AGC Environmental Solutions: Construction Firm Shares ‘Know How’ to Promote Worker Safety on Green Building Projects

How might “building green” impact the safety of construction workers?  Sellen Sustainability – the sustainability team of AGC member company Sellen Construction – sought to address that question and, along the way, created an in-depth environmental solution: a curriculum that companies can use to keep their workers safe on green building projects.  The training materials for the Green Building Safety curriculum are available online at no cost. Green buildings introduce unexpected safety risks because they often involve building systems that are not commonly incorporated into traditional building projects.  Design professionals may not take into account the ways that design choices could inhibit (or provide for) safe access to these systems during construction and operations.  Construction professionals may not be familiar enough with new systems to adequately assess and mitigate potential safety hazards during installation.  Likewise, facility managers may not be aware of the unique challenges these systems present during operations and maintenance. After a brief introduction to green building, the eight-hour curriculum looks closely at some of the less common systems one may encounter on a green building project.  The curriculum explores vegetated roofing, skylights, exterior shading devices, natural ventilation, underfloor air distribution, cool roofing, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, geothermal wells, pervious surfaces, bioswales and living machines (i.e., a natural wastewater treatment system).  For each, it identifies the system basics, installation and sequencing tips, maintenance concerns and how to keep workers safe from falls and other workplace injuries.  The curriculum provides insight on how to analyze and address system hazards, create a checklist of key hazards to increase awareness and prevention, and provide proper signage for workers onsite.  It also encourages professionals to look at how the green building systems are incorporated into the overall design in order to keep workers safe during and after construction. The curriculum also takes a look at how safety plays a part in more common green building practices – such as waste management, deconstruction, and building reuse – all of which contractors are incorporating into thousands of green projects across the country.  It also explores the roles and responsibilities on green projects.  And the curriculum does not ignore those attributes of green buildings that contribute to worker safety – for example, it identifies indoor air quality management practices and good housekeeping practices as ways green buildings can help to reduce hazards. Lastly, the curriculum encourages a company-wide approach to green building safety.  It provides insight on preparing a site specific safety plan, checklists and logs.  It also looks at integrating sustainability into a company’s safety culture, orienting new employees, holding weekly safety meetings, and establishing an awards program. Origins of the Green Building Safety Curriculum The grant funding and support for the Green Building Safety curriculum was provided by the State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries, Safety Health Investment Project (SHIP).  As the grant recipient, the Renton Technology Construction Center of Excellence worked with Sellen Sustainability to author the curriculum based on input from diverse construction industry experts ranging from construction supervisors and field crews, facilities maintenance specialists, and safety professionals. The (SHIP) grants are awarded to projects with the purpose of preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities and for the development and implementation of effective return-to-work programs for injured workers to reduce long-term disability in Washington State.  The goal of the Green Building Safety curriculum is to support construction safety professionals in developing the tools and resources they need to ensure safety on new green building systems. Access the Curriculum The Green Building Safety curriculum slides, complete with learning notes, are available for download at http://www.sellensustainability.com/training/. If you have an environmental solution to share, or for more information on green building, contact AGC’s Melinda Tomaino at tomainom@agc.org or (703) 837-5415.