Preventing Falls in Construction

Falls in construction are a well known cause of work injury.  A common misconception is that fall injuries are primarily of concern to individuals that work at heights.  This is not an accurate representation of the danger presented by slips, trips, and falls, even at minimal height.  In heavy and highway construction, also known as horizontal construction, falls account for approximately 25% of workers compensation claims.  These consist of falls from trucks, trailers, and construction equipment (45%); ladders, stairs, and scaffolding (20%); and walking or working surfaces (5%). Fortunately, a recent national focus on fall prevention has raised awareness of the issue and improved the quality of resources available to safety professionals.  Resources are published daily at sites like OSHA’s Stop Falls Initiative, CDC’s Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction, and StopConstructionFalls.com in support of this important work safety trend.

Source: Tennessee Road Builder Magazine

Falls from Trucks, Trailers, & Equipment

As a leading cause of injury in the workplace, the risk of falls from trucks, trailers, and equipment is an important hazard for which to mitigate risk.  Communicating the need to maintain three points of contact, wear proper footwear, and clean debris from ladders and steps is a good first step.  For many types of equipment, upgrading to access ladders that provide three points of contact and durable weight support can provide additional injury risk management.  United Rentals is one example of a company that has provided a Safety Best Practice document recommending all employees at their 800+ locations upgrade to the Trucker portable side truck mount ladder.  The Trucker ladder provides 3 points of contact, ANSI rated weight support, and slip resistant tread in a sturdy, lightweight design.

Indirect Costs from Fall Injuries

It is important to remember the indirect costs of work injuries when considering falls from minimal heights.  It is easy to take for granted the risk of a fall from a 4′ flatbed trailer, particularly under the stress of work timelines.  Nevertheless, while these may not always be a fatality risk, the consequences of a work injury extends far beyond broken bones and injury claims.  Individuals can suffer long term complications that affect their ability to work and your company’s ability to excel.  Even when injuries are minor, your company’s workers’ comp EMR (Experience Modifier Rate) is affected, causing insurance rates to go up and potentially limiting your ability to win valuable contracts.  Clearly, the national focus on construction fall protection is a worthy cause for the sake of workers and the industries that employ them.

Work Hazard Analysis

Identifying Workplace Hazards is an integral component of an effective work safety program.  As a required element of OSHA VPP Program participation, following an organized hazard assessment process can be the backbone of a company’s safety policy. Identifying hazards provides the ability to mitigate risk and evaluate safety effectiveness.

The work hazard assessment process consists of five main components:

  1. Identify Hazardous Condition
    Hazards that can lead to injury or illness range from physical injury risk to chemicals, temperature, radiation, noise, and electrical.  Employees need to be involved in hazard analysis from the beginning to assist with acceptance and recognition of benefit.
  2. Determine Root Cause
    Potential root causes can include lack of knowledge, lack of physical ability, improper training, or unidentified hazards.  Managers should reassess hazards when new equipment is installed or new work processes developed.
  3. Eliminate Hazards
    Mitigate risks via controls based on level of injury risk, frequency of exposure, and potential harm.  Evaluate the level of overall risk to prioritize controls and implement.  Identify PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as gloves, safety glasses, etc.
  4. Control Measures
    Risk management efforts can include engineering controls to manage exposure, layout, and access; administrative controls to to manage employees, tasks, and training; and  work practices for safety, hygiene, and work area cleanliness.
  5. Evaluation of Effectiveness
    Hazard assessment programs should be evealuated on injury prevention effectiveness.  Evaluation tactics include routine inspections; documentation for injury reports and near misses; requesting, researching and responding to employee feedback.

Source: Marine Corp Community Services

Initiating a Work Hazard Analysis

When commencing hazard assessment, plan to document responsible team members, tasks, and step sequence for processes with injury risk.  A Hazard Assessment checklist similar to this sample provided by the California Department of Industrial Relations may be helpful.  Next, determine and document preventative measures, equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment, and train employees accordingly.  Finally, consider residual risk – any risk that remains after controls have been implemented – for future evaluation and improvement.

Thank a Worker this Labor Day

Workers have long been the backbone of American society.  While worker safety was often overlooked during the Industrial Revolution, over the past 100 years, advancements in work conditions and OSHA regulations have maintained the importance of the American worker while recognizing and supporting the importance of their health and safety to families and loved ones.  In the 21st century, these two initiatives go hand in hand moreso than ever before.  Today businesses are actually increasing productivity by focusing on trending safety practices.

From the Department of Labor website:

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

With this in mind, Safety & Numbers invites you to take the opportunity to not only honor the national Labor Day holiday, but also take it one step further by recognizing the importance of workers to your company’s productivity and safety culture.

Here are a few ideas to help you accomplish that mission.

  • Thank a Worker e-cards
  • Company Celebration at a Local Establishment
  • YouEarnedIt Employee Rewards Management Software

There are certainly many more ways to recognize the importance of your workers on Labor Day.  We invite you to share your ideas in the comment section, and have a safe, relaxing Labor Day Weekend!

Creating Safety Incentives

Incentivizing safety is a controversial topic for management professionals. While the results of incentive programs are generally effective, it is important to create safety incentives that provide the proper focus.  The method, motivational factors, and objectives must be properly structured to avoid undermining the desired effect. In fact, businesses that create safety incentives which discourage employees from reporting injuries are at risk of OSHA violations.  Fear not, safety professionals, by following a few guidelines you can create incentives that build safety culture across the organization.

Safety Incentive Guidelines

  • Make sure you have a safety program in place before creating incentives. Use incentives to enhance the organizational buy-in of a safety program.
  • Plan incentives around the objectives you set for the program.  Reiterate focus and goals at every opportunity.  Reward and promote performance.
  • Avoid incentives that may lead employees to fear the consequences of reporting incidents.  Remember that incentives are to promote safety, not just meet goals.
  • Capitalize on data management technology trends to track and reward long term safety program metrics as well as short term or more focused objectives.

Safety Incentive Program Ideas

  • Safety Slogans: Many incentive programs center around the creation of slogans submitted by members of the organization.  The advantage of slogan incentives lies in culture building and organizational involvement.
  • Safety Quiz: These programs help to ensure employees understand shifting safety initiatives and can also test employee response to real world applications.
  • Housekeeping: The cleanliness and organization of work areas often has a direct effect on safety and can be easily incentivized.

Safety incentives can be a means of establishing a sustainable safety culture while reducing the burden on employees.  Programs such as number of days without injury or lost time can be effective, but should be structured carefully to ensure employees report injuries.  The most effective programs are part of a larger injury risk management safety program, providing support in a way that employees want to participate in.

Making the Case for Work Injury Prevention [INFOGRAPHIC]

The costs of workers’ compensation and other work injury expenses are significant and difficult to predict.  To manage this risk, businesses should build safety culture by implementing  work injury prevention programs and providing incentives to employees that promote safety across the organization.  For an overview on how to make the case for work safety policy, review our Work Injury Prevention Infographic.

The Cost of Work Injuries: Direct, Indirect, and Hidden

A worker injury comes packaged with costs far beyond worker’s compensation claims and potential litigation expenses.  Direct costs are significant;  In 2009, worker’s compensation benefits paid totaled $58 billion, a 150% increase from only 6 years prior.  Yet, considering direct costs alone when factoring a return on safety investment or justifying safety and health initiatives is painfully incomplete.  Companies that have dealt with even minor worker injuries have experienced the hidden costs and indirect bottom line factors that can lead to catastrophic side effects or unanticipated benefits.  Studies have shown that work injury prevention programs are effective both on a bureaucratic and a business level.  Considering the complete picture of a work injury can be the most effective motivator for investing in safety risk management programs.

Hidden Costs of Work Injuries

The worst case scenario for a work injury, a death or debilitating injury, carries the most hidden costs for a business organization.  Large workers’ comp claims hike up premiums and can even lead to inability to change or acquire insurance.  From here, consider the effect on the co-worker when an employee suffers an injury on the job.  In the worst case, counseling may be required for co-workers, as the work facility becomes a haunting reminder of the incident.  Lack of sensitivity to this scenario can lead to worker absenteeism and forge foundational cracks in the management-employee bond.  Injuries don’t have to be major to carry hidden costs, however.  Companies with a reputation for aloofness to safety, experience a large number of worker injuries, or fail to support national and economic safety initiatives can have a hard time retaining and hiring employee at competitive salary levels.

Indirect Costs of Work Injuries

The indirect costs of a work injury are more easily foreseeable but still difficult to factor in monetary terms. It is important to realize their reach to fully anticipate the event of a work injury, even if the variability of the costs makes them difficult to forecast. Indirect costs can include training and compensating replacement workers, damaged property, production delays, administrative expense, and morale and reputation factors.  These side effects and reactionary costs can add up to total up to 20 times the direct costs and are usually considered as a multiple factor in projections.

Indirect Safety Benefit & Opportunity Cost

Remember the hidden costs of a work injury?  Hidden benefits are just as closely tied to safety initiatives.  Safety programs are beneficial for the business, the worker, and the economy as a whole.  A 2001 Liberty Mutual report on Safety Investment ROI shows that 61% of executives see a 3-1 return for safety investments, likely due to improved morale, productivity, industry reputation, community support, and HR advantages.  Safety can be a core business value and produce competitive advantage as a positive safety reputation becomes recognized by customers, vendors, and staff.  It doesn’t have to be though.  An attentive and effective safety program can economically support strategies ranging from quality to customer service, while still producing indirect benefit.  Ignoring this agenda for lower return investments is often an opportunity cost for businesses.

When a complete picture of work injuries and safety benefit is considered, it’s easier to see the wisdom in investing in injury prevention and championing proactive safety programs.