Peter Lupo has been Director of Safety since 2019 at Standard Drywall Inc., a leading wall and ceiling contractor based in San Diego. He draws on more than two decades of safety experience on a wide range of commercial construction jobs, having previously served as director of safety for general contractor TB Penick & Sons. He also previously ran Peter Lupo Consulting, where he reviewed legal cases and provided expert testimony, and wrote a security blog for ENR.com. He recently spoke with ENR correspondent Elaine Silver about drywall weight, heat risk control, bilingual crews and how he supports creativity and safety learning for standard drywall staff. The conversation has been edited.
The site-specific program includes everything from where the nearest health clinic is to who is on the job who is certified in first aid, CPR, fall protection, and everything we need—scaffolding, that kind of thing. Let’s look at the details of the job. Then we develop from there: what are we going to use? Will we have subs?
Many times the concerns fall into a few different categories based on size, such as what will our maximum man load be? Is it a job with 10 guys or 200? Once we get into double digits, we’re talking about full-time site security personnel and we’ll find the right person based on where the job is. We work throughout the western United States, so we could be in mountainous regions with ice and snow or in the hotter Anza-Borrego Desert. We discover the environmental risks of what we are building.
How important is the general contractor in your safety assessment?
If we have a safety-savvy general contractor, that’s really helpful, because you’re just merging with a great safety culture. If you have a smaller general contractor that really trusts their subordinates more, we’ve been out of business because sometimes we’re working alongside other trades that aren’t as interested or committed to safety as we are.
What are the main hazards faced by interior wall and ceiling construction works?
The most common injuries are cuts to the eyes and cuts. We wear 100% safety glasses, and for aerial work (cutting, fixing, sawing or sharpening), we use full face shields along with them. People still have things in their eyes. It’s hot work; you have a sweaty eyebrow, the residue sticks, you rub it and it falls between your glasses and your eyebrow, and you rub it directly into your eye. We deal with sharp materials such as metal studs. We wear high-cut gloves, so hands aren’t usually cut – it’s an arm, elbow or leg that catches a sharp edge through jeans or a sleeve. It’s a relatively small cut. The most serious hazards we are concerned about are falls and material handling.
Do you do a lot of work on the stairs?
We don’t use stairs for the most part. Today we have many fewer stairs than 10 years ago. We use mobile scaffolding, scissor lifts, anything but a ladder. On a big job with probably 150 guys framing and drywalling, we only have four stairs in the whole place. They stay chained up next to a gang box, and if you need one, you have to go to the security guy and tell him why. When we use them, we prefer podium stairs.
What about loading and unloading materials and the potential hazards of loading areas?
Most people, even in other trades, don’t realize how heavy drywall is. A sheet of 4 by 12 that is 5/8 inch thick is 120 pounds, a sheet. A stack of 20 leaning against a wall is literally a ton of weight. Material movement is a true focus of our field leadership. We always have drywall whenever we can. When we have to support it in a corridor, we secure it with a rock clip. This is fixed to the wall with a cable that slides over the sheet. People are trying to pull back the sheets to see exits behind the drywall we blocked. All of a sudden they’re trying to hold 8,000 or 9,000 pounds. It starts falling and they want to catch it, and they break a leg or an arm because they’re not wise enough to get out of the way. The clip prevents accidental knocks and prevents people from pulling it, because they see it’s secured for a reason.
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Does your job cover air quality and thermal protection?
We do a lot of drywall sanding. We use airflow and dustless sanders that suck the dust directly into the vacuum. When sweeping, we use Clean Sweep – you sprinkle it on the floor, it sticks to the dust so you don’t push it into the air. It is biodegradable. To protect against the heat, we have a Heat Illness Prevention Plan. It is mandatory in California and we implement it nationally. We buy water by the pallet, all bottled now for sanitation. Most of our work is done in the shade: inside the building or on outdoor scaffolding shaded by the structure or green privacy screens. We do a lot of training and planning.
How do people get hurt doing what they do?
Eye debris and lots of sprains and strains from lifting heavy every day. Touch wood, we don’t have many falls from heights because our people are tied and trained, with harnesses and ropes. When we see drops, it’s usually at the same level or a step in error. We’ve had a guy coming down with a scissor lift, stepped back into something another trade left behind, lost his footing and went down. It’s really just a matter of attention and communication.
What about personal protective equipment and fall protection?
We carry 100% safety glasses and face masks for aerial work. We use high cut gloves for sharp material. For fall protection we use harnesses, lanyards, mainly retractable. All professionals are trained and supervisors are trained by competent people. We stick to one brand for consistency so there is no learning curve.
Do you have a heavily Hispanic workforce, and if so, how do you deal with language comprehension issues?
We have a lot of Hispanic workers. Most speak at least some English, but our orientation training for new hires is in both English and Spanish. We developed it with our own people (foremen, superintendents and executives), giving short HAZCOM fall protection videos, explaining why it’s important. There is a quick quiz after each section to keep people engaged and they get a certificate. The union also provides training.
Lupo says communications with businesses is a priority.
What security ideas are most important to you?
The most important thing is communication with the trades. Many injuries can be avoided with better warnings, instructions and coordination. You also need to understand the limitations of PPE so you choose the right level versus usability. A welding glove on a drywall finisher will not work; will take it out because it can’t do the job. Communication is important: “I work here if you work there.” Like the example I gave about the guy coming down from the scissors on the plumber’s stuff, another trade went off and fell. This was a pure failure of communication. From a business standpoint, we want someone who can say, “Hey boss, I’ve never done this before. I need training or to be shown how.” People in the trade have become empowered and take more responsibility for their own safety.
How comfortable are your speakers if they see something wrong or if they think they have a better way of doing things?
They are very comfortable on both fronts. For example, a superintendent in Montana wanted a safer way to install exterior panels from inside the building instead of hanging with a crane. He designed a cart that rolls the panel, locks into place, and lifts it while the crew secures it. It started as a security idea. The owners said, “Go ahead, here’s a quote.” They are building a prototype and hope to use it this summer. It will make the process safer and probably improve production and quality as well.
Do you incorporate any of the new high-energy safety philosophies, STCKY (Stuff that Can Kill You) and Human and Organizational Performance?
I have learned a little about STCKY and I think what they have been through is good. The STCKY program puts it in simple construction terms, which I like. We definitely use concepts of human and organizational performance, although we don’t always call it that. The Montana bandwagon is a perfect example: one person had an idea, we brought all the players together, and we’re focused on fixing the process, not blaming people. With confidence and executive availability, bring together different experiences and make real and effective change.
