The National Academy of Construction has urged construction leaders to embrace the operational concept of “achieving Zero Injury” as a corporate safety performance norm.
NAC offers the following safety precepts on which the Zero Injury safety concept is based:
- Know that the fact injuries occur does not mean that injuries must occur; all injuries are preventable.
- View the objective of Zero Injury outcome as a commitment, not a target or goal. There is a difference.
- Understand there are many reasons injuries occur, but only one cause, which is always linked to some form of at risk behavior.
- Ensure all employees make a commitment to avoid all at-risk behaviors.
- Accept that committing to Zero Injury is not saying there will never be another injury, but that another injury is never wanted.
- Know employees will fully support a company’s Zero Injury efforts since no employee nor their families want an injury to occur to anyone.
- Acknowledge that safety has always been about working more hours without injury. It is clear that Zero Injury is statistically possible.
- Recognize that an informed construction leader’s job is simply to apply the Zero Injury research of the Construction Industry Institute to redefine a company’s longest string of hours worked at Zero Injury.
- If Zero Injury is not your heart’s desire for a safety outcome, then what is?
According to NAC, these statements give insight into how to begin the process that yields in Zero Injury outcomes. The Zero Injury precepts assist individuals in forming their foundational safety beliefs. The NAC is a professional society of 200 construction leaders honored for their distinguished contributions.
