Howard S. Wright, Portland, credits a personalized, morale-boosting safety culture combined with intricate planning for its clean safety record on the $14-million, three-story student center on the Corvallis, Ore., campus. With 68,192 man-hours logged, the team saw zero lost time and tallied a zero OSHA rate. The site's single access point is directly in front of the campus' only parking garage, a location that sees 25,000 students pass by daily. Deliveries of both workers and materials to the site were scheduled to reduce potential impact on the student experience. Weekly meetings to plan upcoming delivery needs as well as workers' movements were mapped out and then managed on an hourly basis. A designated flagger was stationed at the main entry with radio connections to all primary subcontractors so that immediate contact was possible when deliveries arrived. Crews worked to improve both morale and safety by establishing adequate lighting on walking paths, clean rock pathways, temporary heating and lighting and clean work areas. Temporary sinks on each work level gave access to water without going outside, reducing foot traffic. Each crew member also received personalized, one-on-one site safety orientation so they knew the importance of safety and gained a clear understanding of site layout, work hours and other site-specific items.
Key Players
General Contractor: Howard S. Wright, Portland
Owner: Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.
Design Firm: HNTB Architecture, Los Angeles
Submitted by Howard S. Wright
