Safety Performance through Operational Excellence -- Phase I
Operational excellence is a term that is relatively new and poorly defined in the construction industry. Fundamentally, operational excellence in construction can be defined as “doing the right thing, the right way, every time – even when no one is watching.”
RT-317 utilized a “Critical to Quality (CTQ)” tree as the framework for the operational excellence model. Drawing upon literature, expert interviews, and a validation survey, the team developed and presented a rigorous model.
- Recognition and Reward
- Employee Engagement
- Subcontractor Management
- Training and Competence
- Risk Awareness, Management, and Tolerance
- Learning Organization
- Human Performance
- Transformational Leadership
- Shared Values, Beliefs, and Assumptions
- Strategic Safety Communication
- Just and Fair Practices and Procedures
- Worksite Organization
- Owner’s Role
Operational Excellence in regards to safety seeks to formalize and professionalize the concept of safety on construction projects. This requires holistic and significant dedication. Thus, the model of operational excellence is significant and broken down into multiple layers of detail as seen below. OED are operational excellence drivers as outlined in Key Finding #2. CTS (Critical to Safety) are more detailed procedural elements at the project level. CTX (Critical to Expectations) are even more detailed practices at the site level. S/M are specification/measurements or the actual measurable results of your safety policies. The table below provides a count of each layer of the model underneath a specific OE driver.
