Daily planning conversations and AI: Keys for improving construction culture, engagement, planning, and safety.

The construction industry is known for its inherent risks, contributing to ~170,000 workplace injuries and illnesses annually in the United States. Engaging in prejob safety discussions presents a crucial chance to safeguard workers by proactively recognizing hazards and ensuring that crews are well-oriented with safety protocols before commencing work each day. However, research shows prejob meetings are often conducted hastily without the depth required to fully uncover risks. This study examines the characteristics that distinguish high-impact, high-quality prejob safety conversations from lower- quality counterparts. Strategies are provided for improving engagement, psychological safety, hazard analysis, accountability, and leadership support to transform safety talks into dynamic interactions that empower employees to operate safely. Additionally, this study reviews leading-edge artificial intelligence techniques, enabling construction firms to capture, analyze, and optimize their daily planning conversations at scale to drive safety excellence. Implementing the evidence-based strategies discussed allows organizations to realize the immense potential of prejob conversations for preventing injuries and fatalities.

The Airline Lifesaver: a 17-year analysis of a technique to prompt the delivery of a safety message.

INTRODUCTION: The Airline Lifesaver (AL) is a 13.3 cm x 9.8 cm card any passenger can deliver to the attendant of a commercial airline in order to prompt the delivery of an important safety message. In particular, the AL requests the following safety--belt reminder be added to the regular announcements given at the end of the flight-"Now that you have worn a seat belt for the safest part of your trip, the flight crew would like to remind you to buckle-up during your ground transportation." METHOD: The AL card was handed to 1,258 flight attendants over a 17-year period and compliance with the request for the safety message was systematically tracked. Slightly more than one-third of the AL cards (n=460) included an incentive for making the announcement. RESULTS: Without the incentive, compliance to give the buckle-up reminder was 35.5% of 798 flights. With the incentive, compliance was significantly higher (i.e., 53.3%). IMPACT: The validity of the AL intervention is discussed with regard to its: (a) relevance to cognitive dissonance and consistency theory, and (b) broad-based applicability as a component of community-wide efforts to facilitate a safety-focused culture. The 17-year study also demonstrated a practical and cost-effective application of a behavior-based incentive program.