Contractor Safety covers many areas. For this website topic, we will focus on specific activities that will produce safety and profit dividends. Both large and small contractors can do specific activities to improve their accident rates.
Besides the payment of medical bills and lost wages, many hidden costs are not reimbursed by insurance. As in all businesses, time is money, and lost time from coworkers talking about the accident affects project deadlines. Foremen must take time to arrange first aid or hospitalization, investigate and fill out accident reports, and replace damaged equipment or tools. Improving safety on the jobsite does translate into increased profitability for contractors.
The specific safety activities could include:
- Formal and informal training of employees to your industry-specific hazards
- Supervisor safety training
- Accident Investigation / Retraining (learning from your mistakes)
- Development of safety rules and procedures
Safety training of employees should be an ongoing activity. Topics should be specific to your operations. Lack of interest usually develops when employees listen to topics that do not deal with their trade, i.e.: trench safety for ironworkers.
OSHA offers 10-hour safety training for the construction industry covering general safety topics common on all jobsites. Many local community colleges offer these courses.
Toolbox Talks on the jobsite are effective in delivering safety training to your employees.
The specific purposes for conducting "Toolbox Talks" are to:
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Raise safety knowledge, awareness and motivation.
- Gain approval and commitment for safety procedures.
- Encourage workers to practice and promote safe procedures.
- Help create positive safety attitudes.
- Provide recognition of dangers and hazards from incidents, accidents and injuries.
- Establish communication with workers on the need for safety programs.
- Promote a continuous safety program.
There are many areas where safety information can be obtained for these meetings. Vendors can supply information on the safe use of their products. SECURA can supply safety literature for your Toolbox Talks. When presenting a toolbox talk, the following suggestions should be considered to help ensure attendees get the most out of the session:
- The attention span of most people is 20 minutes. Try to avoid meetings that last over 20 minutes.
- Add variety to the presentation by using plenty of examples, statistics and case studies.
- Maintain a brisk pace and schedule.
- Equipment used should be demonstrated properly and completely.
- Devote most of the meeting to application and feedback, and as little as possible to presentation. Attendees should relate with personal stories.
- Avoid holding meetings during 'low' points of the day (lunch, immediately following lunch and the end of the day).
At times, supervisors may not be able to perform what is asked of them because they lack proper training. Regarding safety, many will drift from day to day, unsure of themselves, hoping that nothing goes wrong. They see themselves caught in the middle of an unfriendly situation between upper management and the work crews. The supervisor or crew leader absorbs complaints, ill feelings and unreasonable requests from both sides. He or she stands alone, a buffer between labor and management subject to hindsight and guesswork.
On the other hand, properly trained and supported supervisors and crew leaders can effectively guide crews to safe and productive work habits in a positive manner.
Foremen are the key to jobsite safety. They observe workers daily. Foremen are in the position to prevent accidents. Foreman must have separate training to lead workers on the jobsite.
The attitude of individual workers toward the company loss prevention program is dependent upon the attitude of their supervisor. Supervisors are individuals who are relied upon in any safety management program. The foremen and crew leaders must be held responsible for the safe work practices of those they are directing on a daily basis. This is appropriate since safety is intertwined with quality and productivity for which the foreman is also held accountable.
To fulfill supervisor/foremen/crew leaders obligations, the following suggestions should be considered:
- Determine the level of knowledge and job requirements of each individual worker. If there is a gap, it is up to the foreman to ensure the proper training or support is provided and maintained.
- Give special attention to new or inexperienced workers since they are most "at risk" on the jobsite.
- Have thorough knowledge of the work activities, sources of danger and other hazards, and the means to protect against them.
- Check the job frequently to determine if the proper procedures are being followed. Be sure that potential hazards are being safeguarded against and that no new hazards have developed. This includes verifying personal protective equipment is being worn and used properly and all other equipment is being properly used.
Accident investigation is a vital factor in safety activities. Accident investigation should be fact-finding not fault-finding. The underlying causes of the accident must be determined. Your SECURA Risk Management Consultant can assist you in developing the framework of your investigation program.
Procedures should be set for investigating and recording all accidents. Careful records give a continuing picture of general safety progress, and can highlight problem areas that need special attention.
The investigation of an accident should include the people, equipment and material interface of the loss. Usually the root causes are management breakdowns of the work process. SECURA offers helpful Technical bulletins to assist you in setup of your procedures.
This element addresses site-specific work rules and should consist of two parts. The first part should include general issues that will remain applicable throughout the entire course of the job. Some of these general issues are items, such as conducting job hazard analyses, use of equipment, fire protection and prevention, safety intervention, hazard communication, use of specialized personal protective equipment, inspections, and any other work practice essential to worker safety and the project’s outcome. Toolbox discussions and other mandated functions should also be reviewed for understanding.
Any specific work actions required by OSHA or any other local codes or ordinances, the owner, or special needs for the project should be clearly identified and discussed in the second part of this element. Since this element will address task specific issues, the content of this part should be continually updated throughout the course of the project. The relevancy of the site orientation program is crucial for safety and project success.
Your safety efforts can improve jobsite accident rates. These procedures have been successful for contractors in the past. For further policyholder safety help, contact your local Loss Control Consultant.
