Client Profile
Putting Safety First in Diverse Construction Projects
Above all else, GE Johnson’s objective is to send their employees home to their loved ones safe and healthy each day. The 630-person Colorado-based construction company approaches large and small projects with equal expertise and passion. GE Johnson’s portfolio ranges from performing arts centers to office improvements to state-of-the-art stadiums to hospital facilities, and more.
Challenge
The Company’s Paper-based Systems Discouraged Engagement and Analysis
As with many companies in the construction industry, GE Johnson had decided to make its way from paper-based EHS management to a technology solution.
“Everybody’s been so used to paper, I think sometimes they don’t realize the technology that’s available to them,” said Safety Manager Jim Cosgrave.
The company had gone through the wringer of using Excel sheets, Word documents, and other paper-based systems in the past. “We’d start with one system, then shift over to another,” Cosgrave said. “In the end, we’d tried a ton of options, but we really couldn’t find anything that was consistent.”
One issue with the paper-driven approach was access to data, Cosgrave noted.
“If all this stuff is in paper form, how do you collate that data? How do you take that data to your job site? How do you take that data to your company?”
In addition to requiring a better system for field staff, Cosgrave also looked for a better way to empower his executives to complete their tasks inside their EHS system. “These executives are managing multiple entities, multiple states. They needed a more efficient way to file assessments and other reports.”
Solution
Making Safety Easier through a Mobile Safety Management System
“Assessments, our plans of the day, our pre-task planning…we wanted to be able to engage people digitally versus using paper,” Cosgrave said.
“We were looking for something that would make safety easy for people.”
Initially, the company evaluated 17 online EHS platforms and beta-tested two. The systems tested were hard to use for the variety of staff logging in. And in the end, the resulting data farmed from the trial systems weren’t as in-depth as Cosgrave was seeking.
Other issues included connectivity, crucial to GE Johnson’s on-site performance. “I’d create a report, go to hit ‘save,’ and suddenly, there would be a glitch, and I’d have to start over.”
Then, in mid-2021, the company turned to KPA.
Result
Saved Time, Made Data Visible, and Improved Safety Program Participation
When it comes to overall functionality, KPA hit on all cylinders. “It’s about ease of use,” said Cosgrave. “It’s time and cost-saving. It’s real-time data. The ability to filter down to specific issues, specific people, and specific sites.”
“KPA was the winner hands-down. We had people filling out forms the first day that we had it operational.”
In terms of time savings, Cosgrave said, “Typically, I do 90% of reporting on my phone. This saves a couple of hours each day. If you’re filling out a safety form in the field, you’re done. You don’t have to come back to your desk with your notes and start from scratch.”
Cosgrave also leverages KPA Flex to conduct executive safety surveys following a site visit. He’s pleased to see that executive engagement with KPA Flex far surpasses what he experienced in the paper-based days. “For safety to be effective, it has to be run from the top down,” said Cosgrave.
The greatest value of the platform comes back to meeting safety goals for all employees.
“You can view existing items you’ve corrected, and you can also spot and acknowledge the good stuff. If we do need improvements, you can pull up pictures to illustrate your point. That creates a whole new level of efficiency.”
“When it comes to incident avoidance, we can really get ahead of the curve because now we can see trends.”
“Now we can say, ‘What do we see during our hazard recognitions? What are we seeing that’s not being resolved?'” Cosgrave said.
So, what’s next for GE Johnson and KPA?
“We plan to start using KPA Flex to communicate with people outside of our organization,” said Cosgrave. “That gets our subcontractors and crews involved. When you get everybody together with skin in the game, the shared sense of importance makes it a team effort versus an individual one.”
