The works at Bermondsey Dive Under (BDU) required the execution of a major civil engineering project near the operational railway. This case study looks at contractor Skanska’s behavioural safety achievements, occupational health achievements and key learnings from the £75 million project.
Taking learning from the Borough Viaduct project, the ambition for the BDU team was to go above and beyond the behavioural safety delivered by Skanska’s Injury Free Environment (IFE) safety programme. Skanska wanted people to come to the site and feel like part of a family, making long lasting friendships. This would enable people to look out for one another and ensure everyone went home safe, every day, healthy and inspired.
Skanska and Network Rail’s personal approach to safety delivered excellent safety performance across the project. An early major accident in 2012 was learned from, and Skanska supported industry wide change as a result. Following this, 870,000 injury free hours were worked without any major accident on site.
Behavioural safety
The journey to an IFE on the BDU project started with an orientation. This focussed on the importance of relationships and included a briefing from senior managers on why safety was personally important to them. Team members then wrote their own safety pledge as to why they wanted to return home safe, every day. The pledges were displayed on the walls of project offices, acting as a gentle ongoing reminder.
A representative from each supplier formed the IFE Site Leadership Team, who were the conduit for turning ideas and issues into actions to improve the working environment. The personal principle led to “Making a Difference” recognition awards, where any team member could be nominated for any action that has made a difference to a colleague. On average, 15 individuals were recognised each month from a team of around 100. Recognition was also given for innovative ideas such as using Nevosafe strips.