The ‘Don’t Walk By’ procedure for construction sites is all about creating a culture of awareness and openness in which individuals have the confidence to identify and challenge unsafe acts and conditions and make suggestions for improvement. Construction and safety project team members can record their observation on potential risk areas on the “Don’t Walk By” form.
In general, the “Don’t Walk By” form will usually include fields for the location of the unsafe act, action taken which could be Stop Work, Fix Hazard or Manage, hazard rating which could be High, Moderate, or Low, and details of the unsafe act. In addition, the form will have a field for the hazard type which could be Working at height, Fire Prevention, Plant / Equipment, Scaffolds and Ladders, Trip hazard, Electrical hazard, Barriers, PPE, Handling, Health, Housekeeping, Edge Protection/ Openings, Noise among others. Further, the form will include a field for the hazard impact category which could include A – Potential to result in fatal or major injuries, B – Potential to result in minor injuries and C – Minimal risk or injury. Finally, the form will include a field to show if this DWB serves as a personal Yellow Card, Red Card or Blue Card.
Using a Project Management Information System (PMIS) like PMWeb, organizations can improve the adoption of the ‘Don’t Walk By’ procedure. PMWeb custom form builder will be used to create the DWB form. Since every construction and safety project team member is responsible for reporting unsafe acts observations, it is highly recommended that the DWB form is designed to be accessed using a smart mobile device like an iPhone or Android phone. The picture below show the DWB form on a desktop as well as on a smart mobile device.
The value for all fields in the DWB form other than the Unsafe Act Details field will be available to be selected from a predefined list of values. When using a smart mobile device, the Unsafe Act Details field can be also filled using the option “Speech to Text”. The option for selecting how the DWB serves as a personal card will be by ticking on the selection box to select if it is a Yellow Card, Red Card, or Blue Card.
In case there is a need to attach a picture of the unsafe act, PMWeb will automatically recognize the presence of the smart mobile device camera to allow either taking and attaching a picture or a video to DWB form. Of course, there is also the option to attach other types of documents if needed.
Whenever an unsafe act or condition is noticed then the observer is required to submit the “Don’t Walk By” form using PMWeb explaining the observation to the nearest Foreman, Chargehand, Supervisor and email him/her a link of the DWP. This will be done by using the Notification tab on the form to send an email to the selected individuals where they will get a hyperlink to the submitted DWB form.
There is also the option to share a PDF copy of the PWD form if a report was designed using the PMWeb report writer. The PWD can be printed or saved as a PDF file to be shared via email, WhatsApp, or any other available share option on the smart mobile device.
It is recommended that the “Don’t Walk By” form to include a workflow to ensure that all submitted observations are received by the Safety Supervisor and the HSE Manage if required. The workflow can be a very simple workflow with basic steps, or it can be more detailed to involve other project team members depending on the seriousness of the reported unsafe act.
By having all reported unsafe act observations captured in a PMWeb, the organization can implement an effective process to give awards, commendations, or recognition to the individual who raises the most credible “Don’t Walk By” observations. In addition, the reported unsafe act observations could become one of the health, safety, and environment (HSE) reports that are required to be presented and shared. The report will include a register of all unsafe act observations and visuals to analyze the unsafe acts by Observer, Impact, Category, DWP Card Color, and Type.
