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Safety on and around a construction site is always a priority, but in a healthcare environment with active patient care, it becomes the most important consideration.

Your contractor should be partnering with you to ensure they’re supporting your safety needs throughout construction. Here are four things every contractor should be doing to enhance your standard healthcare safety protocols.

1. Pre-planning and communicating.

Lean Construction principles, specifically pre-planning and communicating, are so important when working in an active healthcare environment. When using this approach, there are fewer surprises because there is better communication and planning between the owner, architect, contractor and subcontractors. This improved flow of information also helps to establish a relationship of trust because everyone is on the same page and expectations and goals are clearly defined. Other benefits of pre-planning include fewer delays and improved safety. When the work is planned in advance and optimally sequenced, worker safety can be included in the planning.

2. Maintaining operations as usual.

The contractor should be minimizing the impact on patients, staff and the hospital community. Disruptive work should be completed during off hours. This includes demo work, noisy activities and any necessary shutdowns. Controlling noises and smells coming from the construction space is also important. The contractor should be using negative air machines to limit the spread of contaminants and smells to other areas of the building. They should be careful not to vent the machines near any air intake systems. 

Staff flow should be reviewed and appropriate measures implemented. The construction space may need to be accessible in case of an emergency. By completing a thorough ISLM walk-thru, the project team can identify what-if scenarios that may impede traffic flow. This walk-thru may require adjustments to planned temp walls and egresses. All emergency lighting, strobes, signage and sprinkler systems need to remain operational. If there’s an emergency and people need to get out, the hospital staff may need to go through the construction zone. This means the site should be kept clean to allow safe access through the site. 

3. Controlling the space.

During a renovation, the contractor should have active control of the construction space when it comes to locks, barriers and signs. The construction area needs to be visible and clearly marked to keep patients and other unauthorized personnel out of the area, and to prevent exposing them to hazardous materials, dust, and other contaminants generated from the construction work.

The reverse is also true. Construction personnel need to be mindful of who they may come in contact with on the healthcare facility’s property and what contaminants they may be bringing out of the work space with them. Interactions with patients, who have compromised immune systems, put those patients at risk. All construction personnel need to be aware of their location in the healthcare facility and the type of staff and patients they may be around. 

4. Completing Job Hazard Analyses.

A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) should be conducted for every high hazard activity both inside and outside the construction zone. A JHA can prevent injuries and incidents by focusing on job tasks as a way to identify hazards before they occur. It looks at the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools and the work environment and identifies uncontrolled hazards. The hazards can then be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level of risk. A JHA is a useful safety and risk management tool when used in conjunction with Lean Construction to better plan operations with the owner, general contractor and subcontractors. 

Contact us to see how we can help you with your next construction project.