Safety remains construction
priority
Safety directors reinforce
standard
rules, introduce new measures
By
Hilary Ruesch
Contractors
will open a well-stocked toolbox this year when it comes to promoting
and ensuring safety on work sites, but new regulations are bound to
throw a few wrinkles into safety programs.
Safety
directors and company leaders will focus on the standard safety procedures,
but they will also turn their attention to the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration's new steel-erection standard, which went
into effect at the beginning of the year. Officials said the new rule
is certain to cause modifications in safety procedures.
The
standard faced a nonenforcement moratorium until March, giving contractors
time to adapt their practices. Safety officials said the new standard
is an adjustment by OSHA to the evolving industry environment.
"OSHA
changes in reaction to industry conditions," said Mike Hirvela,
safety director for Waukesha-based Camosy Inc.
Hirvela
said the industry's attitude has shifted toward a safer environment
in the work place -- a change that Camosy Inc. welcomes.
That
feeling is shared by other contractors, such as Kurt Smith, vice president
and general manager of Design Homes Inc., Prairie du Chien. He said
the possibility of increased OSHA inspections -- designed to ensure
that steel erection and other standards are applied -- will improve
the industry.
"We
never shy away from inspections from any agencies," Smith said.
He
said he would rather use an OSHA inspection to help him spot problems
than face the repercussions of a major construction accident.
Scaled
to size
Implementing
safety programs is one thing, but making those programs fit individual
projects is a completely different challenge, Hirvela said. The size
of a project determines what hurdles a contractor must clear to adhere
to safety standards.
Hirvela
said that when multiple groups are working on the same project at
the same time, it becomes more difficult to set up comprehensive safety
rules.
"Larger
sites increase the complexity issue," he said.
Many
contractors huddle up before a project begins to set up one set of
rules that apply to everyone on site, said Craig Johnson, safety director
for Four Star Construction in Superior. He said he makes sure those
guidelines remain a priority, and he enforces the plan through safety
meetings for everyone on site.
"We
make sure everyone on a set project follows guidelines," Johnson
said.
Coordination
is key on large projects, but smaller doesn't necessarily mean simpler
when it comes to safety.
"It's
on a need basis," said Mark Elliott, vice president of Middleton-based
Elliott Construction Inc. "Some small projects are as dangerous
or more dangerous."
Elliott
said that while large work sites present risks through more vehicles,
more people and greater distances between buildings, small projects
require work in confined spaces that are potentially dangerous.
The
right tools
Any
hope for a safe work site rests with education, which is the key to
maintaining a healthy work force, Hirvela said. He said Camosy trains
its workers through classes, office instruction and safety director
visits to work sites.
"The
biggest tool is training," Hirvela said.
Elliott
Construction allows forklift manufacturers to conduct training sessions
and also lets insurance representatives hold safety classes.
Four
Star's Johnson said he considers any training sessions a good supplement
to the education workers receive through their unions.
"We
attend publicly sponsored training seminars," he said.
But
with the constant threat of injury on any work site, Hirvela said
it's important to try to take any extra steps to make sure workers
remain safe. He said he extends his safety efforts through personal
research on specific topics that are pertinent to a project, and he
passes that information on to supervisors.
Hirvela
also shares OSHA violation reports with workers in order to avoid
similar problems on their work sites.
"We
make the guys aware that these things happen," he said.
Several
safety directors said they conduct site inspections to make sure workers
take their classroom lessons to the work site.
Design
Homes' Smith said he turns to his workers to uphold standards. He
said he encourages them to report safety violations and remind their
coworkers of safety precautions. Smith said he believes if everyone
working in an area is watching each other, accidents are less likely
to happen.
Whether
it's through internal enforcement, classes, toolbox talks or OSHA
inspections, the prioritizing of safety has led to changes in the
industry's landscape. And safety means money, as shown by estimators
who now take the cost of safety measures into consideration when calculating
figures for a project.
But
any additional costs are well worth the reward, Elliott said.
"You
can't really consider cost when it's safety," he said.
