Effective construction safety management requires all hands on deck, which is often easier said than done. Safety inherently lives at the jobsite as the need for proper safety procedures is seen day in and day out. Engaging all levels of an organization in environmental, health, and safety (EHS) takes a lot more collaboration and effort.
CRB, an engineering, architecture, and construction firm specializing in the pharmaceutical, life science, and biotechnology industries, found a transformative solution to their divided safety program in the construction safety software HammerTech. CRB’s culture of safety, paired with the HammerTech platform, will propel the company toward their goal of world-class safety systems.
Read about the CRB transformation journey below!
Removing Safety from a Silo
Like many firms in the industry, CRB struggled with engaging the entire organization in EHS rather than just the boots-on-the-ground construction teams. Safety felt segmented—information about what was happening onsite was not always accurately communicated to those offsite. The lack of reliable and abundant information made it difficult for teams to identify safety concerns and continuously improve.
An information silo existed as CRB had no way to track data and documents that would provide EHS visibility to every person on the team. Getting the entire organization engaged in safety required making safety data accurate and accessible.
Leveraging Technology to Bring EHS to Every Corner of the Company
Eager about the capabilities of new safety technologies, EHS leaders at CRB sought out a software solution to improve safety tracking and engagement. CRB soon selected HammerTech, the leading compliance, risk, and safety software, to transform its EHS program. In addition to enhancing safety engagement, the HammerTech CRB collaboration enables productivity, efficiency, and quality improvements.
HammerTech lays the framework for each role to get involved in safety and improve antiquated EHS processes. Below are firsthand accounts of how a digital EHS platform improves the day-to-day of individual roles in the organization, thereby wholly improving their safety program.
“As we continue to develop and train our teams on existing and new projects, we believe HammerTech will be one of the most utilized software solutions on our construction projects."
“We fully expect that when our teams see the value of the multiple modules, we will continue to discover more ways to improve the effectiveness of all our safety systems.”
VP of EH&S Steve Pianalto
EHS Leadership
Organizational change often takes a top-down approach, so relaying reliable safety data to those in leadership is an essential first step. HammerTech grants companywide access to jobsite EHS information. “I can now get on the HammerTech site and start to look at individual projects and start to understand ‘hey, why are we doing this,” explained Steve Pianalto, VP of EH&S at CRB.
Vince Corden, Regional EH&S Manager at CRB, uses the construction safety software to serve his team across multiple projects. “HammerTech has become the backbone of our EHS program,” declared Vince Corden, Regional EH&S Manager at CRB. “It allows me to provide better support across the whole entire region.”
Project Manager
Mark Babiak, Construction Project Manager at CRB, explained that one of his biggest challenges was not having full visibility of a project on days he was not physically onsite. HammerTech provides this visibility with direct access to photos, forms, and documents from the project site. “If I see on my phone that a permit hasn’t been started, and I know a subcontractor is supposed to be onsite, I can call the onsite personnel and say, ‘hey, we have to get this work started."
Superintendent
Time is of the essence for those working in the field each day. HammerTech’s digital platforms speed up paper-and-pencil processes, so more time is spent being productive. “When we used to do paper copy permitting in the morning on bigger jobsites, people were waiting 20, 30, 40 minutes,” described Al Edinger, Construction Superintendent at CRB. “With the digital process, we can push those digital permits around, and everyone can sign.”
Subcontractor
HammerTech’s risk and safety tools are also valuable for subcontractor management. Mike Stevenson, Foreman at HC Constructors, explained how HammerTech puts job hazard analysis (JHA) forms front and center instead of a paper version that may not be visible to the entire crew. “Everything is laid out step-by-step. Guys can review [the JHA form] with you as you talk and see controls and hazards.”
Client
EHS engagement requires participation beyond just internal team members. “The client also has visibility to see what work is going on on their [HammerTech] site in real-time,” conveyed Vince Corden. By allowing external partners access to EHS platforms, CRB instills a culture of transparency and collaboration amongst stakeholders.
How a Team-based Approach to EHS sets CRB Apart
As EHS regulations and guidelines continue to evolve in an already complex construction environment, companies like CRB, who have adopted a digital EHS platform, are positioned to take the lead. The flexible platform is adaptable to change, making it easy to abide by new processes or standards.
HammerTech gives CRB the tools to improve not only safety, but also productivity, efficiency, and quality across jobsites. In fact, since the initial rollout of HammerTech, CRB is already experiencing a 57% reduction in time spent on form, document, and permit approval. This time saved will boost production and, ultimately, profits.
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To learn more about improving EHS engagement across an entire organization with HammerTech, please visit www.hammertech.com.
