ST. PAUL, Minn. – Even though it might not feel like winter is over just yet, now is a good time to evaluate your construction safety program as well as check your inventory to ensure you have the right personal protective equipment (PPE) for your workers to help prevent common injuries.
Learn more about how you can get prepared by reading this informative ISHN in which a former technical specialist Don Garvey, CIH, CSP answers a Q+A about construction safety. He provides valuable tips within the questions and advocates personalizing your training approach so changes resonate with those affected, whether they be EHS professionals or workers.
For instance, did you realize:
In 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls in construction accounted for 364 out of 937 total reported fatal accidents – 38.8%? According to US OSHA, fall protection was the most cited area of regulation in the construction industry in the fiscal year 2016.
Does everyone on your work site have the right fall protection equipment and have they been trained on how to use it properly?
Another big concern in construction is the new OSHA silica regulation – 29 CFR 1926.1153 that impacts over 2 million construction workers and is now in effect. Have you started making adjustments to your PPE, training and practices to become compliant?
Have you re-examined your site and started to implement changes to conform to these new silica requirements?
Also, per US OSHA, hazard communication was the second most cited regulation in construction in fiscal 2016; along with that regulation would be proper training on personal protective equipment.
There is no question about how important training is.
The common element here is helping to build a culture of safety at your workplace and the key pillar is training. As Don points out, “Training must be designed not just to deliver US OSHA required information… but also to motivate a behavioral change…[it] has to acknowledge and address the workers’ needs and concerns about wearing protective equipment.”
Avoid non-compliance and, even worse, becoming one of these statistics. Now is a good time to evaluate your health and safety training programs, as well as your inventory. They need to be up to date to ensure you have the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for your workers and they know how to use it properly. We offer a wide spectrum of training resources to help you achieve compliance, in addition to a vast catalog of PPE solutions to help you meet your PPE needs. We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions you might have so we can help you on your mission to build a successful culture of health and safety.
The full text of the article and Don’s tips about falls, silica, cranes, confined spaces and the importance of training can be found here.