About this episode

Dr. Elif Erkal discusses SIF prevention and High Energy Control Assessments in the context of construction safety.

SIFs, HECA, and ROI, oh my! In this episode, we welcome Dr. Elif Erkal, the Associate Director of Research and Strategy at the Construction Safety Research Alliance (CSRA) at the University of Colorado Boulder. With an extensive background in civil engineering, consulting, construction management, and academic research, Dr. Erkal specializes in safety, performance measurement, predictive analytics, and project risk management. She shares insights into CSRA's unique collaborative efforts between academia and industry to advance serious injury and fatality (SIF) prevention, and explains the development of High Energy Control Assessments (HECA). She details how HECA approaches safety performance measurement, which identifies high energy hazards and assesses direct controls, offering a more actionable safety performance assessment than traditional metrics. Dr. Erkal also touches on CSRA's other research initiatives, including decluttering safety management systems and demonstrating the ROI of safety programs, emphasizing the need for data-driven solutions in safety management. Power to Prevent SIF [https://www.eei.org/issues-and-policy/power-to-prevent-sif] Communities of Practice…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Elif Erkal

Topics covered

• SIF prevention
• High Energy Control Assessments
• safety performance measurement
• data-driven solutions
• construction safety
• predictive analytics

Keywords

• SIFs
• HECA
• safety management
• performance measurement
• predictive analytics
• construction safety
• risk management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Construction Safety Research Alliance, University of Colorado Boulder, CSRA

Books & works: Power to Prevent SIF, CSRA Safety in the Boardroom EFILE_EE.pdf

More episodes of The Accidental Safety Pro

• 140: Safety Unscripted Pt. 2: Your Questions, Expert Answers · May 27, 2026 · 1h 0m
• 138: Think Inside the Box · March 25, 2026 · 49 min
• 137: Why Psychological Safety Is A Critical Leadership Skill · February 25, 2026 · 54 min
• Bonus Episode! Safety Unscripted: Your Questions, Expert Answers · February 11, 2026 · 1h 0m
• 136: AI and EHS Software · January 28, 2026 · 1h 2m
• 135: A Holistic Approach to EHS: Caring Inside and Outside of Work · December 22, 2025 · 46 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Accidental Safety Pro podcast page.