like children, newcomers need some time to learn these steps in a way that makes sense to them. Academically, a newcomer needs 1.5 years for every year a native speaker needs in his or her own language to master the same material. So, if you calculate that by the average 13 years of schooling Americans receive, newcomers need 19.5 years to learn the same information. Now, not all newcomers take that long, but don’t be confused by conversationally fluent newcomers.

When people learn a new language, they may quickly achieve a conversationally fluent level that seems as if they know more English than they really do. This is why having clear and concise directives for safety in the workplace are still necessary.

Newcomers may be stuck in their conversational level and not gain academic fluency. This type of language includes what we native English speakers consider technical or industry language. Safety manual translation is one option for those newcomers who are literate. The best way may be to film a safety video and then voice over and/or subtitle the video for each newcomer group.

This does two things. First, it shows that the company is culturally mindful and welcoming of its newcomers. Second, this encourages loyalty to the employer for the free education given. Most importantly, as a bonus, these effective videos educate the newcomer groups and make them promotable for different positions. Many companies have actually created supervisory roles that are cultural liaisons based on this type of growth.

When a company grows, so does its need for good safety models. Even a small, three-man team should take time to communicate the most important aspects of its work. Contact company safety coordinators or safety coordinators of larger partnerships who can assist navigation of the translation process. Hire professional experts who can craft specific language videos and translate manuals, posters or signage.

Learn more about employees and understand their communication styles. Are they direct or passive communicators? Experts can assist communication with different groups. Above all, be patient.

All of these small steps remove cultural barriers and help keep the workplace safe. Realize that these changes will not magically transform a site into a perfect, accident-free zone, because no matter what language one speaks, accidents will continue to occur. Yet this will assist everyone prevent major issues based on culture and language.

Had I followed my own logic, I would not have blown up my computer and be stuck waiting six weeks for a new power supply that cost me half the price of a new computer! Taking time to make sure my switch was set for the appropriate voltage and seeing a picture of what to do would have prevented this accident. Then I would not be writing this article on my husband’s laptop!

Melissa Meyer is president of Barbier International, a full-service linguistics firm. Contact her at melissa@barbierintl.com or visit www.barbierintl.com. Barbier International is a member of the SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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