ABSTRACT
An owner has two options with regard to establishing a construction safety program, either develop and manage the safety program directly or have it developed and managed by a second party such as a construction manager (CM). In the first case, the owner must have technical expertise and resources to manage the safety program directly. Typically, owners do not have individuals on staff with the technical expertise to direct or manage construction safety programs in a contracted work environment. Where owners do not have the technical resources in-house they generally opt to retain a CM. The CM acts as the owner's agent and manages the work, including safety. In this scenario the owner must clearly communicate its expectations regarding safety responsibilities and how performance will be measured. The owner might go as far as to define specific program elements that are important to their particular culture or define the technical selection criteria that are to be applied to the selection of contractors.
