Interview with Ludovic SAVEAN, the safety prevention coordinator at SOLETANCHE BACHY

A public works company specialising in soil technologies having received awards on many occasions for fighting for its employees' safety

Ludovic SAVEAN, a safety prevention coordinator and a member of the Civil Engineering Company Security Coordinators (ASEBTP), is a man with hands-on experience. He coordinates prevention on the construction sites and assists the responsible persons in analysing the risks with which the operators are faced.

Noise, an identified risk

"SOLETANCHE BACHY is a public works company specialising in soil technologies. We are involved in constructing dams, tunnels, underground car parks and wells... The management is entirely involved in the company's prevention process. Noise represents a major risk on the majority of our construction sites. Noise is highly significant, as over and beyond loss of hearing, it is the cause of disorders such as stress and fatigue, which are in turn a source of accidents .../... A very close relationship exists between good working conditions and reduction in the accident rate, which is even more striking in employees arriving at the end of their career. "

Implementation of the COTRAL hearing protections

The programme for equipment with COTRAL customised hearing protections began in 1998 with a test on a single person.

"The product was offered on a voluntary basis at the outset. Generally speaking, 100% of the employees volunteered. Now, people ask for it. Among 850 individuals working in France, 550 are exposed to noise every day. We take it for granted that anybody on any of our construction sites is an exposed person. The machines with which we work have particularly high thresholds. On one occasion, I measured the noise of a crane carrying a vibration system on the end: 124 dB! Such an intensity level required wearing a dual protection! "

Enhancing the role and empowerment of the user

Within the context of the programme for equipping the personnel with hearing protections, SOLETANCHE BACHY called on COTRAL Laboratory: "the advantage of the moulded protection lies in the comfort for the operators; no pressure is exerted on the ear, since the protection is adapted to its morphology. The items of equipment are individualised and people are more closely involved. They are told: it's your business to wear them and keep them. They feel that their role is enhanced and the problem of noise within the company is highlighted. The rate of use may be estimated at 80%; I do not believe it would be the same if we had introduced conventional protections. Where we need to improve is in convincing the operators to wear the protections even before the noise has exceeded the threshold. In this respect, it is an advantage that there is no need to take the protections out or raise one's voice to communicate  "

Informing and arousing awareness

Consequently, systematic introduction of customised hearing protections is accompanied by a regular information campaign in order to ensure sustainability of the system:

"Information is also one of my missions. Generally speaking, when we are exposed to noise, I conduct an awareness-raising session lasting 30 to 45 minutes according to the size of the construction site. I take measurements at various different points on the construction site using my sound level meter and take photographs of these measurements. I subsequently organise an awareness-raising session during which I project the photos in order to show in practice the intensities to which the workers are exposed. After the awareness-raising, I display the photos of the measurements performed in one or several places on the construction site. "