Enhancing project and worker safety
As we enter the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, S&B underscores the importance of robust preparation and proactive measures to keep people safe and projects steady. Recent Houston storms, such as the derecho in May, Hurricane Beryl in July and most recently, Hurricane Francine's impact on the U.S. Gulf Coast, highlight the critical need for readiness to face such natural events. At S&B, we have meticulously developed site-specific emergency action plans for all our offices and field projects, ensuring the safety of our personnel and the integrity of our projects.
Comprehensive Planning
The cornerstone of our preparedness lies in detailed planning before severe weather occurrences. Our procedures are designed to protect everyone on-site and emphasize that no job is worth the risk of injury due to destructive weather. These comprehensive procedures apply to all personnel and subcontractor employees engaged in S&B projects, ensuring a uniform approach to safety. Extensive training on these protocols ensures that all employees know how to act swiftly and safely during severe weather events.
Early Risk Assessment and Monitoring
Preparation begins long before any forecasted storm, starting with a comprehensive risk assessment to understand how severe weather could impact operations. Each office and field project has developed a site-specific emergency action plan for situations involving destructive weather, serving as a framework for emergency actions. This plan includes procedures, alarms, communication methods, assembly areas, shelter-in-place locations, and evacuation routes. Additionally, S&B has dedicated experts who closely monitor the weather and news to enhance predictive capabilities, ensuring we stay one step ahead.
Close Collaboration and Coordination
Effective preparation requires intense collaboration and coordination with various departments to ensure alignment. This collaboration guarantees that every team member understands their role and how to execute it effectively in the face of an imminent hurricane. Additionally, we maintain close coordination with the project owner and emergency first responders, ensuring a unified and efficient response to any severe weather event.
Securing Heavy Equipment and Materials
In the EPC industry, large-scale projects involve significant investments, making the security of heavy equipment and materials crucial. S&B has heightened its awareness of potential hazards from loose materials, especially following recent experiences with strong thunderstorms. As a result, we take extra precautions to prevent these materials from becoming hazards. This approach ensures minimal physical damage on site and surrounding areas, as well as allows for a quick resumption of operations post-hurricane.
Advance Planning for Hurricanes
We engage in advance planning to mitigate a hurricane’s impact, maintaining a heightened readiness from June 1 to November 30, as designated by the National Weather Service. Examples of our preparation phases include the following:
- Maintain overall readiness and conduct preseason inspections 96 hours before impact.
- Secure portable structures, check inventories, and begin tie-down programs 72 hours before impact.
- Remove or secure loose equipment, ensuring generators are functional and locking unused building doors 48 hours before impact.
- Evacuate nonessential personnel, secure all items, and ensure emergency equipment is ready 24 hours before impact.
Finalize the securing of materials and complete all preparations 12 hours before impact. - Assess the damage, clear debris, and perform essential repairs with the owner post-storm.
These phases ensure a systematic approach to hurricane preparedness, minimizing risk and enabling quick recovery. We work closely with the owners to return to the project site as soon as it is safe, ensuring that recovery efforts can begin promptly and efficiently.
Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement remains key to adapting to severe weather or hurricanes' ever-changing nature and impact. After each hurricane season, we thoroughly review our preparedness strategy. This review involves analyzing what worked, what didn't, and how to improve. We update our emergency plans based on real-world experiences and technological advancements, i.e., better communication methods such as a mass emergency notification system.
We also conduct regular drills to maintain a high level of readiness. For instance, we conduct annual emergency evacuation drills as recommended by OSHA and VPP requirements.
Preparing for severe weather and hurricanes requires critical attention to meticulous planning, robust collaboration, and continuous adaptation. As an EPC safety professional, it is my duty to help ensure that projects, people, and the surrounding community remain safe when poor weather or a hurricane strikes. While we cannot control the force of nature, we can control our preparation. We focus our efforts on preparation year after year.
For more on S&B’s safety culture, click here.