Safety Trends

Safety Remains Top Priority

Construction industry programs aim to reduce accidents

Local associations assist companies of all sizes in implementing plans and programs to cut lost-time injuries and lower EMR rates.

By Brad Fullmer and John Fiske

Safety programs throughout the Intermountain region – within both trade associations and individual construction firms – have evolved over the years.

“Safety has always been a top priority of our organization,” says Rich Thorn, president/CEO of the Associated General Contractors of Utah. “Our members emphasize safety constantly to their field workers and project managers. Nothing is as important as keeping your employees safe and healthy.”

Richard Fullmer, AGC of Utah apprenticeship and training director, adds: “I see safety emphasized everywhere I go. I’m impressed at how seriously the industry takes safety on a daily basis.”

Indeed, as the AGC of Utah gets ready to host its 12th annual safety conference April 3 at The Barn at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah, there is a lot of talk within the construction industry on continually improving safety programs and implementing new procedures, many of which actually help improve a firm’s bottom line.

“An effective safety program can be profitable for companies,” says Joey Gilbert, AGC of Utah vice president, who oversees the association’s safety committee and helps organize the annual safety conference.

Gilbert says that firms with Experience Modification Rates below the “break-even” average of 1.0 are subject to greater insurance premium discounts and are often looked upon more favorably by conservative owners who value safety and frugality.

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Gilbert says the lowest EMR he has seen was a large general contractor based in Salt Lake that had a rate of .47 – even though the firm recorded more than 1 million staffing hours annually.

“Many owners today look at (EMR) ratings when they’re hiring a contractor to build a project,” Gilbert adds. “That’s one way companies see the benefits of having a full-time safety director – lower insurance rates.”

Programs Aid Firms of All Sizes

Gilbert says association-sponsored safety training courses offer benefits to everyone. Typically, only the largest contractors employ full-time safety directors, those with staffs of 100-plus employees. Smaller firms might split an employee’s safety program duties with other tasks.

AGC is a valuable resource for everyone – from large GCs to the very small, Gilbert adds. “We try and give firms tools and information they need to adhere to OSHA guidelines,” he says.

Sharing with other safety professionals what has and hasn’t worked also is important, says Bruce Dallin, safety director for Springville, Utah-based W.W. Clyde & Co. “There is no concept that is so valuable that you can’t share it or that you should keep a secret,” he adds. “A safer workplace at your company is something that can and should be shared with someone else, and that will result in the overall betterment of the industry.”

Ken Shulsen, president of the Utah chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors, agrees that safety is consistently a hot topic for his members.

“Our members are way ahead of the curve when it comes to safety,” says Shulsen. “Even with the slowdown in construction, we’re seeing firms take a much more in-depth look at their safety programs to try and improve their bottom line.”

ABC’s National Environment, Health & Safety Committee established the Safety Training and Evaluation Process program in 1989, which is recognized by OSHA. It is designed to offer contractors an organized approach for analyzing and developing safety and loss prevention programs, as well as an objective method for measuring safety program improvements.

Shulsen says STEP can give participating companies an advantage in bidding on projects and can reduce insurance costs. Two of his member firms have been presented with safety awards from ABC National the past two years, R&O Construction of Ogden in 2007, and Wadman Corp. of Ogden in 2008.

“It’s a direct reflection of companies that have been doing the STEP program for years,” says Shulsen. “They have a focused approach on their safety programs and they see measurable results.”

Gilbert’s safety committee meets every third Thursday of the month, which includes a lunch-and-learn on various safety-related topics. Recent issues have included dealing with non-English speaking workers, fall protection procedures, proper lifting techniques, sleep deprivation on the jobsite and the proper use of cell phones.

“There are six legislative bills this year that deal specifically with cell phone usage,” Gilbert says. “That’s one (topic) we’re definitely looking at.”

Thorn says each year there seems to be growing concerns with the language barrier for certain field employees. “Jobsite supervisors need to be able to communicate warnings and explanations in numerous languages,” he says. “As a result, some supervisors are bi- or trilingual.”

Lean economic times also bring into play the possibility of owners who might look at cutting back on safety programs as a way to trim overall budgets until work picks back up.

“Safety might get cut, there is that reality,” Gilbert says. “Those can’t be easy decisions to make.”

Sandy, Utah-based Layton Construction, which has offices in Arizona, Utah and Idaho, is “constantly trying to refine core competencies,” says safety director Chris Bordin.

Layton employs about 250 craftspeople in the Intermountain region and offers new employees a 30-day mentoring program, which teaches them to work safely and build confidence.

Every morning Layton’s workers “stretch and flex” and then have a preplanning meeting. “Our craftspeople, carpenters and concrete finishers truly are athletes,” Bordin says.

Partnering Works

Since 1996, the Idaho Construction Partnership, a joint initiative of the Idaho AGC and Idaho OSHA, has been successfully promoting best safety practices. Jerry Hockett, OSHA’s Boise-area director, says the program promotes contractor partnerships with OSHA under which contractors must adhere to strict requirements for managing site safety and health.

Partnered contractors have contributed directly to the significant reduction in Idaho construction injuries and fatalities over the last several years. The results have been nothing short of phenomenal.

In 1993, there were approximately 20,000 people working in the Idaho construction industry, with a fatality rate of 20 per 100,000 employees. Although the number of workers rose dramatically, to a peak of 52,000 in 2007, the fatality rate declined significantly each year, with a mark of 3.8 deaths per 100,000 employees in ’07.

“We’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Hockett says. “The message it sends to contractors is that partnering works.”

In general, the partnership’s goals are simple:

• Continue to reduce construction worker injuries and illnesses in Idaho through OSHA inspection actions and through development of effective partnerships with qualifying general contractors/construction managers and specialty contractors.
• Continue to improve employer safety and health programs.
• Better utilize Boise-area office resources by using a partnership tool to reduce the need for some onsite visits.
• Provide maximum leverage of inspection resources by promoting more active employer action and responsibility in safety and health management.

OSHA verifies that member companies are in compliance with partnership requirements. OSHA still conducts regular and effective safety audits, accident investigations and injury/illness data.

Ruth Fritts, safety director at McAlvain Construction Inc. in Boise, says: “We have the same goal as OSHA to send workers home at the end of the day without injury. When we are preplanning jobs, we look for problem areas before starting work. We draw on OSHA as a resource – they are another set of eyes.”

Fritts describes a project in Boise that required steel erection in close proximity to electric transmission lines. McAlvain approached Idaho Power but without success. OSHA became involved, opened Idaho Power’s doors, and the project went ahead without difficulty.

“OSHA was instrumental in helping us get a building erected,” Fritts says. “The partnership allowed us to work together with Idaho Power. OSHA is more familiar with us, and has a comfort level with us, and we’re inspected less often. But members can be cited.”

Hockett says the application-for-membership procedure consists of a self-audit, then the formal, written application. OSHA makes site visits, then an assessment. There is no cost to membership, other than actual safety expenditures.