The ‘Don’t Walk By’ procedure for construction sites is all about creating a culture of awareness and openness in which individuals have the confidence to identify and challenge unsafe acts and conditions and make suggestions for improvement. Construction and safety project team members can record their observation on potential risk areas on “Don’t Walk By” form.
In general, the “Don’t Walk By” form will usually include fields for the location of the unsafe act, action taken which could be Stop Work, Fix Hazard or Manage, hazard rating which could be High, Moderate or Low and details of the unsafe act. In addition, the form will have a field for the hazard type which could be Working at height, Fire Prevention, Plant / Equipment, Scaffolds and Ladders, Trip hazard, Electrical hazard, Barriers, PPE, Handling, Health, Housekeeping, Edge Protection/ Openings, Noise among others. Further, the form will include a field for the hazard impact category which could include A – Potential to result in fatal or major injuries, B – Potential to result in minor injuries and C – Minimal risk or injury. Finally, the form will include a field to show if this DWB serves as a personal Yellow Card, Red Card or Blue Card.
Using a Project Management Information System (PMIS) like PMWeb, organizations can improve the adoption of the ‘Don’t Walk By’ procedure. PMWeb custom form builder will be used to create the DWB form. Since every construction and safety project team member is responsible for reporting unsafe acts observations, it is highly recommended that the DWB form is designed to be accessed using a smart mobile device like an iPhone or Android phone. The picture below show the DWB form on a desktop as well as on a smart mobile device.
The value for all fields in the DWB form other than the Unsafe Act Details field, will be available to be selected from a predefined list of values. When using a smart mobile device, the Unsafe Act Details field can be also filled using the option “Speech to Text”. The option for selecting how the DWB serves as a personal card, will be by ticking on the selection box to select if it is a Yellow Card, Red Card or Blue Card.
In case there is a need to attach a picture of the unsafe act, PMWeb will automatically recognize the presence of the smart mobile device camera to allow either taking and attaching a picture or a video to DWB form. Of course, there is also the option to attach other type of documents if needed.
Whenever an unsafe act or condition is noticed then the observer is required to submit the “Don’t Walk By” form using PMWeb explaining the observation to the nearest Foreman, Charge hand, Supervisor and email him/her a link of the DWP. This will be done by using the Notification tab on the form to send an email to the selected individuals where they will get a hyperlink to the submitted DWB form.
There is also the option to share a PDF copy of the PWD form if a report was designed using PMWeb report writer. The PWD can be printed or saved as a PDF file to be shared via email, WhatsApp or any other available share option on the smart mobile device.
It is recommended that the “Don’t Walk By” form to include a workflow to ensure that all submitted observations are received by the Safety Supervisor and the HSE Manage if required. The workflow can be a very simple workflow with basic steps or it can be more detailed to involve other project team members depending on the seriousness of the reported unsafe act.
By having all reported unsafe act observations captured in a PMWeb, the organization can implement an effective process to give awards, commendations or recognitions to the individual who raises the most credible “Don’t Walk By” observations. In addition, the reported unsafe act observations could become one of the health, safety and environment (HSE) reports that are required to be presented and shared. The report will include a register of all unsafe act observations and visuals to analyze the unsafe acts by Observer, Impact, Category, DWP Card Color and Type.
About the Author
Bassam Samman, PMP, PSP, EVP, GPM is a Senior Project Management Consultant with 40-year service record providing project management, project controls services and project management information system to over than 400 projects with a total value in excess of US$ 400 Billion. Those projects included Commercial, Residential, Education and Healthcare Buildings and Infrastructure, Entertainment, Hospitality and Shopping Malls, Oil and Gas Plants and Refineries, Telecommunication and Information Technology projects. He is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, computerized project control software, claims analysis/prevention, risk analysis/management (contingency planning), design, supervision, training and business development.
Bassam is a frequent speaker in topics relating to Project Management, Strategic Project Management and Project Management Personal Skills. Over the past 40 years he has lectured at more than 400 events and courses at different locations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South America. He has written more than 400 articles on project management and project management information systems that were featured in international and regional magazines and newspapers. He was a co-founder of the Project Management Institute- Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) and has served on its board of directors for more than 6 years. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) and Earned Value Professional (EVP) from the American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE) and Green Project Management (GPM).
Bassam holds a Masters in Engineering Administration (Construction Management) with Faculty Commendation, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA, Bachelor in Civil Engineering – Kuwait University, Kuwait and has attended many executive management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA and London Business School, London, UK.