Now in its 10th year, Construction Safety Week (May 6-10, 2024) celebrates efforts, increases awareness, encourages and empowers, and highlights best practices with “the vision, insights, resources and equipment standards to inspire everyone in the industry to be leaders in safety.”
Safety Week and other initiatives have led to greater protections for construction workers. AP utilizes an easy-to-use tool designed to create and maintain a safety-oriented mindset: The Energy Wheel. It helps drive positive action on construction sites, resulting in fewer severe injuries.
Enter the Energy Wheel
Being hazard-aware is a proven way to reduce consequences and the Energy Wheel is a proven method for improving hazard awareness, according to various studies.
The concept dates back to the early 1970s, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published a study outlining the energy transfer of “ecologic phenomena” and offering strategies to reduce harm from such hazards. It created the foundation for additional on-site research from organizations such as the Construction Safety Research Alliance (CSRA) and experts like Matthew Hallowell.
In 2021, Hallowell published a peer-reviewed article in Professional Safety Magazine, in which he reported that construction workers are expected to know about hazards but many don’t. Specifically:
With this information, the CSRA took the 10 energy hazards and developed the construction-focused Energy Wheel. The Energy Wheel lists 10 icons, with each icon focusing on a specific energy type pertaining specifically to construction hazards, including biological, chemical, electrical, gravity, mechanical, motion, pressure, radiation, sound, and temperature.
The Energy Wheel has been proven to increase hazard identification from less than 50% up to 75%, according to CSRA.
Furthermore, the Energy Wheel is flexible. For example, the AP Energy Wheel incorporated the “Biological” category under one called “People.” In addition to natural worksite hazards, the “People” category focuses on potential human-factor dangers, including fatigue, frustration, complacency and feeling rushed.
For AP, the Energy Wheel has :
The Energy Wheel helps focus on the actual issue of safety, specifically, the highest cause of on-the-job fatalities and disabilities is known, appropriately enough, as “stuff that can kill you.” According to OSHA’s “Fatal Four,” the top STCKY on construction sites consists of:
#1 – Falls
Falls can include several things like when workers plummet from high points to the ground. But many falls aren’t so dramatic. This category also includes tripping over debris, dropping into unprotected floor holes, tumbling over protruding steel rebars, and misplacing ladders.
#2 – Electrocution
Most people understand exposed wiring and wet conditions create problems. Other more hidden causes include unprotected overhead or underhead power lines, which might appear benign but can pack a powerful punch. Stumbling across exposed wiring can lead to falls and electrocution, as can poorly maintained power tools.
#3 – Struck-by-Objects
Flying, falling and dropped objects are a well-known and perpetual hazard on construction sites. Most managers and workers understand that material falling from above can kill. What might not be so obvious are nails and boards that go flying when pried. Also not apparent are airborne heavy chains that aren’t secured properly or lifting hooks parting from poorly maintained cranes.
#4 – Caught-Betweens
Being pinned between equipment and walls is a real, dangerous worksite hazard. So is being caught between vehicles, struck by swinging backhoes, or crushed under overturned vehicles.
Reviewing the Energy Wheel each day before everyone starts work is required on all AP jobsites. This puts possible hazards front of mind for on-site personnel. If there are changes to methods or schedules, we go back to the Energy Wheel to determine what hazards might be connected with those shifts.
Reminders to use the Energy Wheel fit in especially well with this year’s Safety Week mission – “Encourage, Listen and Empower.” It’s crucial to pay attention to your on-site managers and workers. Trust your personnel to pinpoint hazards. Listen to them if they express concerns about possible dangers. And take action to reduce on-site risks.
The Energy Wheel is a basic yet powerful tool that helps all of us on jobsites become more hazard-aware. Regular use of the Energy Wheel, combined with respecting your staff’s concerns, can help reduce construction site risks and eliminate potential injuries and illnesses throughout Safety Week and beyond.
As Regional Safety Director for AP Gulf States, Travis has nearly 15 years of industry experience and is responsible for managing the safety and health associated with construction projects and company operations. He works closely with regional leadership to proactively implement AP’s safety program, always striving for an incident-free work environment. He also works closely with project leaders to ensure compliance with OSHA and internal safety and health policies and procedures. Travis’ goal is to lead a safety program that drives pride and participation from AP team members and trade partners.
Travis has managed and led safety and health programs on over $1 billion worth of work throughout his career, spanning from mission critical, healthcare, commercial, higher education, aviation, and civil markets. His favorite project was the Southwest Airlines Office and Training Center located in Dallas, TX. He was part of a team that constructed a new 500,000-sf commercial office building with a 400,000-sf training facility that held 18 flight simulator bays. Travis’ proudest moment was that the facility would be supporting and training pilots on safe operations of Southwest Airlines planes for years to come.
Travis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety and health from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2009 and is a recognized Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). He is also an OSHA outreach trainer and holds several certificates in various construction safety topics. Travis is a long-time member of TEXO’s Safety Committee where he discusses industry trends, OSHA updates, safety innovations, and more.
