Profile
The McCarthy-Barnsley Construction City Hall project was a formally signed partnership between the general contractor, Georgia Tech Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The purpose of the partnership was to promote safety and health on the Brookhaven construction site.
Situation
Brookhaven City Hall was under construction for approximately two years (2023-2025) with McCarthy Building Companies and Barnsley Construction (a joint venture) as the prime contractors. McCarthy self -performed the concrete and erection of the cross laminated timbers (CLT). This CLT type project was a first for the McCarthy Building Companies Atlanta office.
Solution
Safety surveys, inspections, and surveillance were actively used to identify and anticipate hazards on the jobsite. The inspections were performed by McCarthy Building Companies (including subcontractor foreman/leads), Georgia Tech SHES, and OSHA. McCarthy performed a total of 1312 inspections of the construction site with a total of 398 safety observations (issued) and 46 positive observations. In addition to the McCarthy inspections, OSHA performed four inspections (including two partnership verifications) at the site with no citations issued.
Georgia Tech SHES performed quarterly hazard surveys (inspections) of the project. A total of nine visits were performed that consisted of seven safety visits and two health visits that identified 41 hazards and removed 731 trades people from workplace hazards. One-third of the hazards were immediately corrected onsite.
McCarthy Building Companies maintained an effective safety and health program through the project. McCarthy scored 2.57 out of 3 on all areas of the evaluation. The evaluation focused on hazard identification and anticipation, hazard prevention and controls, planning and evaluation, administration and supervision, and safety and health training. Incentives were also implemented for positive reinforcement. Workers were rewarded with chips for good safety performance, and the chips could be used for raffle prizes. The foreman was expected to write a pre-task plan and have a crew briefing before the start of the workday.
Industrial hygiene surveys were performed on the project. Silica sampling was performed to determine the effectiveness of the engineering controls and verify that PPE was properly worn. A heat stress survey was performed using real time data on personnel, such as body temperature and heart rate. The information was used by McCarthy Corporate to implement a work rest regiment for personnel with physical distress (heart ailments).
Subcontractors were engaged in safety and health on this project through participation in the inspections, training and subcontractor coordination meetings. Training was also a very extensive part of the safety and health management system. The company performed a total of 1018 hours of training including 745 orientation sessions for the project and many other training sessions. Specialized training was also performed, such as supervisory safety and OSHA 10/30-hour, rigging, first aid/CRR, scaffold set up/use, silica, MEWP, and forklift. Safety was discussed as part of planning with a look at project milestones to strategize actions for safety and health throughout all construction phases.
Some technical difficulties were observed during construction, such as the handling and installation of the mass timbers (CLT), access to the subfloors, and working on the upper floors around the atrium. McCarthy Atlanta office has never performed a mass timbers project, so there was a learning curve with handling and setting up mass timbers. The mass timbers could not be stored in the layout area because of the lack of space and quality issues. A “just-in-time” inventory approach was put in place for the mass timbers to arrive on an “as needed” basis. Due to the access floors, the upper levels around the atrium could not support the weight of a mobile elevated platform. Baker scaffolds and one-man lifts had to be used. The work area of the atrium floor was crowded with mobile work platforms. Access floors also posed safety issues. Hazards associated with access floors were overcome by using barricades and implementing a permit system that had to be signed off by the contractors.
With the completion of the construction project, the injury and illness rates were kept well below the national average for non-residential builders. The DART and the lost time incidence rate were 0.0 and the total project incidence rate was 1.2. The injury and illness rates were kept well below the national averages of 1.0 (DART) and 1.8 (TRCR) for the industry. No injuries or illnesses were recorded on the 2024 OSHA 300A. The two recorded injuries were a finger injury from material handling and a leg laceration from accessing the subfloor. There were no injuries to the public.
Results
The partnership was a great opportunity to promote safety on the project. The project had no lost time and a TRCR rate well below the national average. The TPIR was 1.2 for two years of construction. Milestones and goals were set for safety and health management in accordance with the agreement. The partnership fostered engagement of subcontractors and involvement with safety inspections and training. Georgia Tech provided additional assistance with industrial hygiene support, safety and health management assessments, and inspections of the project. According to McCarthy Building Companies, the additional safety input from Georgia Tech was beneficial to safety at the project.
Author: Thomas Dean