PTD in Construction – A Building Life Cycle Approach

Past President and the SMACNA Director for Market Sectors and Safety Mike McCullion, CSP, ARM is going to be speaking on Prevention Through Design in Construction and its relevance to our work as safety professionals today.  The seminar will be followed by a networking hour.

Here are some questions that might enumerate the value of this seminar:

Scott: What got you interested in Prevention through Design and developing this report?

Mike: It’s one of those forward-thinking ideas that involves owners, architects, the engineering community and the design community. Those are the people we really need to get involved on the front end. Construction is a collaborative effort, not just at the planning stage but throughout, especially with the specialty contractors I represent. Contractors have to work with the final design whether they like it or not. I see this early intervention as a win-win as long as owners are open to it.

Scott: How do we get owners to buy in to PtD?

Mike: The business case usually gets their attention because they understand return on investment. Once owners accept that aspect, they start seeing that even though PtD is a bit harder up front financially, it makes up for itself over the lifecycle of the building, especially as the building is maintained. This technical report examines the PtD process through the lifecycle of a project, including the return on investment through the life of a building.

Scott: To sell this to the design community, is it best to start with contractors who both design and build the project?

Mike: That’s a good place to start but I think PtD can be used in any contract mechanism. The architects need to get on board with form and function. Safety is part of function. You build the building the way the owner wants, but basic safety needs should still be included. For example, you can do very nice parapet walls on flat roofs that fit into the form of the building but also function as a guardrail for anybody working on the roof.

The meeting will be held from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM on December 18, 2018 in the Miller and Long Corporate Education Center (7101 Wisconsin Ave Bethesda, MD).

Please park at the Gray Long Term Montgomery County Public Parking Meters behind the Miller and Long Offices or use the Bethesda Metro Station.

This meeting is sponsored by SiteDocs. Visit sitedocs.com or reference the pamphlet below to learn more about how to integrate this Safety Document Management Software into your company.