BAD NEWS MEMO

Safety in the Workplace

WRTG 394-6362

Fred Blair

June 29, 2021

June 2021

Mr. Tim Clark

President

Blairs Construction Company

23020 US Highway 29

Gretna, VA 24557

Dear Mr. Clark:

The enclosed report, “Safety in the Workplace” is a follow-up to the proposal memo I sent a few weeks ago.

This report will offer ways to identify hazards, the importance of safety education, and new technology methods that will help lower injury statistics. After conducting primary research, as well as research of scholarly journals, I believe it’s important to follow through with the recommendations provided in this report to reduce injuries on the job site.

Thank you for considering the finds in this report. I hope you find the information useful and one that can be implemented as we move forward with a new and updated safety program here at Blair Construction Company.

Sincerely,

Fred Blair

Owner

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary 4

Introduction 5

Background 5

Purpose 5

Method of Research 5

Findings and Discussion 6

Safety in the Construction Workplace 6

Updating and Implementing Safety Programs 6

Benefits of Recognizing Safety 7

Conclusion 8

Recommendations 8

References 9

Appendix 10

Executive Summary

Purpose and method of this report

As owner of Blair Construction Company, it has come to my attention the need to improve the company’s awareness of its safety program. After onsite visits, it has been noted that employees are not always aware of their surroundings and may be lacking adequate training and technology.

The purposes of this report are to:

· educate employees on recognizing possible hazards on the job site

· recommend new orientation and safety programs

· implement new methods of technology and tools to reduce hazards

After conducting secondary research, we found that the safety program at Blair Construction Company is inadequate. There are many hazards that went unnoticed by employees and failure to follow the safety procedures could result in serious injuries. The need for new orientation and safety programs, as well as new methods of technology and tools were also researched.

Findings and conclusions

After examining the worksites and educational materials available to employees we found that there was much need for improvement. While employees showed the ability to recognize hazards, they have become lacks in reporting them. The research also yielded the need for an up-to-date orientation program, and the availability to new technology.

Recommendations

Recommendations for updating and improving the safety program at Blairs Construction:

· conduct daily “toolbox talks” to bring awareness to any hazards on the job site,

· develop new orientation modules and safety programs,

· purchasing new technology and tools that will help prevent safety hazards.

Introduction

Background

Blair Construction Company is a family owned and operated company since 1911. Over the past year, the company has seen a slight increase in onsite construction incidents. As a result, a request was made to reevaluate the safety training program here at Blair Construction. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2021) approximately 5,333 workers died on the job during 2019. While on the decline, this averages out to more than 100 deaths per week or 15 a day. “About 20% (1,061) of worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2019 were in construction – accounting for one in five worker deaths for the year.” (OSHA, 2021) However, worker injuries and illnesses are down 80 percent in 2019. The common threads amongst these lowered numbers are recognizing safety hazards, implementing safety training and incentive programs, and identifying tools, technology, and rewards available to maintaining and enhancing safety in the construction field.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to gather research regarding safety hazards, implementation methods, and new technology. Additionally, this study will also help enhance the new safety training program at Blair Construction Company.

Method of Research

Primary research was conducted using a jobsite safety survey (Appendix A) to employees where they answered yes or no to 10 questions. In regards to incentives, follow up interviews took place by random draw in order to get employee feedback. Secondary research was conducted from multiple online scholarly journals using the key search words of “safety hazards,” “safety training programs,” and “construction technology methods.”

Findings and Discussion

Safety in the Construction Workplace

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets the guidelines for implementing and improving safety in the workplace. According to Kevin Elliott (2020) the most common workplace injuries were over-exertion, contacts with equipment and other objects, and slips, trips, and falls. Additionally, OSHA provides a list of the most cited violations in the workplace. From this list, fall protection, scaffolding, lockout/tagout, fall protection-training requirements, and machinery and machine guarding are prevalent in the field of construction.

Michael Boyle (2010) acknowledges that OSHA’s four highest hazards include falls, electrical, struck-by, and caught between. The same can be said with equipment, specifically the provision of ground fault circuit interrupters. By testing these interrupters, the individual is ensuring that there is no leakage in the circuits and the likelihood of being electrocuted is greatly reduced. (Jansen, 2004)

On a construction site, environment and safety hazards should be recognized with proper blueprints before they arise. When one makes changes to a blueprint, it could end up jeopardizing the safety and health of the workers (Hallowell, et al., 2017). Safety in the construction workplace can start with daily “toolbox talks.” By using this technique, construction companies can reduce their rate of injury. Ghasemi, et al, (2051) states construction still has a higher rate of injuries and fatalities as compared to other industries. People are afraid to report hazards; therefore, hazards are not being reported due to the fear of retribution.

Updating and Implementing Safety Programs

Safety has come a long way over the past decade. No longer are we limited to pen and paper orientations, but virtual training is now a more efficient and effective method of training. Employees are able to receive hands-on training and watch various hazardous scenarios they may encounter in the workplace. Additionally, they are being educated on the proper ways to resolve these safety issues.

Research yields an extensive list of hazard recognition program elements applicable to the construction field. Some examples include augmented and interactive virtuality training environment, hazard identification board, job safety and hazard analysis, action plan critique, and safety checklist (Albert, Hallowell, Kleiner, 2014). Boyles agrees there is a need for annual reevaluation of safety programs, which should incorporate health hazards. Boyles (2010) analyzes the health hazards as they relate to lung hazards, lead in construction, heavy metals, asbestos, and noise-induced hearing loss. John Jansen (2004) found that “the OSHA standard requires a schedule and recorded assured equipment grounding program covering all cord sets and receptacles that are not part of the building or structure, as well as all equipment connected by cord and plug which can be used by employees.” Comment by Gillisann Harootunian: The in-text citation is part of the sentence information and so goes BEFORE the period ending the sentence.

Through primary research, it has been determined that lengthening the safety training course provides the employee with a broaden base of basic safety knowledge. Findings from the job site survey supports this as 75 percent of those surveyed were unaware of the safety notices, location of first aid equipment, and height regulations for scaffolding.

Benefits for Recognizing Safety

Preventing injury is the top benefit for recognizing safety. Additionally, a productive workplace starts with safety. OSHA (2021) offers 10 health and safety tips for the workplace that will help reduce work related accidents. The department suggest weighing up the risks, keeping a written record, gathering ideas from your team, training, keeping it tidy, conducting fire drills, performing routine maintenance, updating first aid kits, identifying vulnerable workers, and looking at ways of keeping stress levels down.

Benefits can also come in the form of incentives. Incentives can be as simple as a recognition party for maintaining safety and health on the job. In Ghasemi, et al, (2015) the researchers discuss the use of financial and nonfinancial incentives. Financial incentives include cash or gift cards, while nonfinancial incentives include home appliances, trips, and spotlight features in the local newspaper.

During the follow-up interviews with random employees the workers provided feedback on what incentives they would like to see at Blair Construction Company. The most popular incentive was a monetary reward. Employees also requested a no-retribution policy for reporting hazards. Some even suggested that hazards be reporting anonymously.

Conclusion

At Blair Construction Company, our motto is “we meet each project with an attention to detail and consideration that builds long-lasting customer relationships.” The same should be said for our employees. We want to provide them with the safest working environment, tools and technology, and with incentives, since they are the ones who turn our blueprints into reality. Without these employees there would be no Blair Construction Company.

Recommendations

It is my recommendation that the safety program at Blair Construction Company becomes the focal point of the company’s priority over the next month. As evident in the photos (Appendix B) the company is already on the right track. However, implementation needs to take place to bring the orientation portion of training into the digital age. I am suggesting that we start the training in the board room as the picture (Appendix C) reflects, but then move it to online modules where workers will complete OSHA and Blair Construction Company training online. It’s also my recommendation that we start an incentive program and reward those who recognize and report the hazards that occur in and on the workplace.

References

Albert, A., Hallowell, M. R., & Kleiner, B. M. (2014). Emerging Strategies for Construction Safety & Health Hazard Recognition. Journal of Safety, Health & Environmental Research, 10(2), 152–161.

Boyle, M. (2010). Health Hazards in Construction: The Fifth High Hazard. Professional Contractor, 6–17.

Doyle, A. (2013). Effective Safety Incentive Programs Are Multifaceted. Incentive, 187(1), 21.

Elliott, K. S. (2020). Influencing Workplace Safety through Educational Training. The Midwest Quarterly, 61(3), 360.

Ghasemi, F., Mohammadfam, I., Soltanian, A. R., Mahmoudi, S., & Zarei, E. (2015). Surprising Incentive: An Instrument for Promoting Safety Performance of Construction Employees. sSafety and Health at Work, 6(3), 227–232. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.1016/j.shaw.2015.02.006

Hallowell, M., Veltri, A., Harper, C., Wanberg, J., & Rajendran, S. (2017). Impact of Design Completeness, Clarity & Stability on Construction Safety. Journal of Safety, Health & Environmental Research, 13(2), 370–377.

Jansen, J. (2004). Ground Fault Protection of Construction Tools. Professional Safety, 49(7), 58–59.

OSHA. (2021). Commonly Used Statistics. https://www.osha.gov/data/commonstats

Safety program preventing work-related injuries. (2018). Journal of Business (10756124), 33(12), B13.

Appendix A

JOBSITE SAFETY SURVEY
Name: Date:
Supervisor:
1. Are you familiar with and understand the following notices, which are required to be posted for all employees to see?	Yes	No
A. OSHA Notice
B. Workers' Compensation Notice
C. Emergency Phone Numbers
D. Panel of Physicians
E. OSHA 300 Summary
F. Safety Meetings
2. Are you familiar with the first aid kit supplies and have been properly trained?
A. Supplies- Kits accessible & equipped for number of employees on site
B. Training- One person on site trained in First Aid and CPR
3. Are you familiar with the following pieces of fire safety equipment?
A. Extinguishers- Current inspection and beside welders and torches
B. or Water Barrels (55gal) with 2 pails- properly labeled
4. Are hard hats required at all times for all personnel on jobsite?
5. Have you reviewed the MSDS book, which is required at all times for all personnel on the jobsite?
6. Are you able to recognize a potential electrical hazard when it comes to the following?
A. GFCI Receptacles working and tested
B. Cords- No cuts, pulls or tape repairs and ground prong
C. No exposed hot wires
7. Do you know how to properly tie of ladders and prevent a hazard from occurring?
8. Are you able to recognize the safety hazards on the following tools?
A. Guards- no guards removed for power tools
B. Cords – no cuts, pulls, or tape repairs and ground prong
9. Are you familiar with the fall protection and scaffolding protocols for safety purposes?
A. Guard rails at 42 and 21 with toe board at all locations required.
B. Safety Nets properly attached and extended past the work area.
C. Personal fall arrest system with lanyard and tied off.
D. Rebar caps where anyone is working above or possible hazard exists.
E. Guardrails are toe boards about 1st bucket.
F. Braces all installed and general constructed safe.
10. Excavations benched or sloped if deeper than 5ft.

Appendix B

Appendix C

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