'Building safely is something you do together!'

Aboma Connect, the customer day of certification organization Aboma, has become a full-fledged networking and knowledge event for the construction industry. Many topics passed the revue during the latest edition on Oct. 7, with safety and interpretation of developing legislation as the main points. Matters that concern all involved, says Aboma's general manager Jeroen Lammertse. "It is good to see that many stakeholders were present and had their voices heard."

Marketer and trend watcher Marjet Rutten and Arjan Walinga of Bouwend Nederland took visitors through the developments and innovations within the industry in early October at the Utrecht Railway Museum. "We always try to find a location that suits our target group," says Lammertse. "A pleasant setting to meet customers as well as to share knowledge." 

Aboma is the organizer par excellence of such a knowledge event about safety and health and safety legislation in the construction industry, with answers to questions such as: how do you fulfill the legal obligations? What do the changing laws and regulations mean for the construction process? How do you practically implement the normative Safety Culture Ladder and where do guidelines and checklists such as SCL, VCA and ISO 45001 complement each other? Doing your best is not enough; safety regulations must be clear and enforceable, practice shows. Lammertse: "Industrialization is moving the organization more and more to the front of the process when it comes to safety and liability. That offers opportunities to include everyone, from client to construction site employee."

Focus on behavior

Construction projects are often realized under time pressure. Make sure that you arrange safety aspects properly when that time pressure is not there, says Lammertse. Prioritizing "hoisting" and "loading and unloading," for example, is in order because of the growing share of prefab production, was one of the findings at Aboma Connect. "In a panel discussion with the organizations shaping the various guidelines, it became clear that we need to stay in conversation. A day like Aboma Connect is particularly helpful to that end. The schemes must also be practicable for the contractor; we must avoid complicating matters with the Safety Culture Ladder, for example, and avoid too much overlap with VCA and ISO 45001."

Building safely is something you do together, and Aboma Connect is an ideal platform for better collaboration, Lammertse believes. "The general tenor of the room was that the focus should be on human behavior when it comes to implementing safety and liability on the construction site. We are incredibly good in the Netherlands at agreeing things and putting them on paper, but that last bit is essential. Take care of your people."