As records were being broken on a daily basis at the London
2012 Games, there's an equally impressive record that was set
before the first race was run or the first javelin thrown - and HSL
played a part in setting it!
The health and safety record achieved during the main
construction phase of the Olympic facilities has been nothing short
of outstanding - with not a single fatality and an accident rate
well below the industry average.
Measuring the attitudes of the construction workers to health
and safety throughout the '
big build' has been one important
element in helping to set this record and this is where HSL's Safety Climate Tool (SCT) was put
to good use. The tool uses an expertly developed survey to gain
valuable insight into the safety culture of an organisation.
Throughout the Olympic construction project, the SCT was used to
capture workers', supervisors' and managers' perceptions of health
and safety issues. Interviews and focus groups exploring successful
practices across the build were also facilitated by HSL and the
findings were analysed alongside the survey data to gain a valuable
insight into the on-site safety culture.
Commenting on the SCT surveys, Lawrence Waterman OBE, head of
health and safety for the Olympic Delivery Authority said:
"They were invaluable to us…the data we obtained from each project
team and across the programme's workforce meant that we could take
specific initiatives to develop the safety culture."
HSL Chief Executive Eddie Morland said, 'We are extremely proud
to have played a part in making London 2012 a truly memorable
event. We can also justifiably say that understanding your safety
culture is a valuable part of creating a winning team!'.
Since the completion of the project, several construction
partners for the build have gone on to use the Safety Climate Tool
in their own organisations, thereby extending the learning legacy,
which was a key goal for the organisers of London 2012.
If you would like to know how HSL's SCT can help your
organisation break records please contact the HSL SCT Team on
01298 218356 or email
sct@hsl.gov.uk.
HSL's summary report for the ODA can be found at
http://learninglegacy.london2012.com/publications/safety-culture-on-the-olympic-park.php
Stadium images courtesy of London
2012