Highlighter Summer2016

The Highlighter Summer 2016 13 F acilitating an effective project kick off meeting is considered an industry best practice. It allows all stakeholders to agree on expectations, outcomes, and goals; while ensuring that rules and responsibilities are understood. It also allows for the ability to share lessons learned and experiences from similar projects in an effort to eliminate the potential for any project injuries and accidents. The kick off meeting is a valuable tool that proactively allows the team to think through the project before actually working on it. The process should include the project team, client representation, employees, management and safety leadership. The following are suggested meeting objectives and topics of discussion during the health and safety aspect of the kick of meeting: „ „ Are all regulatory requirements being implemented properly? „ „ Are there any roles and responsibilities that require clarification? „ „ Have the documentation requirements been defined and explained? „ „ Do the project plans accurately detail the job tasks, hazards, and controls? „ „ How will any possible changing site conditions be addressed? „ „ Are all employees empowered with stop work authority? Another important aspect of a project kick off meeting is a summary review of the project safety analyses and plans including the Accident Prevention Plan/ Health and Safety Plan and the associated Activity Hazard Analyses/Job safety analysis. This summary review is a necessary training tool for protecting the team from recognizable hazards. Additionally, this proactive safety action will engage the project team, encourage the sharing of lessons learned, and initiate a culture of safety excellence. The Pond team recently led a kick off meeting for a highly visible field project at the Pearl Harbor Red Hills Facility that included the representation of clients, multiple subcontractors, and Pond leadership. The project involved high risk hazards that included employee exposure to regulated hazardous materials, respiratory protection use, working at elevation, electrical lock out tag out, and the potential for a flammable atmosphere. Once this project was initiated, it required a continuous effort through completion. 48 hours later, all project milestones were achieved and the project was completed without a single injury, accident, or mishap. Engaging all stakeholders in project kick off meetings is a unique proactive safety approach to hazard control and elimination. Sustainable use of this approach allows each individual the opportunity to “own” the project and “put a face” on potential safety outcomes. The overarching results often have a significant positive impact on the quality, profitability, and safety of the project and those who believed it could be done. Jim Davis Corporate Health & Safety Director An Industry Best Practice Project Kick off Meetings The Military Planning & Geospatial program is looking forward to further collaboration with other Pond programs this year. We have had some great experiences, and found significant advantage to execution of work and development of new clients and services through working with programs out of the Peachtree Corners, Jacksonville and Norfolk offices. Working over geographic boundaries helps us develop a seamless reach to our clients, and continued growth of a truly global team. Sam L. Briuglio, GISP, Vice President | Military Planning & Geospatial The kick off meeting is a valuable tool that proactively allows the team to think through the project before actually working on it.