OccupationalSafety&HealthAdministration

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TheGreatAmericanBallpark(A)1
April2005

Patrickwasthecountyadministratorresponsibleforsafetyonpublicconstructionprojects,andoneofhistaskswastooverseeasafetyprogramforthenew
GreatAmericanBallpark,whichisthenewbaseballstadiumfortheCincinnatiReds.Hecannotstopthinkingabouttworecentlycompletedhighprofilestadium
projectsthatendedwithverydifferentresults.MillerPark,inMilwaukee,openedayearlateafteracranecollapsedduringtheconstructionkillingthreeworkers.
PaulBrownStadium(newhomeoftheCincinnatiBengals)wasconstructedontime(inapproximately2.5years)withasafetyrecordfaraboveindustry
averages.ThesafetyprogramatPaulBrownStadiumwasdevelopedjointlybytheCincinnatiOfficeoftheOccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration
(OSHA),theCountyofHamilton,andthemajorcontractorsontheproject,andincludedbudgetresourcesfortraining,drugtesting,andonsitemedicalfacilities
amongotherthings.
Withasamplesizeoftwo,PatrickwashavingadifficulttimedecidingifthesafetyinitiativeonthePaulBrownStadiumreallymadeadifferenceorifoneproject
hadverygoodluckwhiletheprojectatMillerParksimplyhadverybadluck.
Inadditiontoformulatinganoverallsafetyplan,thecounty'slegalcouncil,FrankJones,wasreallyencouragingPatricktopushallpotentialliabilitytothe
contractors.ThiswouldbeverydifferentthanthewaybusinesswasconductedonthePaulBrownStadium.InthePaulBrownStadium,thecountyestablished
anOwnerControlledInsuranceProgram,inwhichthecountypurchasedthirdpartyliabilityinsuranceforprojectcontractorstocoverworkers'compensation
andgeneralliability.Individualcontractorspurchasedfirstpartyinsurancetocoveronlylossestoequipmentorpropertyownedorbeinginstalledatthesite.
DuetothesizeofthePaulBrownstadiumproject,higherlimits,broadercoverage,andgreaterretentionswereobtainedatlowercosttotheoverallproject
thanindividualcontractorscouldhavereceived.Despitethecostsavings,Frank'sargumentwasthattheconstructionindustryisfartooriskyforthiscountyto
acceptthatkindofliability.
Basedonthecostandsafetydataavailablefromthetwoprojects,PatrickneededtodevelophisrecommendationsforthesafetyprogramattheGreatAmerican
BallparkjobsiteincludinghisresponsetoFrank'sconcerns.
MillerPark
OnJuly14,1999,threeironworkers,inasuspendedpersonnelplatformmonitoringthehoistingofaroofsection,diedafterfallingapproximately300feettothe
groundwhentheirplatformwasstruckbythecollapsingheavyliftcrane.Thecraneknownas"BigBlue"wasliftingasectionofthestadiumroofweighingover
450tons.Severalenvironmentalfactorscontributedtotheaccidentincludingthewindandsoftsoil.Thewindspeedsthatdaywere2021mphwithguststo26
27mph,andtheboomonthecranewasratedto20mph.Also,thecranesankaboutafootintothesoilwhenitinitiallyliftedtheroofsectionearlierthat
morning.
Wasthesafetyprogramatfaultordidtheyjusthavebadluck?
Followingthecranecollapse,OSHAinvestigatedthejobsiteandissuedcitationstothreefirms:MitsubishiHeavyIndustriesAmerica,Inc.($240,500),Lampson
InternationalLtd.($131,300),andDanny'sConstructionCompany,Inc.($168,000).Thefinalpenaltieswerereducedlaterinlitigationandsettlement.The
specificviolationscitedarelistedinExhibit1.
TheOSHAAreaDirectorforMilwaukeebelievedthatcompliancewithOSHArequirementswouldlikelyhavepreventedthistragedy.Thefailuretotakeinto
accountthewindwasconsideredasignificantfactor.Aftertheaccidentandinvestigation,severalchangeswereimplementedforthecompletionoftheproject:
Anewcranewasinstalledwithanemometersatthetipoftheboomandcomputerizedloadmonitoring
Matswereinstalledtoensuresafefoundations
Anemometersweremountedonthecraneboomtipandstadiumroofforcontinuousrecording
Windloadsandspecificsiteparameterswerecalculatedforalllifts
Evenifthatfatefuldaywastobeignored,OSHAhadpreviouslyrespondedtoseveralincidentsatthesiteincluding:
Anemployeefellabout80feetandsurvivedbyhittinganoccupiedscaffold.Theemployeethatfellwasbackatworkinafewweekswhilethepersononthe
scaffoldwasputondisability.
Agrindingwheelbouncedoffthesurfacebeingsmoothedandhittheuserintheleg.Therewasnomajordamage.
A25tonroofsectionshiftedinaslingandbrokeaman'sleg.
Anexplosionoccurredwhileaheaterwasbeinglitwhichburnedtwoemployees.
Andthedayofthecranecollapse,OSHAinvestigatorswereinspectingthesitebecauseofconcernsaboutvisiblefallhazards.
Theparkopenedforthe2001baseballseasonayearlatebecauseofthecraneaccident.Totalconstructiontimeincludingrepairtimeforthecraneaccident
was53months.
ThroughDecember2001,$413.9millionhasbeenspentonparkconstruction,whichwas28.5%morethanthe$322millionfirstanticipated.Thiscostfigure
doesnotincludethe$100millioninrepaircostscoveredbyinsuranceforthecraneaccidentorthepotentialcostsof$99.25millionincivilandpunitivedamages
ajuryawardedtothebeneficiariesofthethreeironworkerswhowerekilled(alsocoveredbyinsurance).Anappealscourtdecisionlaterreducedthisawardto
$27million,butotherappealsareexpectedthatcouldraisethisfigure.(Itisnotexpectedthatthefigurecouldbeloweredanymore).Thetotalcostswill
approach$1billionwhenallthelawsuitsarefinished,andtheinterestonthebondsisincluded($330.8million).
PaulBrownStadium

PaulBrownStadiumwasconsideredamajorsuccessforalargeconstructionproject.Thestadiumwasconstructedfor$453millioninapproximately2.5years.
Thestadiumopenedforthefallfootballseason,September10,2000.
ByNovember2000withonlyminorfinishingworkremaining,theprojecthadlogged3.35millionmanhours,withajoblosttimerateof0.95(nationalratefor
constructionindustry:4.0)andanOSHArecordablerateof5.48(nationalrateforconstructionindustry:10.4).2Theprojectwascompletedwith92OSHA
recordableaccidents,16involvinglosttime,nofatalities,andonefallinjury.Actuallossesduetoaccidentswereonly42%oftheoriginalestimatedlosses,and
thenetprogramsavingswereestimatedat$4.6millionthroughreducedworkers'compensationandgeneralliabilitycostsduetothelowinjuryandillnessrate.
Safetyeffortsatthejobsitehavebeenexceptionalandthishasbeenattributedtothejobsite'sparticipationintheMASTERproject.TheCincinnatiAreaOfficeof
OSHAdevelopedavoluntarycooperativepartnershipwiththecontractorsandHamiltonCountytoenhanceoveralljobsafetyatthePaulBrownStadium.The
partnership,knownasMobilizedAllianceforSafety,Teamwork,EducationandResults(MASTER)wasdesignedtoincreaseemployeeinvolvement,jointsafety
oversightbylaborandmanagementatjobsites,teamworkbetweenlaborandmanagement,andeducationofconstructionworkersonconstructionsites.
DetailsoftheMASTERprojectcriteriaaredescribedinExhibit2.Someoftheimportantprogramelementsincludetraining,onsitemedicalfacilities,anddrug
testing.
PatrickwascontemplatingwhetherornothebelievestheadditionalcostsassociatedwiththeMASTERprojectwerejustifiableorifhecouldaccomplishan
acceptablelevelofsafetywithonlysomekeyinitiatives.Also,hewaspreparingalistofadditionalinformationthatmightbenecessarytomakehisdecision.
Exhibit1OSHAviolationscitedaftercranecollapse
Failuretofactorwindintothecraneloading
Liftingworkersduringhighwinds
Threepeopleinthepersonnelplatform(exceededthenumberrequiredfortheworkbeingperformed)
Failuretofollowthemanufacturer'slimitationsonthecrane
Liftingloadsinexcessofthecrane'sratedcapacity
Notkeepingworkersclearofsuspendedloads
Failuretoproperlycalibratetheloadindicator
Impropergroundloadingconditions
Exhibit2MASTERproject
ThegoaloftheMASTERprojectisselfcompliancethroughthecooperativeeffortsoflabor,management,andOSHAintheconstructionindustry.Accordingto
the1999BLS,constructionhadafatalityrateof14.0per100,000employeescomparedwithgeneralindustry's3.6per100,000,andonaverageOSHAhas
traditionallydevotedroughly4050%ofitscomplianceresourcestoenforcementactivitieswithintheconstructionindustry.
TheMASTERprojectwasdevelopedin1993tonotonlyaddressthehazardswithintheconstructionindustrybutalsotopromoteandrecognizethosejobsites
controlledbyacontractorthathadademonstratedandeffectivesafetyandhealthprograminplace.
Importantprogramcriteriainclude:
1. Contractorselectioncriteria
TobeselectedasaMASTERproject,thecontractormusthave:
a. anestablishedandimplementedcomprehensivesafetyprogramwithawrittensafetyandhealthprogramsubmittedtotheOSHAAreaOffice
b. theauthoritytorequireandenforcetheuseofconventionalfallprotectionwhentheiremployeesorsubcontractoremployeesareperformingworkthat
isinexcessofsixfeetabovealowerlevel
c. allsupervisorypersonnelcompletetheOSHA30hourcoursefortheconstructionindustry
d. allnonsupervisorypersonnelengagedinconstructionactivitiescompletetheOSHA10hourcoursefortheconstructionindustry
e. allemployeesontheprojectreceiveataminimuma2hoursafetyorientationcoveringgeneraljobsitesafetyandhealthruleswhenhiredandbefore
accessingthejobsite.Recordsoftrainingcertificationwillbemaintainedandmadeavailableforreviewuponrequest
f. signspostednearthemainentranceofthesiteofatleast3feetby5feetthatrecognizethesiteasaMASTERproject
g. submittedExperienceModificationRatesandOSHA200logsforthethreepreviousyears
h. noOSHAcitationsinthepastthreeyears
i. nofatalitiesorcatastropheswhichresultedinaccidentrelatedseriousviolationswithinthepastthreeyears
Inordertoretaina"MASTER"projectdesignation,theincidenceratefortheprojectforthetotalnumberofrecordableinjuriesmustremainbelowthe
constructionindustryaverage,andtheymustagreetoprovideOSHAwithaccesstotheworksite.
2. Highvisibilityofsafetypersonnelonthejobsite
Safetypersonnelwillincludethreelevelsofsafetysupervisiononthejobsitewitheverycontractorhavingaresponsiblepersoninasafetyrolereportingto
theprimecontractor,andweeklymeetingsbetweenallsitesafetypersonnelkeepingopenthelinesofcommunication.
Thejobsitemusthaveasafetymanagerwithatleastthreeyearsexperienceoverseeingsafetyandhealthprogramsonconstructionsites.Thesafety
managerisresponsibleforconductingfrequentandregularjobsiteinspectionsandholdingjobsitesafetymeetingsatleastweeklywithsafety
representativesforlaborandthecontractor.
Thejobsitewillalsohavealaborrepresentativeasaliaisontothesafetymanager.Therepresentativemusthavecompletedaconstructionapprenticeship
programthatincludedsafetyandhealthissuesaspartofthecurriculum,andwillaccompanythesafetymanageronjobsiteinspectionsandattendsafety
meetingsandwillbeinvolvedinallaccidentinvestigations.
Also,eachprimeorsubcontractorwillappointanonsitesafetyrepresentativetobethecontractorliaisontothesafetymanager.Therepresentativewill
accompanythesafetymanagerandlaborrepresentativeonjobsiteinspectionsintheirrespectivearea,andwillattendtheregularjobsitesafetymeetings.
3. Anaboveaveragerateoftrainingthatfocusedonhighestriskareas
Theprogramrequiresaminimumof2hoursafetyorientationcoveringgeneraljobsitesafetyandhealthruleswhenhired,plusweeklytoolboxtalks
coveringareasrelatedtoplannedworkactivityandsignificantriskareas.Significantriskareasinclude:Falls,Beingstuckbyequipmentormachinery,
Electrocution,andCaughtinbetweenequipment,buildings,and/ormaterials
4. Onsitemedicalpersonnelandfacilities

Thegoalofanonsitemedicalfacilityistodecreasethechanceofaminorinjurybecomingmoreseriousandthusresultinginlosttime.However,having
theonsitefacilityonthePaulBrownstadiumprojectmeantthatmanyminorinjuriesthatinthepastwouldhavegoneunreportedwerenowseenbythe
nurse.Thisleadtoariseinoverallinjuriesreported.Butadecreaseoflosttimeaccidentsisattributedtoaproactiveenvironmentwhereworkerswere
encouragedtoseekmedicalattentionevenforwouldbeminorinjuries,andtheemployeesaregenerallyabletoreturntoworkwithoutdelay.
5. Preemploymentdrugtestingplusdrugtestingafterallaccidentsinvolvingpersonnelorequipmentoranyobservedsuspiciousbehavior
6. Thoroughaccidentinvestigations
OSHAwillbegivenaccesstothejobsitetoreviewrecords,attendjobsitesafetymeetings,andconductlimitedsiteaudits.OSHAwillconductenforcement
investigationsonmajoraccidentsandfatalities.AllnonformalcomplaintsreceivedbyOSHAwillbereferredtothesafetymanagerandthelabor/building
traderepresentativeswhowillconductaninvestigationandreporttheirfindingsandcorrectiveactionstoOSHAwithintwoworkingdays.Formalcomplaints
willbehandledinthismannerifagreeduponbythecomplainantotherwiseOSHAwillconductanenforcementinvestigation.Ifthejobsiteappearson
OSHA'scurrentprogrammedconstructioncycle,theinspectionwillbelimitedtoareviewofcompliancewiththisdirectiveexceptwherehighgravityserious
orimminentdangerconditionsexists.OSHAmayparticipateinjobsitesafetyactivities,andasneeded,OSHAmayprovideonsitetrainingtoworkersand
theirrepresentatives.
TheMASTERprojectmustsubmiteverysixmonthsanduponcompletionoftheprojectthefollowingmeasurements:
1. Numberofrecordableinjuriescomparedtotheindustryaverageincidentrate
2. TheDaysAway,Restricted,Transferredratescomparedtotheindustryaverage
3. Surveyoflaborandmanagementtodeterminetheirpersonalviewsofhowtheprogramworked.
TheGreatAmericanBallpark(B)
ItwasdecidedthattheGreatAmericanBallparkwouldparticipateasanOSHAMASTERproject,andthesafetyrecordforthesitewasimpressive.Aftermore
than1.2millionconstructionhours,thejobsitehadloggedajoblosttimerateof0.8(nationalrateforconstructionindustry:4.0andbelowthe0.95achievedon
thePaulBrownstadiumproject).ThissuccesswasinconjunctionwithanOwnerControlledInsuranceProgram(OCIP).
Theprojectattemptedtoquantifythesavingsfromthisapproach.Forexample,oneestimateofworkers'compensationis$8per$100ofpayroll.Sincethe
contractorswillparticipateintheOCIPprogram,iftheawardedcontractshows$2millioninlaborcoststhen,theavoidedcostsare:$2,000,000/($100*$8)=
$160,000.Expensesrelatedtojobrelatedinjuriesandillnessesaresubtractedincludingworkplacesafetyexpenses,insurancepremiums,drugfreeworkplace
programs,onsitesafetyandhealthprofessionals,andincurredworkers'compensationlosses.Usingthisformula,theestimatedsavingsfortheprojectfrom
July1999toMay2003was$3.125million(projectisongoinguntilJuly2005).
Forfutureprojects,theprojectmanagersinvolvedintheGreatAmericanBallparkrecommended:
Formalizedtrainingconductedbyinhousestaff
Sitesafetytrainingandorientationfornewworkers
Preprojectplanningforjobsitesafety
Alcoholandsubstanceabuseprograms
Incidentinvestigations
TheGreatAmericanBallparkTeachingNote
InmakingthedecisiontocommittheadditionalresourcestoparticipatingasaMASTERproject,itisimportanttoremember:
Safetymustbeconsideredateverystepinthevaluechainanddesigningsafetyintoaprocessischeaperthanretrofittingforsafetylater.
OneofthekeystepsintheMASTERprojectischoosingcontractorswithprovensafetyrecordstobepartners.Choosingtherightpartnersisthefirststepin
thevaluechain.Forexample,TurnerConstruction(theleadonboththePaulBrownStadiumandtheGreatAmericaBallpark)willfinesubcontractorsfor
safetyviolations.
Leadershipandemployeeempowermentarekeystocreatingaproactivesafetyculture.
ThecontractorsattheMillerParksitehadextensivesafetymanualsthatincludedforexample100%FallProtectionwhereallemployeesworkingabove6
feetrequiredtieoff,andifthereisnoplacetotieoffsafelythentherulesstatethatnooneisallowedtoworkuntillifelineshavebeenextended.Butthey
werestillcitedbyOSHAforviolationsregardingfallprotection.
Tobeabletoimprovesafety,itisimportanttomeasureleadingindicatorsinadditiontotraditionallaggingindicators.
Sitesshouldbedocumentingleadingindicatorssuchasnearmissestolearnwhatwentwrongandsafetyperceptionsurveystodeterminehowsafe
worker'sfeelonaproject.Priortotheactualcollapse,thereweremanyprecursoreventsinthemorningthatshouldhavewarnedofproblemsincludingthe
cranesankaboutafootintothesoilatthetimeofthepickearlierthatmorning.
Indiscussingadditionalinformationthatcouldbegatheredtomakethedecision,financialcostsassociatedwithbecomingaMASTERprojectmaybeuseful(i.e.,
howmuchdothoseadditionalsafetyinitiativescost?).Thesecostscouldthenbecomparedagainstthe$4.6millionthatwasbelievedtobesavedthrough
reducedworker'scompensationandgeneralliabilitycostsduetothelowinjuryandillnessrateonthePaulBrownstadiumproject.
1 ThiscaseisbasedonpubliclyavailableinformationfromOSHAregardingexperienceatseveralstadiumprojectsincluding:MillerPark,PaulBrownStadium,andGreatAmericanBallpark,

andwasdevelopedwiththecooperationofTurnerConstruction,theprimecontractoronthePaulBrownStadiumandtheGreatAmericanBallpark.Thiscasewaspreparedaspartofan
AlliancebetweenGeorgetownUniversity'sCenterforBusinessandPublicPolicy,OSHA,andAbbott.ParticipationinanAlliancedoesnotconstituteanendorsementofanyspecificpartyor
anyparty'sproductsorservices.Thiscasewaspreparedasthebasisforclassdiscussioninthe"TheBusinessCaseforSafety."Thedecisionmakersandtheirassociatedthoughtsand
actionsarefictionalized.
2 Ajoblosttimerateof0.95isdeterminedfirstbydividingthenumberofjoblosttimeincidentsbythenumberofemployeemanhoursandthenbyconvertingittoanannualratefor100

fulltimeemployees.Therecordablerateof5.48isdeterminedinasimilarwaybutconsidersthetotalnumberofOSHArecordableincidents.

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