Lessons we can learn from foreign experts’ safety concepts and practices

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Today, I read an article that was very informative, so I wanted to share it with everyone. The article titled “How Safety Records Are Created,” written by Liu Xianghui from the China Construction News, discusses how foreign investors involved in the PTA project in Zhuhai managed to achieve 7.5 million person-hours without any safety incidents. I found this article highly inspiring, and I truly admire the foreign investors’ emphasis on the importance of safety. Looking back at the severe work safety situation in China, it seems there is indeed a considerable gap between the two. To this end, the author briefly introduces the safety concepts and practices of some foreign experts, in the hope that it may provide some guidance for improving China’s safety management level. I. Safety Management Philosophy Mr. Tanishima, a Japanese safety expert who worked on the Three Gorges Project, introduced the safety management philosophy of Japan’s Maeda Company: the first is the concept of responsibility and conscience ； Secondly, one should regard all safety responsibilities as one’s own duty and do one’s best to assist in fulfilling them; under no circumstances should one shirk responsibility ； Third, one must treat the subsequent processes as one’s own guests, always thinking about and considering their needs. BP, the investor in the PTA (pure terephthalic acid) project in Zhuhai, Guangdong, adopts this slogan wherever it invests around the world: every BP employee, no matter where they are, has the responsibility to ensure good health, safety, and environmental protection, and regards \"excellent performance in these areas\" as key to business success. This philosophy has become a core element of BP’s corporate culture, turning into a belief that runs through the safety management of the Zhuhai PTA project from beginning to end. To achieve this goal, BP has developed a highly comprehensive and thorough safety risk assessment report along with corresponding countermeasures for the construction management of PTA projects. Before starting a project, they analyze, based on the characteristics of each task, the areas at each construction site where accidents might occur, predict the dangers and hazards that such accidents could cause, determine how to prevent them, and identify what proactive and effective measures should be taken. Formal construction is only permitted after the risk assessment report has been approved by qualified personnel. It is the implementation of this safety risk assessment report system that allows potential safety accidents to be eliminated well in advance of construction. An incident of this kind occurred at a construction site in Beilun, Ningbo, Zhejiang: a Japanese expert saw a Japanese worker working at height without wearing a safety belt. After urging him to come down, the expert stepped forward and gave him two slaps, shouting, \"This is on behalf of your family.\" The Japanese worker who was slapped only replied with \"Hai (yes)\\", showing no sign of resistance at all. The author does not approve of hitting people, even though hitting is a common practice in Japanese life. But essentially, it is a reminder to take responsibility for your own safety, which in turn ensures the happiness of your entire family. II. The Important Role of Safety Management Japanese safety experts working on the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River say that the Japanese company Maeda emphasizes that safety should be given top priority when considering various factors; the order should be safety first, followed by quality, then project timeline, and finally cost or efficiency. Otherwise, with the order reversed, it becomes putting the cart before the horse. Of course, \"safety first\" must be translated into actions that include investment; it must not remain just an empty slogan. British company BP is committed to safety management at all costs; since the start of the PTA project, BP has held large-scale celebrations marking 500,000, 1 million, 2 million, 4 million, and 6 million man-hours without any safety incidents, in order to reward all the workers involved. In one instance, a safety bonus of up to 4 million yuan was awarded. When a representative from BP’s headquarters in the UK inspected the PTA project in Zhuhai, he found that workers at one construction site were not using adequate safety measures during welding operations, resulting in sparks flying everywhere. The representative immediately ordered comprehensive corrective actions to be taken; all construction activities at other sites on that same site had to be halted as well, and the reasons for the problem had to be investigated. Hundreds of workers needed to receive additional safety education and training, and the total shutdown lasted 13 days. If calculated based on the time lost due to the suspension of work and the delay in bringing the project online, BP’s loss resulting from this delay in construction period amounts to 120 million yuan. III. Investment in safety: During the construction of its PTA project in Zhuhai, the British company BP invested 20 million dollars in safety measures, using this money to purchase safety equipment and high-quality personal protective gear. This ensured that the necessary hardware and software for safe site management were available in a timely manner. Regarding construction safety, BP not only makes substantial investments itself, but also strictly requires construction contractors to ensure adequate investment as well. It is reported that Jiangsu Jianan’s Zhuhai branch, which is responsible for the construction of the PTA project in Zhuhai, has invested nearly 10% of the total project cost in safety measures. In addition to requiring that workers be provided with qualified safety gear such as safety helmets, protective goggles, steel-toe boots, leather gloves, and full-body harnesses, all temporary structures are constructed in accordance with regulations. Each dormitory is equipped with an automatic smoke detection and alarm system, and various other safety devices have also been installed on the construction site. Japanese expert Hirose said that the Three Gorges construction sites also vary in terms of investment in safety facilities; it can be said that the investment levels are inconsistent and uneven. Things like seat belts – some construction companies even require individuals to pay out of their own pocket to acquire them ； Some organizations emphasize replacing them on a scheduled basis, either once a year or depending on usage and degree of wear. However, some small units involved in collaborative tasks say they face financial difficulties and do not prioritize the replacement of safety belts. The winning bidder must take responsibility and must not leave its subordinate work teams unattended. In Japan, security-related expenses must be specified in the contract, and the cost of safety gear does not have to be borne by individuals; tools, safety helmets, safety belts, and leather gloves should all be provided to workers free of charge. In Japan, there is an emphasis on integrating construction management with safety management; team leaders or shift supervisors are responsible for both construction organization and safety management, which is why it is uncommon to have dedicated safety officers at construction sites. IV. Fire Prevention: At the construction site of the second phase of the Ningbo Beilun Power Plant, an electrical expert from Japanese company Toshiba who was there to provide technical guidance always carried a round, flat box tied around his waist. At first, everyone thought it was a tool for construction, but they never saw him use it. During a break from work, I saw him walk out of the studio to smoke outside. After finishing his cigarette, he casually opened the box hanging from his belt, used it to extinguish the butt, then closed the box tightly before going back into the studio to continue working. It turns out that what this expert was wearing around his waist was an ashtray. From the series of actions taken by that Toshiba electrical expert—leaving the workshop, smoking, and extinguishing the cigarette butt—it can be seen that he not only paid attention to the appropriate places to smoke but also demonstrated a sense of safety and civilization. V. Advice and Insights from Foreign Security Experts Japanese security experts Tanishima and Higase believe that some of the construction units involved in the Three Gorges Project do not truly prioritize safety; instead, they give precedence to the project itself. In this regard, the decision-making and determination of the top leader are crucial. For this reason, various units at the Three Gorges construction site, especially certain construction firms, fail to invest adequately in safety. As a result, inspections and maintenance of the facilities naturally fall behind. The specifications regarding safety investments in some tender documents for the Three Gorges Project also need to be improved. Bidders should include in their bids the amount of money to be invested in safety measures, and this should be taken seriously as one of the key factors for scoring or making a decision during the bid evaluation process. It is necessary to keep bidders who have never paid attention to safety management or have a history of frequent accidents out of the Three Gorges Project. Regarding corporate safety culture, Hirose believes that only through diverse educational and promotional activities can it be more easily accepted by those being trained. It needs to resonate deeply in people’s minds and hearts, avoiding dull preaching. The cartoon style is popular in Japan, so we adopted it and gradually developed and refined Japan’s safety culture. Of course, a safety culture is not equivalent to promotional activities through comics or cartoons; it has other aspects as well. However, in our training and publicity efforts at the Three Gorges construction site, the use of comics and illustrations added a certain cultural flavor to the activities; this approach was well-received by both trainees and workers at the site. The sense of responsibility of foreign experts is also highly admirable. At the Zhanhu PTA project site, several heavy rains have fallen in succession; low-lying areas at the site have formed small pools of water. The water is not very deep, and warning signs have been placed there along with protective measures. However, Bob Wilson, the foreign manager in charge of safety at the PTA construction site, was worried and urgently purchased 400 life jackets to throw into the water, in order to prevent workers from falling in accidentally and suffering accidents. Some of BP’s management methods and regulations indeed seem a bit excessive to the workers at domestic construction companies. Once, a group of Chinese construction workers were working on a relatively low scaffold when they were stopped by foreign supervisors. This was because BP’s regulations stipulate that safety harnesses must be worn when working at heights of 1.5 meters above the ground, and ladders are required for any work done at heights of 1.8 meters or more. The Chinese construction workers also wore safety belts in order to pass the inspections, but the length of those belts exceeded the height from the ground; if they fell, the safety belts would be of no use at all. Therefore, BP set new regulations regarding the length of safety belts. BP Company even takes care of determining the safest way for construction workers to get to and from work. They voluntarily paid to install speed bumps on the 2-kilometer-long road in front of the PTA project site, in order to control vehicle speeds. They believe that one should not rely on personal feelings to determine whether something is dangerous; everything must be done in accordance with the rules, and it is important to develop good habits of abiding by regulations. To ensure the implementation of the system, strict safety measures at the construction site have also been established at the PTA construction site. Regulation: All management, technical, and construction personnel must wear safety helmets, goggles, leather gloves, use full-body protective harnesses, and wear steel-toed shoes with protective plates before entering the construction site ； All visitors to the construction site, regardless of their position or status, must undergo specialized safety training on site. Even the supervisors from the Zhuhai Construction Project Safety Supervision Station, who are responsible for overseeing safety during construction, must receive safety training every time they go to the site for inspections. The training content includes: emergency procedures at the construction site, the use of various protective equipment, basic safety rules at the construction site, and other precautions. To use their common saying: \"Even if the mayor of Zhuhai City were to enter a construction site, he would still need to undergo training.\" ”