National Construction Safety Week!

Happy Construction Safety Week! We hope to use this post and this week to celebrate the successes of our trade workers. It is easy to say that safety is a focus on every worksite, but that result will never be realized without the time and effort spent training and developing field workers.  While management commitment is vital to the safe completion of a project it will never be attainable without a strong safety culture and buy-in from the field.

Having employees that take pride in their work, plan their tasks, and address the challenges that arise throughout the workday is the name of the fame. At R.L. Coolsaet, this starts with our morning Job Safety Analysis (JSA).  Site foremen collaborate with their crews to discuss the days tasks, safety hazards relevant to those tasks, and review the best practices and procedures to mitigate the site’s safety hazards. Safety measures may include things such as elimination of hazards, substitution of hazards, engineering or administrative controls, in addition to Personal Protective Equipment that is always worn as a last resort.  An effective J.S.A. needs to be a two-way conversation, where every employee is empowered to speak up when they are unsure, and step in to help those employees who may not have the same knowledge or experience.

At the heart of a successful safety program is ownership. Employees that commit to executing tasks safely and share responsibility for worksite safety drive positive safety culture. These employees are the same ones who perform their tasks correctly and have the planning capabilities to maintain the schedule when deadlines get tight. Hazards ignored by one may put another employee in danger, so if you are ever unsure speak up. Be sure to use your stop work authority to ensure everyone has a safe work environment, and if you are one of the crew members helping to build this safety culture, we thank you!