The Importance of the Three C’s in Safety and Health (Communication. Collaboration. Coordination).

On a recent site safety inspection carried out by Samson Safety Solutions on a large property development, the overall standard of the site was good. Housekeeping was strong, PPE compliance was high, and many core systems were in place.

However, as is often the case, the real risks weren’t in the obvious hazards—they arose through miscommunication between teams. That’s exactly where the Three C’s come into play.

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What We Observed on Site

Across both civil and building works, several high-risk issues were identified:

• A deep trench with spoil placed too close to the edge, increasing the risk of collapse and effectively deepening the excavation beyond safe thresholds
• A worker positioned within an excavator’s operating radius and blind spot, exposing them to serious harm
• No clear exclusion zones, spotters, or communication protocols during active excavation work
• Excavation works carried out near scaffolding, with potential to compromise structural stability
• Limited evidence of joint planning or shared risk assessments between contractors with overlapping duties.

Individually, each of these risks is manageable. Combined—and without the Three C’s—they become a serious incident waiting to happen.

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Why the Three C’s Matter

1. Communication – Saying What Needs to Be Said

Too often, critical information is not shared.

On this site:

• Excavation works near scaffolding were not clearly communicated to all parties
• Risks were assessed in isolation rather than shared across teams.

Good communication means:

• Speaking up before the work starts
• Making risks visible to everyone, not just your own crew
• Ensuring changes on site are clearly understood in real time.

 

2. Collaboration – Working Together, Not Alongside

Multiple contractors were operating on site:

• Drainage teams
• Scaffolders
• Building contractors
• Site management.

Each had a role. Each had risks. But those risks overlapped.

What was missing:

• Combined JSAs or risk assessments
• Shared toolbox discussions across trades
• A unified approach to managing high-risk work.

Collaboration isn’t just cooperation—it’s joint ownership of risk.

 

3. Coordination – Making It All Work Safely

Even when communication happens and teams are willing to collaborate, without coordination things can still fall apart.

On this site:

• Excavators operated near scaffolding without coordinated controls
• No clear sequencing of work to avoid conflict between trades
• Lack of spotters or defined exclusion zones

Coordination is about:

• Planning who does what, where, and when
• Managing interfaces between trades
• Ensuring controls are consistent and enforced across the site

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The Takeaway

This wasn’t a “bad” site. In fact, it scored highly overall.

But serious incidents rarely come from completely unsafe sites—they come from breakdowns between people, systems, and responsibilities.

The Three C’s are what hold it all together:

• Communication ensures everyone knows the risks
• Collaboration ensures risks are shared and owned
• Coordination ensures work is carried out safely, together

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Final Thought

If you’ve got multiple contractors on your site—and most of your clients do—the question isn’t:

“Is each contractor working safely?”

It’s:

“Are they working safely together?”

That’s where the Three C’s make the difference.

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Henry Samson
Samson Safety Solutions
Think Safe. Keep Safe.