Safety Articles

The construction industry is growing rapidly. Because of worker shortages, you need to retain the workers you do hire. Nevertheless, new employees in construction are three times more likely to suffer an injury that causes them to lose work than their co-workers who have been working a year or more. The tone for the entire employment relationship is set during the first 90 days, which is why integrating new recruits into your safety culture is so important.

What Do Construction Injuries Cost You?

According to Safety and Health Magazine, a medically consulted work-related injury costs about $32,000. This includes administrative expenses and medical expenses, as well as the costs to you, the employer, from losing an able-bodied worker. To offset the cost of each injury, your other employees each have to produce an additional $1,000 in goods or services.

Injuries to your workers also cost you in other ways. Frequent worksite injuries can affect morale among remaining employees. Workers who feel that they are not safe in their current position may start looking for work elsewhere. If you cannot retain employees, you have to keep hiring replacements, absorbing the costs of onboarding every time.

What Can You Do To Keep New Workers Safe?

New hires in construction are more vulnerable to injury due to a lack of experience and training. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep them safe, especially during the critical initial 90-day period.

1. Set Reasonable Expectations

Safety onboarding should begin at the start of the application process. Provide job descriptions that are detailed and realistic about the physical demands the job requires. During the interview, ask specific questions of applicants about how they understood and participated in workplace safety in prior roles.

2. Provide Comprehensive Training

The training that you provide to new hires should follow a well-organized and detailed curriculum. It is not enough to explain what the safety rules are and why they are important. Employees who understand the rationale behind safety procedures are more likely to follow them.

3. Use Mentorship

Team up new recruits with more experienced employees who serve as mentors. The job of the mentors is to show the new recruits how to do the work while observing safety rules and to provide feedback when the mentees do well or when they violate safety protocols. A mentor may also be able to intervene and prevent an injury when a mentee makes a mistake.

4. Start Small

Look for lower-risk jobs that you can assign to new recruits during the initial 90 days. As they learn the safety protocols, they can gradually start to take on higher-risk assignments. It may help to create a tiered system of organizing jobs so that a new hire that reaches a certain benchmark in a low-risk position can move on to one with moderate risk.

5. Provide Positive Reinforcement

Research shows that workers are more likely to repeat desired behaviors if they receive praise for them. By contrast, constantly punishing unwanted behaviors can be disheartening. Look for opportunities to provide your new recruits positive reinforcement, and instruct trainers, supervisors, and mentors to do the same.

Award-Winning Construction Safety Experts

In addition to providing safety training and certifications, we also provide safety consulting. Contact us at (919) 463-0669 for more information about our services.

Safety meetings are essential for any construction company. By discussing the various potential hazards at job sites, you can reduce the chances of nonfatal and fatal injuries.

Of course, you do not have time during safety meetings to discuss every possible danger. You should instead focus on the most common causes of accidents and how to prevent them. Here are seven topics you should emphasize during construction safety training.

1. Fall Hazards

Falls are the most common cause of death at construction sites. During safety meetings, you should discuss ways to prevent both falls from a height and falls that do not involve a change in elevation. This is particularly important for employees who frequently work on ladders or scaffolds.

2. Trip and Slip Hazards

Slips and trips are common at construction sites, as well. While these incidents are not usually fatal, they can cause painful strains and sprains. They are particularly common in icy or poorly organized areas. Be sure to talk about ways to limit falls on all types of surfaces, including stairwells.

3. Electrocution Hazards

While electrocution fatalities in the construction industry have decreased in recent years, they can still occur. In fact, most electrocution deaths at worksites still take place at construction sites. During safety meetings, be sure your workers understand proper tagout and lockout procedures. They should also understand the dangers of contacting live electrical equipment, including exposed cords and overhead powerlines.

4. Caught-Between Hazards

Construction workers can easily get pinched, crushed or squeezed between multiple objects. Caught-between hazards include potentially fatal incidents such as being buried in a trench, to relatively minor accidents such as getting a hand caught in a machine. Even the latter ordeal can still be quite painful, so you should train your workers to identify and limit potential causes of caught-between accidents.

5. Struck-by Hazards

A struck-by injury occurs when a worker is hit by a falling object or by a moving piece of equipment or vehicle. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that struck-by incidents are the second-most common cause of death and the most common cause of nonfatal injury at construction sites.

While many people face struck-by hazards at work, the risk is particularly great for those in the construction industry. According to the NIOSH, construction workers are involved in more fatal struck-by incidents than those in other industries are. Construction workers are also twice as likely to suffer a nonfatal struck-by injury.

Workers can be hit by objects that are swinging, falling, rolling or flying toward them. Each safety meeting should discuss the hazards that fit into each of these categories. You should also instruct employees to safely secure all materials, and to only operate equipment on which they have been trained.

6. Material Handling

Heavy loads and materials can cause injuries in other ways, as well. Improperly carrying, pushing or pulling large boxes can also lead to spinal injuries. Workers should learn about proper lifting strategies and ergonomics. They also should understand that it is acceptable to ask another worker for help, or to use a dolly or cart when necessary.

7. Personal Protective Equipment

Construction workers need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at job sites. Unfortunately, it is easy for them to forget their goggles or hard hats, especially when they are busy or in a rush. Remind them which PPE is required for certain tasks, and emphasize why this equipment is important. Workers need to understand that PPE may be their last chance to avoid injury.

Develop a Safety Culture

Holding proper safety meetings is just one part of establishing a safety culture within your construction company. The professionals at Construction Safety Experts can keep your workers safe and reduce construction hazards. Whether you need employee training, onsite safety professionals or consultations, contact Construction Safety Experts at (919) 463-0669 today.

For many people across the country, a hard hat is the most recognized symbol for construction workers. Putting on a hard hat is universal for entering a construction zone, whether as a tradesman or as a visitor. The safety yellow hard hat is iconic.

Now technology may make the hard hat obsolete. The latest upgrade for workers is a move toward safety helmets. However, this new approach may be facing some resistance.

The Hard Hat

World War I introduced America to the safety features of wearing protective headgear. In 1919, after returning from the war, Lt. Edward W. Bullard saw the opportunity to develop a safety hat for peacetime workers at home.

Bullard constructed the original hard hat with leather and canvas and revolutionized the safety industry. First adopted by miners, hard hats quickly spread to other industries. By 1952, fabrication switched to plastic. Since the early 2000s, all hard hat compositions have been strictly polyethylene.

The Safety Helmet

Meanwhile, safety helmets were being developed for other activities. By the early 1970’s bicyclists realized that the major cause of fatal accidents was head injuries. They began to look for helmets for safety.

Their innovations led to adding EPS foam liners to more traditional helmets for added impact protection. As years went by, inventors added venting and outer shells, and the use of these helmets expanded to other sports like skiing and rock climbing. Today sports helmets are ubiquitous.

The Construction Safety Helmet

The new construction safety helmets offer more protection than traditional hard hats. They combine the technology of both hard hats and sports helmets. Since weight is not a consideration as it is in sports, construction helmets pair a sturdy outer shell with a foam insert to offer superior protection.

Safety helmets not only shield workers from falling objects but also offer increased protection from impacts to the back and side of the head. The addition of secure chinstraps increases safety during falls by keeping helmets in place.

Pros and Cons of the New Construction Safety Helmets

Each new technology has its pros and cons, and construction safety helmets are no exception.

Pros of Construction Safety Helmets:

• They provide increased safety, particularly from side and back impacts
• Using the chinstrap ensures they will not fall off during a fall
• They can be effective for up to 10 years

Cons of Construction Safety Helmets:

• They may be heavier than a traditional hard hat
• They can be expensive, with average models costing more than $125
• The cultural shift away from the iconic hard hat may be difficult 

The Biggest Challenge

While the protection offered by a construction safety helmet is clearly superior, the biggest challenge to widespread adoption appears to be the reluctance of the industry to relinquish the iconic image of the safety yellow hard hat. It is proving difficult to change our collective image of the quintessential construction professional, complete with a hard hat.

As more and more safety helmets appear on job sites, and more workers are better protected, the shift to construction safety helmets will happen. In the meantime, job sites may see a mix of both hard hats and safety helmets as workers, and society, make the shift. Lead the way into the future by being an early adopter and switch yourself and your crew to construction safety helmets today. 

Contact us online or call our experts directly at (919) 463-0669 for more information on safety helmets! 

 

Your company’s Experience Modification or Ex Mod affects the rates the company will have to pay for Workers Compensation insurance. If you’re a safety professional, Ex Mod also provides an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of what you do.

Know What Safety Is Worth

Ex Mod is the ratio of actual workers compensation losses your company has experienced versus the losses that your company would be expected to have. If it’s higher than normal, insurance rates can be increased by additional surcharges. If it’s lower, they can be reduced by credits that offset some of the company’s premiums. The calculation takes several factors into account, but the main ones are the amount, frequency and severity of workers compensation claims. Since the number of significant incidents affects your company’s Ex Mod, your efforts to increase safety can also affect it. The things you do every day can reduce your company’s workers compensation claims and improve your Ex Mod for years to come. This is powerful proof of the financial benefit of strong safety procedures.

Show What Safety Is Worth

Your company’s management would love to reduce their insurance costs. Reducing the Ex Mod is a concrete way to do that. Since the frequency and seriousness of workplace incidents is a major contributor to Ex Mod, your role as a safety specialist lets you make a clear impact on costs. Communicating this to corporate leadership can enhance your standing and advance your career. Accurately track reductions in incidents, and show how they are related to improved safety procedures and training. By doing so, you can demonstrate how your job contributes to the company’s success.

Persuade Management to Boost Safety and Savings

One way to improve your Ex Mod is to prevent incidents, but another way is to limit the seriousness of the incidents that do occur. While you can’t eliminate all risk, there may be some measures you can take to reduce the severity of the incident and thus the overall size of the workers comp claim. Some of these options will require spending money, and all will require support from management.  This could be as simple as developing a policy to be more proactive in dealing with even minor injuries. It could also entail more substantial commitments, like investing in specialized safety training or implementing solutions that make it easier to oversee the progress of existing workers comp claims. The good news is that the clear link between Ex Mod and insurance costs can make it easier for you to make the case that improved safety is worth the investment.

For more information on better safety procedures and training that could improve your safety program while bringing down insurance costs, contact Construction Safety Experts online, or call (919) 463-0669 today!

When it comes to safety at a construction site, most people agree with the old cliche. Prevention is better than cure. This requires recognizing potential hazards as quickly as possible before it claims casualties or human lives. For many companies, this is often easier said than done. Smaller companies, especially, have developed a bad rep for high rates of safety issues. So, how can companies of all sizes create safer construction sites?

1. Review Company Practices

Does your company have an established process for handling hazards? Are worksite supervisors and project managers following these processes when workers or passersby notice potential hazards? Here are some important steps to take while reviewing the process:

• Estimate how often you complete hazard management activities.
• Identify the potential victims of hazards and create a response plan for each group.
• Determine the best frequency for routine inspections and who should complete them.

2. Encourage Hazard Reporting

Do you know one of the top reasons workers choose not to report hazards, even when they see them? Management doesn’t listen and doesn’t do anything about it. In some cases, workers fear losing their jobs.

Encourage workers to report all hazards they encounter, even when they’re not sure it’s a problem. Treat each report seriously and follow up with workers to let them know you investigated. Involve workers as often as possible in the resolution process to increase buy-in and compliance.

3. Investigate Hazard Sources

Is there a specific incident that reoccurs on your construction sites? Do workers seem to get injured in a particular area or while carrying out a specific task? Get to the root of the problem by observing the process and talking to the people involved. Reassure them that the goal is not to punish them but to investigate and resolve the hazard.

4. Document All Safety Issues

Most companies only document accidents when they occur. However, you should also document reported hazards and how appointed persons resolved the issue. Showing a consistent commitment to safety can protect the company should allegations of negligence arise. However, if there is negligence, this paperwork can also point you to the people who dropped the ball.

5. Leverage Technology

Whenever possible, rely on technology to assist you. Site inspectors can use digitized checklists on tablets or even on their phones. Workers can submit photos and descriptions of hazards via apps or even basic email. Technology also makes it easier to collect and analyze data, so you can continue to make safety improvements at your worksite.

Trust The Safety Experts

At Construction Safety Experts, we work with companies to provide construction safety training. We also provide on-site safety professionals who can ensure the continued safety of your workers and reduce the risk of accidents and liabilities.

Contact us online or call (919) 463-0669  today to discuss your options and get a free quote!