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Mark R. O'Connell, Director of Safety and Health
Hobbs, Incorporated
Employee Safety and the Diverse WorkforceMany Cultures, One Goal
Statistics
Construction is dangerous work. Historically, there have been years when there are more fatalities in construction than in any other industry.
Since January 2012, the Bridgeport Office of OSHA has already investigated over 80 falls resulting in two fatalities
Statistics The construction industry makes up less than 5% of the nation’s workforce but accounts for more than 20% of all workplace fatalities.
StatisticsIn 2003, the U.S. residential
construction industry employed more than 824,000 workers . . .
Those were
. . .Husbands, Wives
. . . Sons, Daughters
. . . Friends, Family Members
. . . and Co-workers
That did not return home safe to their family that day
In 2002, falls on residential
construction sites were the second
leading cause of injuries resulting
in
days away from work.
Statistics
Approximately 1 out of every 200 residential construction workers experienced an injury from a fall
to a lower level in 2002.
This injury rate is approximately 20% higher than the nonresidential
construction builders rate.
Why do you think the worker in the picture was willing to take that chance?
Is it because the worker wasn’t careful?
Is it because residential construction is more dangerous than other types of construction?
Or Is it because the worker wasn’t communicated the importance and need to work safe?
Regardless of the reason, it is time to stop the trend.
MORE VARIED ETHNICITIES ARE BEING EMPLOYED
The influx of employees whose first language
is Spanish or other language has expanded the construction workforce and added skills to many contracting companies.
Reality One
Many employees may not have the experience with products, processes, and technology they are assigned to use in both safety compliance and productivity.
Reality Three
At-risk behaviors don’t always result in injuries or other penalties sufficient to discourage their occurrence.
The employee gets comfortable performing the task in an unsafe manner
“THE NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO ME I’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY SYNDROME”
Reality Five
Reality One More Varied Ethnicities Are Being Employed
The differences in culture and language present
significant barriers which impede the successful integration of varied ethnicities in the workforce.
Those barriers need to be broken down. If they are not adequately addressed, employers can
anticipate persistent problems with safety, quality, and productivity.
Working With The Five Realities
Reality TwoMany have varied educational levels and varied
abilities to read and understand English
Know the obstacles associated with communicating the safety message including language barriers and understanding comprehension.
Make sure the communication is fully understood in a language that they understand.
Working With The Five Realities
Reality Three
Don’t anticipate that the employee understands the process or tool or equipment, have them show you in some manner that they understand it.
Working With The Five Realities
Reality Four Many have a little or no formal safety training
Train them in a language they comprehend Provide the training and put it into terms they'll
understand. Make sure that they understand that it's in their best
interest to learn. Pictures, gestures, videos and on-site training have
more impact than words. Documentation. Even with a group of non-written
programs, it's vital to document what workers have been taught.
Working With The Five Realities
Reality FiveDiscourage the occurrence of at risk behavior.
1. Do not let the employee get comfortable performing the task in an unsafe manner
2. Let them know in no uncertain terms the consequences for their actions
“FYI the employee in the picture was terminated by the employer for violating the companies safety regulations “
Working With The Five Realities
It may require a little extra effort to plan your training for a diverse workforce. The rewards are there, however.
Proper training to meet OSHA requirements will ensure better safety for your workers.
It will minimize the chance that you’ll be cited (and penalized) for violating the OSHA standards.
Reaching all workers with your training will help worker cohesiveness.
The Benefits Of Promoting Safety To The Diverse Workforce
A good training program should reduce your accident and injury rate.
In turn, that reduces your workers’ comp costs.
If these five results are achieved—on top of all that, there’s a very good likelihood that you will achieve the ultimate goal and that is:
The Benefits Of Promoting Safety To The Diverse Workforce
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