Safety Concerns Follow Construction Upturn, But Here Are Some Tips From Award Winners

Year-to-date, Washington state logged 23 deaths, most attributed to falls or being hit with an object, says department of Labor and Industries public information officer Elaine Fisher.  “The number of deaths fluctuates every year, but for this year we have had more to date than average,” says Fisher. In a normal year the state would see less than a total of 20 deaths.  Oregon figures are not available, but they are about average says Oregon OSHA.

Ferguson Construction, Seattle

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Safety records can be the deciding factor when contracts are awarded, affecting a company’s chances of getting a job, says Todd Vacura, president at Ferguson Construction, Seattle. “That’s one reason we take it so seriously.”

Another reason is to save on overhead. “We are one of a handful of companies that received a return on industrial insurance every year for the past 15,” says Vacura. ROII is a Washington state program that refunds part of the worker’s compensation fees to companies with clean safety records.

Bob Maus, company safety director credits several things for the company’s success. 

“We have very loyal employees.  They know that even if they get injured we want to keep them with the company.   Our safety guide is available in English and Spanish and must be read before starting work.  If a crew is made up of Spanish speaking workers, one member must be fluent in English as well.”

Mars visits every jobsite weekly. If seeing his face weren’t enough of a reminder, weekly paycheck stuffers talk about safety and note how much extra money each person earns because of the lower workers comp rates.  “I talk to everybody.  They know if they have a question or need new equipment, they only have to ask,” says Mars.

Ferguson goes a step further, by supplying even basic safety equipment.  Hard hats sport each employee’s name.  T-shirts and vests go to every employee as well as gloves and safety glasses. 

Emerick Construction, Portland

Emerick Construction took an interesting tack when hiring current safety coordinator, Kim Rhodes. “The safety committee wanted to hire somebody from outside of construction,” says Rhodes. Rhodes was a safety inspector at a semiconductor plant, and in good shape to monitor construction activity. “Semiconductor plants are full of hazardous materials, and must be kept very clean. There’s not much room for error,” she says. She now chairs the AGC of Oregon Safety Committee.

She implemented two programs for the company since she started at Emerick, both having to do with hazardous waste. “We are developing a program to better monitor waste, especially from oil and concrete curing compound.

“We try to either use it on another job or make sure it gets returned to the manufacturer. The last choice should be disposal.   Clearly the cheapest and safest option  is not to buy as much compound to begin with,” says Rhodes.

Yorke and Curtis

It’s been 13 years since the Portland general contractor reported a time loss accident. Perhaps the main reason is that the company has only one goal – quality work with no accidents.

“There is no sense in rushing stuff to the point somebody gets hurt,” says safety director Paul Magrone, quoting company owner Rob Yorke.  With a strong base of repeat clients, that philosophy could is easier to maintain at Yorke and Curtis than for the average contractor.

Regular job site visits and follow-up on even the smallest complaints go all the way up to Rob Yorke, who sits on the company safety committee.

Foushée Inc.

Foushée, Bellevue, Wash, also makes the list of  companies with an exceptional safety record;  no accidents in seven years and only one recordable injury in eight years.

The firm’s safety record has garnered numerous Washington and national awards for safety, including the AGC of America Grand Award for Safety.

Britt Slone, company spokesman for Foushée, describes safety as “a deep, pervasive part of our culture.” 

The firm manages and promotes safety in the following ways:

• Safety Suggestion Program: Employees have made it their own since the company introduced it in 1996, contributing “a lot of progress to safety and health protection,” Sloane says.
• Technology: E-mail and digital photography have been keys to safety communications, enabling the safety director to get the word out right away about close calls or accidents at other jobsites.
• Safety Awards: The firm bases its annual awards on measurable results, not just “feel good” comments.
• Training & Education: Foushée facilitates several safety training curriculums each year, including trenching, excavation and ladder safety. It recently hosted a special two-day crane class, one of the first firms to host such a companywide training.

Slone gives huge credit to Stephen Seger, Foushée’s safety director. “Safety is all in the implementation,” Slone says. “Stephen knows what’s going on and commands respect from the field guys. His job calls for tough love sometimes.”

Wilder Construction

Wilder Construction, a Northwest contractor in business since 1911, hired its first full-time safety manager in 1993 after a series of watershed events. The confluence of expanding business activity at the company, several serious injury accidents and regulatory agency actions compelled Wilder management to focus on making safety part of their business plan.

Mike Fallon, Wilder’s Safety and Risk Manager since 1993, describes its approach as “mainstreaming safety, through awareness, obligations and engagement at all levels.”  Wilder has delivered “a more visual presence from the safety function,” said Fallon, now assigning four safety officers to work with field operations that include 850 employees in Washington and Alaska.

Wilder nurtures its continually evolving culture to work safely with a variety of pro-active and reactive systems.  According to Fallon, “Too often people in our industry look the other way. We need to positively reinforce good behavior to promote safety.”  To that end, Wilder implements these methods to strengthen their safety engagement and performance:

• Safety Orientation: One-on-one training for new hires, reviewing the company’s accident prevention program.
• “STOP” (Safety Training Observation Program):  Through this DuPont Safety Services training and materials program, Wilder supervisors engage in one-on-one dialogue with each employee to reinforce observed good behaviors, and to correct unsafe behaviors. 
• “Take 5”: Wilder highlights the planning aspect of safety with daily start-of-shift briefings that go over production objectives for the day and the safety challenges associated with those goals.
• Recognition Program: Work groups must show significant improvement, not just compliance, to earn awards.

Wilder has averaged an Experience Factor History of 0.5648 over the past 8 years, earning 0.5325 for 2007. Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Washington honored Wilder this year as the Outstanding General Contractor for Safety in their category (greater than 400,000 worker hours.)