Following safety protocols on the jobsite should be a top priority within your business model. Putting safety in the forefront will help you secure projects, customers and sustain trust.
Interviewing our Corporate Safety Director, Chris Smith, we learned about the importance of safety on a day to day basis within our industry.
The most common type of accidents are slip, trip or falls from ground level or elevation which result in a sprain or strain report. We are seeing an increase in sprain or strains from minor mishaps in the field, on site, or at home as the overall workforce is aging. These types of accidents are mostly occurring naturally at home or off job sites!
The most dangerous accident is distracted driving. These accidents can cause major damage or even deaths. This is why you will see many company vehicles with the “How am I driving?” stickers on the back of the van or truck. Being aware of your surroundings and your task at hand is important as you are driving to and from job sites, or even home to work and vice versa.
APi Group (Our Parent Company) is beta testing a device right now called “Cellcontrol” drive ID units. It is a device that links to your smartphone and turns off functionality on the phone while employees are driving. The application notifies an administrator that the device has been disabled. This helps reduce the liability and potential lawsuits because employees were on business calls or emails during an auto accident.
Educating your team members or reminding them about safety on a regular basis is important. We asked Chris this specific question:
Do you find safety reminders generally effective when distributed internally?
“Yes, it depends on the attitude of the specific crew. Most managers respond back with comments and questions about safety tips issued. Every district keeps a “toolbox talk” file of the talks down each week. We implement a ‘proof of training’ of specific topics with a sign in portion. District Managers supplement other in-house training methods. We have over 12 courses on Vivid, an online learning remedial training that keeps staff abreast of new safety initiatives with educational resources and tools. In addition, there are over 50 optional courses for field personnel (i.e. asbestos, basic first aid, chemical safety, distracted driving) and some for human resources (discrimination, sexual harassment, violence) that are geared more towards the corporate and district office environments.” – Chris Smith, Madison, AL
There are many different ways to help lower the amount of injuries on the job. We are using a risk management tool that helps us analyze various job sites and limit the amount of injuries onsite. Technology also continues to expand and there is more modular construction within our industry. This reduces the amount of workers on a site which in turns lowers risk.
