March 22, 2010

Buildex Edmonton seminar to examine worksite safety on green building projects

STEPHEN DAFOE

correspondent

EDMONTON

LEED projects may be on the cutting edge of environmentally friendly construction, but worksite safety on these projects is a topic up for debate.

The issue will be discussed at Buildex Edmonton on Mar. 23 in a seminar called Health and Safety Considerations for LEED Projects: Environmentally Conscious but are Your Workers Safe?

The seminar’s presenter, Shilo B. Neveu, is an associate with McLennan Ross LLP – a law firm that Neveu said handled more than 80 per cent of Alberta’s OHS charges last year. The defence lawyer said that LEED projects, particularly larger ones, often have highly unique architectural designs and components that the majority of construction workers aren’t used to.

“When you introduce a new process into the system and people haven’t done it, inherently, it’s going to be more dangerous,” he said.

“If you’ve done something a million times, it lends itself to repetition, you have an understanding, you know the hazards and potential hazards associated with it,” he said.

Like any construction project, planning is essential and Neveu’s seminar will focus on how crucial planning is when tackling LEED projects, particularly those that use non-standard techniques.

Since his experience has shown that those charged with OHS offences have a 60 to 70 per cent chance of being convicted, he hopes those working on LEED projects will heed the advice.

Unlike standard construction projects, LEED awards specific credits for building design.

Neveu said architects and engineers often want to keep their design elements and criteria secret.

“So many times they’re going to be having new processes introduced and you need to take the time, depending on what your responsibility is based on the act, with what you’re going to do,” he said.

In the case of contractors and prime contractors, the lawyer advises that parties take a solid look at their pre-screening process and who they are hiring to take on the work.

Neveu said contractors need to ask more questions on LEED jobs than they might on conventional projects because of the specialized nature of LEED processes.

“The simple question is – have you performed the work before?” he said, noting that the cookie cutter system of prequalification used in standard construction may not be enough when proving due diligence.

“I think registries really have a place. Due diligence is based on multiple performance, so you have registries, you have your tool box talks, your hazard assessments, your contracts – you’ve got to stack them all,” he said.

“Each one of them is like a screen and as you start stacking the screens, you start covering up the holes. You need all these systems together to build your due diligence.”

While he said there is no silver bullet for ensuring due diligence, he feels that registries could eliminate a qualified contractor because they do not meet the OHS requirements that traditional contractors need.

“What if this company specializes in building these green roofs?” he asked.

“That’s all they’ve ever done. A registry would kick them out because they don’t deal with stuff like asbestos or that type of thing.”

The lawyer said that contractors need to tailor their systems to ask the right questions relevant to the specifics of the increasingly specialized systems being used in LEED projects.

“Everything is turning into a more tailored project,” he said.

“Architects are defining the boundaries of construction.”

As the work becomes more and more specialized, Neveu said contractors may have to bring in specialized workforces from outside the province, workers who may not be familiar with the way things are done in province.

“If something happens, you’re going to be held accountable for that,” he said.

“Most workers are just here to do the work, but you have to take a lot of steps to make sure they are following our systems.”

However, the lawyer is confident that as LEED becomes more common, there will be an increase in standardized LEED construction practices.

“You are going to have the evolution, if you will, of the green collar worker out there, where this will become common practice and these unknowns won’t simply be unknowns anymore,” he said.

“We’re through the honeymoon, then there’s going to be the growing pains, and then we’re going to see this next step.”

The seminar takes place Mar. 23 from 10:30 a.m. until noon, and is one of 31 seminars scheduled for this year’s event.

Buildex Edmonton runs Mar. 23 and 24 at the Edmonton Expo Centre, Northlands.

Organizers are anticipating 150 exhibitors and more than 2,000 attendees.

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