Mace / Facebook
Senior Supervisor / Black Hat Programme
Concentris developed and led the programme to upskill a selected supervisor group for effective safety engagements and coaching interactions on this flagship Data Centre project near Dublin.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The CLN project is part of Facebook’s strategy for establishing its Data Centres across the world. Mace was appointed to manage a team of over 20 work packages and client appointed vendors, as well as co-ordinating design and planning approval functions for successful delivery
As part of delivering effective Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW), they sought to make delivery of its ‘Safety First Second Nature’ approach a key component of the project. Mace recognised that the correct quality of Operative supervision would play a significant part. To assist with this, the Black Hat (BH) programme was established. Each of the main Contractors on the project were asked to nominate a BH from among their complement of Site Supervisors. Initially, the BH’s were tasked with doing the following:
Aims:
• Carrying out site walk rounds in pairs amongst all Operatives on site, not just those from their own companies
• Spotting and supporting safe practices
• Taking a true ‘coaching’ approach where needed on positive and corrective safety interactions
• Develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to reflect these tasks
Concentris provided customised training and coaching support to facilitate the BH’s way into their roles and keep those aligned with the KPIs designed by them and reviewed at monthly feedback meetings.
KPI’s:
- Tours completed vs Target
- Positive interventions made vs Target
- Attendance at monthly review meetings
These feedback meetings allowed for an open dialogue on how the BH programme was progressing and any issues that may have arisen from it.
In addition, as part of their tours the BH’s were used to ask culture – based questions to Operatives about safety interactions. These were compared with baseline scores for Operatives joining the project, to give a feel for whether the Operatives were experiencing the correct prompts for a positive HSW culture. ‘Before’ and ‘after’ scores indicated a significant increase in scores. Operatives consistently spoke positively of the marked difference in approach to HSW at CLN when compared to their previous projects.
It was also noted by the BH’s that they were able to interact more effectively with each other, on other work issues, such as planning and scheduling of works. The BH programme had acted as a catalyst to promote better interactions between them and a greater degree of trust in each other.
The BH programme has also been used to develop follow on lessons for other Supervisors, which have been delivered through customised on-site training and follow up.
“Doug has helped us over a number of years now in developing a practical and helpful approach to behavioural improvements in safety, across our business. He has been easy to deal with, and has been able to interact well with all levels of our team, from Director to Workforce. We can see the positive impact this has had on the projects we have delivered for our own clients; this has helped us to enhance our reputation as a business, as well as doing all we can to create a safe workplace for our people. “We knew each other better, and we knew we could trust each other…”
“We had better conversations, the relationships there meant we could sequence the work, and know we could rely on who was working in front of us or behind us…”
“When I first heard about the Black Hat programme, I was suspicious, but I now see it has gone way beyond safety, in helping us to work together. Our jobs have become easier, because we know who to go to in the other Contractors to get things done.”
KEY FACTS
Different contractors participating
Maximum factor of improvement in cultural scores
CONTACT CONCENTRIS
Doug Hamilton
+44 779 582 1801