Collaborating to advance jobsite safety: Skanska leaders tap into the power of knowledge sharing

On any Skanska USA jobsite, Stretch & Flex and the Daily Hazard Analysis meeting are a daily occurrence; project team members know that the day’s work cannot start until the team has aligned on the Construction Work Plan and its anticipated hazards.

From there, team members use systems like PlanIt, Intelex and Procore to plan safe work.

As they collaborate throughout the day, Care for Life 5—the areas that account for the majority of our most serious jobsite safety incidents—shows up in conversations and on signage, informing project teams’ approach to executing work.

To a Skanska USA team member, these jobsite rhythms are the standard, and play a crucial role in cultivating a robust health and safety culture. To our Skanska colleagues in the UK, Sweden and Finland, these are points of inspiration and demonstrated strategies to draw from and adapt to a different but related construction and development context. 

For Antti Leino, vice president, health, safety and environment at Skanska Finland, there is immense value in gleaning insights and sharing across business units.

“Global sharing has been essential for us to further develop our EHS performance,” he says. “We always need proven concepts to accelerate the progress.”

Bengt Staaff, head of health and safety at Skanska Sweden feels similarly. “There’s a huge possibility to learn best practices from our peers,” he says. “It’s important to share experiences not only in your own organization, but with others, to learn from them. In Sweden, learning and experience sharing is one of our focus areas.”

Building on the Care for Life culture

The Care for Life culture, Stretch & Flex and Care for Life 5 program in the U.S. are some of the ‘proven concepts’ that Antti and his team have brought into the Finnish context.

“Over the years, we have been impressed how Skanska USA has been systematic about the Care for Life culture,” says Antti.

“Years ago, inspired by the Care for Life culture in the U.S., we created the LIFE – I Care program, and this year we are reintroducing Stretch & Flex,” he adds.

The LIFE – I Care program, launched by Skanska Finland in 2016, is a cultural-based safety program focused on supporting workers in upholding the responsibility of caring for themselves and each other.

The program follows a coaching format, helping individuals realize that they are responsible for their own safety. In line with Skanska’s Stop Work Authority culture, LIFE – I Care emphasizes that everyone should stop and make active choices that increase safety.

Adapting Care for Life 5 to a new context

Within Skanska UK, the USA’s Care for Life 5 framework is being adapted to focus team members on the business unit’s most pressing hazards.

“We have four high risk activities that consistently show up in the UK’s work,” says Director of Health, Safety, Wellbeing & Quality Dylan Roberts. “Working with Paul Haining [Chief EHS Officer, Skanska USA], we’ve created the ‘Own It’ campaign.”

“’Own It’ follows the Care for Life 5 model in focusing attention on our four highest risk activities: working at height, people/plant interface, lifting operations and electricity,” says Dylan.

Collaboration with the U.S. has led to the UK extracting lifesaving best practices that can enhance the effectiveness of ‘Own It’.

Dylan says that teams regularly discuss lessons learned and information on interventions.

“These meetings include discussing work on mobile elevated work platforms where we have adopted the same approach to anti-crush technology,” he says. “We have also made working at height safer through using harnesses and netting, and ultimately increased understanding of the risk of working at height.”

Innovation and a commitment to sharing sets the tone for a safer future

Proven health and safety frameworks aren’t the only initiatives piquing the interest of Dylan and Antti’s teams; just-launched tools like Safety Sidekick are being explored and implemented too.

Safety Sidekick, launched in spring 2025, is an AI-powered assistant designed to transform jobsite safety by delivering instant safety guidance to teams across the U.S.

The internal tool is a digital companion for workers and leaders at every level that consolidates Skanska’s EHS Manual, OSHA construction standards, and supplemental safety documentation into a streamlined mobile and desktop experience.

"With the Safety Sidekick, we are combining the power of AI with our deep-rooted commitment to well-planned, efficient and safely executed construction," says Paul Haining, chief EHS officer for Skanska USA. “This tool empowers our teams to make informed, safe decisions at every stage of a project – elevating our unwavering focus and commitment to innovation in the industry.” 

The UK has implemented Safety Sidekick, and Finland and Sweden are interested in leveraging the tool in their countries.

“We’re adopting the Safety Sidekick approach and using it for our internal management system,” says Dylan. “This will allow us to understand the gaps in our integrated management system for safety, as well as improve navigation of the system.”

Antti shares that his team is also testing Safety Sidekick and planning to release something similar in Finland.

Looking ahead, Dylan believes that advancing jobsite safety will happen through both innovation and a continued commitment to staying connected across business units.

“What adds most value is the relationship with Paul and his team,” says Dylan. “We’re open and transparent, sharing lessons learned and reaching out to each other on a regular basis.”