OBJECTIVES
As a person with knowledge of safety management in construction, the author has always brought up to his superiors the viability of strategy formation regarding safety management and at times fails to understand the reasons or logic behind certain strategic implementations imposed on it.
By delving into this project paper, the author intends to have better insights into how construction safety legislation policies are thought up, formulated and then imparted down into the key stakeholders. The author hopes to have an in-depth understanding as to how the construction safety management policies enables Hong Kong to compete effectively and profitably in this era of internationalization where competition is extremely intense.
In order to reinforce the learning objectives, two key focal issues were focused upon, i.e. innovation and diversity. Innovation was discussed with regards to construction safety management within Hong Kong where it was renowned for its developmental capabilities to constantly innovate. Diversity came under strategic thinking and formation as the author considered the diverse culture, political climate, economic surroundings, social environment, technological settings, government policies and legal systems in order to have a better understanding of the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision in Hong Kong.
EXECUTIVE BRIEF
This essay utilized the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision in Hong Kong as the model legislative policy to review its present construction site safety management and how it dealt with critical situations. From the analysis, key trends in its construction site safety management were identified, how it worked and its effectiveness in dealing with critical situations was ascertained. The paper then moved on to assess its component construction site safety management strategies with regard to its suitability to critical situations, during which the internal capabilities of these safety management strategies in relation to the strategy being followed by most construction firms in Hong Kong was determined also. An overall analysis of the performance and effectiveness of the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision in Hong Kong was also conducted to assess and compare the capabilities of its construction site safety management strategies with those of others. Gaps in its construction site safety management capabilities were then identified.
Finally, several choices of strategies to improve the construction site safety management of most Hong Kong construction firms as effective means in critical situations were recommended and evaluated in terms of appropriateness to the issues reviewed, feasibility in carrying out the options and acceptability within the key stakeholders and decision makers. Several key implementation issues related to managing strategic change were also addressed as well.
INTRODUCTION
Construction site safety management can be defined as the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to satisfy the safety of a construction firm’s employees and management. Construction safety management focuses on the careful management of the processes involved in the production and distribution of products and services within construction sites (Bern old et al. 1993).
More often than not, small companies don’t really have the capabilities to implement construction site safety management. Instead, these companies engage in activities that various schools of management typically associate with construction safety management. These activities include the inspection of construction sites, construction materials assessment, production and distribution.
However, construction site safety management deals with all operations done within construction firms and organizations. Activities such as the management of purchases, the control of inventories, logistics and evaluations are often related with construction site safety management. A great deal of emphasis lies on the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, construction site safety management includes the analysis and management of internal processes (Blackmon et al. 1995).
The Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision of Hong Kong will be the model legislative policy that will be used in this research based on its good background in construction safety management.
Elements of the Code of Practice for Site Safety Supervision
Safety Management Structure and Responsibilities of Relevant Personnel
A. Construction Materials Safety Management
Technically Competent Persons (Tops) in this group have responsibilities in communications, recordkeeping as well as construction safety operations scheduling. The construction materials safety management team is subdivided into key personnel.
Cargo and freight agents. These people track cargo and freight shipments of construction materials. They may come from airlines, terminals or from shipping docks. They are in charge of keeping the records of missing and destroyed construction materials as well as the excess supplies. These people are able to sort the numerous cargos of construction materials based on their destinations. They also establish payment scheduling and arrange the pickup schedule and delivery of freight (Bornstein et al. 1992).
Couriers and messengers. These people are assigned to deliver important business documents and packages to the construction sites and clients. They keep records of construction materials deliveries and get the recipient’s signature. These people travel by car or just by foot when making nearby deliveries.
Production, planning, and expediting clerks. These people do the coordination of the flow of information, work as well as the safety of the construction materials. These are done usually on a production or work schedule basis. They also the gathering of critical information for reports on, for example, the progress of work and problems encountered in the construction sites. They are also scheduling the shipments of construction materials, costs estimation, and inventories of construction materials (Clough, 1986).
Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks. These people are in charge of tracking all shipments of construction materials being transferred among construction sites, suppliers, and clients. Shipping clerks assemble and ship merchandise of construction materials. Receiving clerks do the verification and recording of information on incoming construction merchandises. Traffic clerks do the recording of the destination and costs of all incoming and outgoing construction materials shipments.
Stock clerks and order fillers. These people are in charge of receiving and the storage of the construction materials, as well as the maintenance and ensuring the safety of these construction materials. The maintenance may include inspection of the construction supplies, or even the quality of the construction materials. They may perform all of the abovementioned tasks and even those commonly handled by shipping and receiving clerks (Filbert et al. 1995).
Weathers, measurers, checkers, and samplers. These people have the responsibilities of checking and recording the weight and measurement of the construction materials as safety precautions. They usually use scales and other measuring devices such as calculators to compare the weights and measurements of the construction materials. They also make reports regarding the levels of inventories (Cohen et al. 1991).
B. Purchasing and Buying of Safe and High Quality Construction Materials
Buyers and purchasing agents are tasked to evaluate construction material suppliers on the basis of price, quality and service support. They review catalogs as well as the construction industry and company publications in order to help them in their search for the right construction material suppliers. Fortunately for them, a majority of this information can be easily accessed in the Internet. They also do some researching about the reputation and background of the construction material suppliers and may also do some advertisements regarding the foreseen purchase actions in the hope of soliciting bids. At meetings and conferences, they perform the examination of construction material products as a safety precaution, the evaluation of the productive and distributive capabilities of the construction material suppliers, and the discussion of business considerations that have the possibility of influencing the construction material purchasing decision. As soon as all valuable information about the construction material suppliers is gathered, the placement of construction material orders and contracts are started to be awarded to those construction material suppliers who are able to meet the needs of the purchasers. The typical contracts range for several years and may even have the stipulations of the range of construction material prices, which would allow the purchasers to reorder whenever necessary (Dualism et al. 1999).
In the Code of Hong Kong, however, there is a clear distinction between the work of a buyer and that of a purchasing manager. Purchasing agents and buyers focus mainly on the daily purchasing tasks. They specialize in construction materials. Purchasing agents perform the tracking of the conditions of the construction materials for safety, trends in their prices, as well as the future of the markets. Purchasing managers, on the other hand, are in charge of the more complex and critical construction material purchases and handles a team of purchasing agents.
C. Production Safety Planning
Production safety planning is a necessary function indicated in the Code. In most construction companies this process is often very difficult because of the fast rate of change and the occurrences of unplanned events. Most companies also use several methodologies depending on what the situation demands and the price of the construction materials. Nevertheless, the objectives of the production safety planning do not change: efficiency, effectiveness and safety (Everett, 1999).
Production safety planning is being implemented by the Code in order for its activities and resources to be coordinated over time. This enables the construction firm to achieve overall safety in all of its operations with minimal resource utilization. Production safety planning also enables the construction firm to monitor the progress of their safety plans at regular intervals and maintain their control over operations. Production safety planning according to the Code involves four elements: scheduling, labor safety planning, equipment safety planning, and cost planning.
- Scheduling involves the specification of the beginning, the length or the duration, and end of the planned activities geared towards achieving overall safety within the construction site.
- Labor safety planning involves allocating the necessary personnel and delegation of responsibilities and resources to ensure the overall safety of all construction workforces.
- Equipment safety planning involves identifying the types and needs in terms of safety of the equipments being used in the construction site.
- Cost planning involves determining the costs and the possibility of their occurrence in terms of achieving the overall safety within the construction site.
D. Construction Site Safety Analysis
The occurrence of construction site safety analysis within the construction sites of Hong Kong reflects the growing difficulty in the management of most Hong Kong construction firms that require the safe use of valuable construction resources such as money, materials, equipments, and people. This is perhaps the reason why construction site safety analysis is being emphasized in the Code in order to determine the most effective ways to coordinate these resources through the application of analytical methods derived from fields of studies such as mathematics, science, and engineering in order to create the safest construction site possible.
Through this process, safety concerns and problems within construction sites are solved in different ways and alternative solutions are then relayed to the construction firm’s management concerned. The management then selects the appropriate course of action in line with their goals. More often than not, construction site safety analysis is concerned with complicated issues such as top-level construction safety strategy, construction safety resource allocation, and designing of production facilities and systems for construction site safety (Gans, 1981).
Construction site safety analysis actually may vary according to the structures and philosophy of the construction firm. But according to the Code, it centralizes construction site safety analysis in one department. Construction site safety analysis may also have the possibility of working closely with top level construction site managers in order to identify and solve a variety of safety problems.
No matter what the type or structure of the construction company is, construction site safety analysis operates under similar sets of methodologies in order to carry out the analysis to support the construction company’s goal to improve the overall safety of its construction sites. The process is started by the description of the symptoms of a construction safety problem, followed by the formal definition of the problem. For example, a construction site safety analyst might be questioned regarding the most effective safety precaution for every needed part on a production line. Also, the analyst might be asked to determine the optimal number of emergency tools needed to be kept in inventory (Garza et al. 1998).
E. Construction Site Engineering
The Engineering Department of the construction site determines the best ways to utilize its basic factors of production in the safest ways possible. These resources include the construction site’s people, materials, information, and energy needed in the production. Engineering is the bridge that links the goals of management and safe operational performance. They are concerned with the increase in productivity through the proper management of people and choosing the appropriate methods of construction site organization while maintaining a high level of safety (Hammer, 1989).
According to the Code, the construction site’s engineers perform the careful analysis of the construction site’s materials and their requirements as a safety precaution. In this process, they make use of various mathematical methods in its operations research to meet the requirements. They also develop systems of management control in order to aid in the planning of safety precautions and measures in cases of emergency situations. These systems are eventually subjected to improvements for the effective implementation of the safety plans of the construction site.
The construction site’s engineers perform the tedious task of selecting which among the various construction site locations have the best combination of raw construction materials availability and safe environment. This time, engineers make use of computers for simulations and robots for controlling various activities and devices. They also are in charge of the development of systems and programs for safety.
Critical Construction Site Safety Management Improvement Factors
For Hong Kong construction sites to become effectively safe, the following construction site safety management improvement factors are critical:
· Financial Stability
Financial stability is crucial especially in the pursuit of construction site safety management and development activities. In the construction industry, it is important to remain updated with the latest construction site safety management developments to be able to stay competitive in the market.
· Construction Materials Performance and Price
The safety of the construction sites is dependent on well-funded construction safety management and development activities. The safety of the construction sites could also be linked to their cost-effectiveness. However, the construction firm has to be aware of the positioning in terms of process so as to maintain satisfactory profits margin and remain competitive in the market.
· Safety Strategy and Implementation
High construction site safety awareness among the clients has created the need for aggressive lobbying of safety policies, and access to strong distribution channels is critical for the introduction of new safety precautions.
Benefits of Efficient Construction Site Safety Management
· Economies of Scale and Scope in manufacturing and construction site management and development.
· Unique Quality Construction Sites owing to heavy emphasis on Construction Site Safety Management
A construction company’s commitment to construction site safety management & development activities has always been one of the top strategies to remain competitive in the construction market (Hine et al. 1995)
· Differentiated Construction Site Safety Strategies
Through the production and establishment of different safety strategies originating from the construction site safety management and development activities, the construction company is able to create its own firm-specific advantages. The continuous pursuit of construction site management and development processes enables the company to produce a steady stream of originally different construction site safety strategies which makes it difficult for competitors to find substitutes. Because of this differentiated approach, the construction company is able to strengthen their construction sites, which enables them in turn to maximize the returns on construction site safety management and development expenditures.
SYNTHESIS
Deriving from the analysis between the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision in Hong Kong, operations management and capabilities of the winery involved, many strategic options would become imperative. It is therefore essential to evaluate these strategic options as to whether they are appropriate to the issues addressed, whether they are feasible enough to be implemented and their acceptability to key stakeholders.
There is definitely a need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in capabilities of the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision of Hong Kong. While the code’s construction site safety management involves focusing on its core competencies with construction site position following its resource base, the construction firms of Hong Kong that will follow this will be put into a disadvantageous position should they choose to neglect both the macro as well as the construction environment. Therefore, construction firms in Hong Kong have to be aware of the latest construction site safety management changes, as well as changes in political, economic, legal and even demographic trends in order to develop the outside-in capabilities, such as market sensing, customer linking, channel bonding and technology monitoring (1997).
The advantages enjoyed by most Hong Kong construction firms may come in the form of increased revenues. Knowing what the market demands and the latest construction site safety trends could help these construction firms fully exploit their research and development capabilities to come out with construction site safety strategies and measures which are not only cost-effective but also high in quality. The strategic option can even be used as marketing tool where the focus is on staying close to the construction firm’s clients and listening to their feedbacks. On the flip side of the coin, there will be huge mobilization of resources involved, and the associated risks bestowed on the construction firms of Hong Kong.
Nevertheless, the mentioned strategic option seems the most practical in the wake of globalization, since there is a sudden shift towards a more integrated and independent construction industry in Hong Kong. The key stakeholders too should not have any objections so long as the construction firm’s core business and construction site safety strategies are not threatened. By virtue of most Hong Kong construction firms’ centralized control of their construction site safety strategies, it is being expected that major barriers should not exist in carrying out such an option except additional time may be required given the scope and span of the construction firm’s operations.
Understanding the strategic importance of the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision of Hong Kong is something that all construction firms have to be familiar with. Construction firms in Hong Kong normally practice a centralized and globally scaled configuration of construction site safety operations and capabilities. This allows information dissemination to be retained.
RECOMMENDATIONS
A tie-up or merger with various local construction firms in Hong Kong offers tremendous benefits in terms of access to their construction site safety management policies, infrastructure and even their resources. However, every independent construction firm must not lose sight of their core competencies while pursuing these tie-ups. Otherwise, the image of every construction firm in Hong Kong might be put in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, the collaboration of construction firms in Hong Kong with their major competitors can be seen as a ridiculous move at first. However, upon close examination, this move could pave the way for Hong Kong construction firms to improve even more their construction site safety management policies and strategies. The bottom line is both sides would be able significantly gain in such an alliance. Hong Kong construction firms’ strengths in construction site development combined with the construction site safety management capabilities of their competitors can transform them suddenly into an unbeatable force to reckon with. One possible setback, however, is the differences in the cultures of the construction firms involved. Another possible setback could be whether any of Hong Kong construction firm’s competitors has the need to form alliances.
The third option also focuses on alliances, but this time with either one of the leading organizations specializing in construction site safety management. The benefits of these alliances should outweigh the costs in the long run.
In terms of appropriateness, all three options are able to directly address the current issues mentioned. However, the question remains whether construction firms in Hong Kong could be able to implement any of these options, and whether these options can be acceptable to the key stakeholders. Any merger or alliances may also involve the sharing of expertise. Hong Kong construction firms have traditionally relied on the inside-out approach. It is important to note that any merger transactions would have many implications on the construction firm’s values and culture as well as the resources. The key stakeholders definitely would be concerned with such options and need to be convinced of the positive aspects. Somehow, Hong Kong construction firms will be able to overcome this barrier in managing strategic changes in the process of implementing any of the above mentioned strategic options.
CONCLUSION
The results of the analysis carried out on the Code of Practices for Site Safety Supervision in Hong Kong indicated very significant effects, even amidst the threats of unrest. Therefore, we could conclude that this Code could still be expected to improve faster than average.
The review of the Code’s construction site safety management capabilities and resources revealed very little inconsistencies regarding the strategies of most Hong Kong construction firms. This is coherent with their traditional inside-out approach. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes imperative now for these construction firms.
The analysis among the Hong Kong construction industry environment as well as the construction site safety management and capabilities of their construction firms revealed certain gaps, most of which are biased towards the environment. However, these gaps paved the way towards determining a number of recommended strategic options to secure the competitiveness of these construction firms.
Also, the construction firms of Hong Kong have to find a balance between adherence to internal forces within the management and to the changing forces of the environment in order to implement such strategic construction site safety options.
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