Safety Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Thomas Industrial Coatings

Creating a safety culture

It’s easy for a company to say it values safety. They can provide the numbers we’ve discussed in previous posts, such as EMRs and incident rates, or record the number of safety meetings they conduct in a given year. But how can owners and general contractors, looking to hire a subcontractor, tell if the safety program has traction within a company? Luckily, there are ways to independently measure such factors.

How we do our work

There’s a saying at Thomas Industrial Coatings, that safety is not something we do in addition to our work. It’s how we do our work. In the spirit of this commitment, a number of safety-related programs have worked their way into our company culture. Through these programs we ensure that job-site safety is always top-of-mind.

These programs include:

Safety Plan – An annual, strategic safety performance plan developed and monitored by the Safety Leadership Teams, at all levels, which establishes the long-range organizational safety performance destination, annual performance goals, incident frequency and severity focal points, milestones, and specific safety management activity frequencies.
Leadership Teams- The purpose of the Team is to meet frequently, define the specific long term safety and health objectives of the organization, establish performance outcomes, drive accountability, closely monitor performance at all levels, and manage significant safety and health issues and trends.
Take 5 for Safety- The goal of the Take 5 meeting is to first engage the Foreman in considering how upcoming work can be done in the most efficient and safest manner possible, and second to engage the employee in offering suggestions as to how they can participate in that process. Once these considerations have been made, the crew can more completely understand the plan, hazards, and precautions necessary for completing the work.
Time Out- Any employee at Thomas Industrial Coatings has the authority to stop a job if they feel it has become unsafe. For this program to be effective, employees must feel assured that there will be no negative repercussions for halting a job.
Safety Standup- This program is meant to recognize exemplary behavior or performance in safety. Recognition programs should be based on acknowledging, and sometimes rewarding, specific behaviors. Incentives based on low overall incident records can encourage underreporting. Be careful with these…
Find and Fix- This in another program designed to reward initiative in safety. Employees are recognized for noticing and correcting potentially unsafe working conditions or behaviors
Peer-to-Peer Coaching- A tool employees use to help each other work safer and smarter through observations and coaching.

Independent review

It would be easy for a company to congratulate itself on how deeply engrained safety is in the company culture. In reality, there are independent ways of measuring these factors. Consulting firms make a business of offering training in safety management. These companies also often offer surveys of the safety climate within an organization. An outside opinion on a company’s internal safety protocol can be invaluable.

Thomas Industrial Coatings recently enlisted a well-respected, independent safety consultant to conduct one such survey of our own safety climate. The survey was made up of 78 questions put before 124 employees, resulting in 9,672 individual answers.

According to the expert’s criteria, a score of 75% is considered average. Scores above average typically require only minor adjustments. The overall Safety Climate Survey Score for Thomas Industrial Coatings was 86%, one of the higher scores the company has ever awarded. We take pride in that number. Thomas Pride.

To download our full guide to asking the right questions about safety, click on the banner below.

Key performance indicators in industrial painting safety

In a recent post, we discussed some of the numbers contained within a subcontractor’s prequalification packet, and the snapshot they can provide of the success or failure of their safety program. We also hinted that these figures, called lagging indicators, don’t tell the whole story. In this post, we look at some of the leading factors that can act as key performance indicators for a subcontractor’s safety program.

How are injury and illness prevention approached?

The proactive steps a contractor takes to prevent injuries in the workplace can say a lot about how a contractor approaches safety. A lot of subcontractors may say that safety is their “top priority”. But priorities change. Safety and health must be a value. Company values are less susceptible to change.

From the front office to the job-site, the value of safety should be an ongoing discussion for contractors. Meetings should address safety issues on upcoming jobs, problems that need to be addressed, upcoming opportunities for additional training, safety successes and more.

Ask a contractor for records of:

Management safety activities
Daily inspection reports and risk assessments
Pre-task/risk assessment meetings
Weekly tailgate safety meetings
Behavior based/peer observations statistics
Safe acts or condition statistics
Safety Culture survey results
Employee involvement/buy-in initiatives or programs

In 2013 Thomas Industrial Coatings recorded 5,656 pre-task and risk assessment meetings, and 1,438 general safety/weekly tailgate safety meetings.

If these preventative programs are successfully executed and sufficiently documented, they can be used as key performance indicators, measured against lagging indicators such as EMR and Incident Rates to gauge the overall success of the safety program. Additional education and resources can then be devoted to areas in need. This leads to a safety and health program that is continuously evolving to achieve best results.

What safety documentation does the contractor have in place?

All good contractors have some form of safety and health management documentation in place. The workplace is changing quickly, and regulatory agencies simply do not have the time and resources to determine best practices for each individual business. That responsibility falls on the contractor.

At Thomas, additional documentation takes the form of our Core Safety Systems manual. Designed by experienced safety professionals, it is taught, circulated and enforced to ensure that every employee has the tools and know-how to make the workplace a safer place.

Check to see if your prospective contractor has safety documentation and procedures in place beyond those required by regulatory agencies.

Though every safety professional would like for positive safety reinforcements to be enough, the reality is that a system of corrective measures must be in place in the form of a progressive discipline program for rule violations. These should be severe enough to discourage unwanted behaviors. Without them, employees may not fear the consequences of safety violations, and disregard for the organization’s safety rules could spread through the ranks. These disciplinary measures should also be a part of a prospective contractor’s documentation.

How many dedicated safety professionals does the contractor have on hand and what type of credentials do they require of their supervisors?

How many safety professionals a contractor has on hand will depend on the volume of work they typically handle. At least one qualified safety professional, such as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is strongly recommended. Certifications for these positions, through an organization like the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, are essential.

A qualified safety professional should play a hand in devising and revising the additional safety documentation and procedures that a contractor has on hand. The qualified safety professional will also take the lead in coordinating ongoing safety training for employees.

Does the contractor have Safety Trained Supervisors (STS) on staff? This shows that a contractor invests time and energy in field supervision. They require their supervisors to demonstrate competency through experience, training, examination and continued education.

Companies handling a larger scope of work should have additional safety personnel on staff. Thomas Industrial Coatings currently has four full-time safety professionals on hand, as well as a contract safety professionals stationed permanently on-site at the Eads Bridge in St. Louis.

Stay tuned to our blog for the next installment of our safety series, or click the banner below to download the full safety guide.

Incident and experience modifier rates explained

As with any significant purchasing decision, when owners and general contractors begin looking to hire a subcontractor, they do their research. A good starting point is what’s called a prequalification packet. From this packet, owners and general contractors can pull numbers and statistics that will help them to hire only companies with exemplary safety records.

While numbers may not tell the whole story, they certainly do tell an important part of it. When looking over prequalification packets from potential contractors, a few statistics can speak volumes about a company’s safety record.

Experience Modifier Rate

A contractor’s experience modifier rate (EMR) is a measurement of the workers’ compensation premium paid out by a company, which directly correlates to workers compensation claims history. The further a contractor’s EMR falls below 1.0 the better. This indicates they pay out below average (1.0) in workers’ compensation claims. This figure is calculated, usually based on the previous three years of data, by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Incident Rates

An incident rate is the ratio of injuries requiring attention beyond simple first aid, to the number of man hours worked. This number, recorded on the OSHA 300 Form as a requirement of 29 CFR 1904, will indicate the frequency of injuries sustained by a contractor’s employees.

Keeping the numbers in context

While EMRs and Incident Rates can provide a general idea of how often injuries and illnesses occur within a firm, they are lagging indicators, or measurements of what has happened in the past. Lagging indicators can be useful for gauging how a contractor’s safety system is performing.

It is equally, some may even argue more, important to investigate what measures a contractor is taking to avert accidents from occurring in the future. These are referred to as leading indicators, and they are measurements of what’s happening at present to prevent injury and illness.

They might include the number of training hours, safe behaviors observed, peer-to-peer coaching events, and the amount of direct involvement of the company’s senior leadership. Leading indicators measure future performance and the systems that drive performance change.

Stay tuned to our blog for more on leading indicators, or to get the full story now, click on the banner below to download our safety guide.

Safespan, a worthwhile investment

A company can only call itself committed to safety, above all else, if it takes concrete steps to affirm that commitment. At Thomas Industrial Coatings, becoming the largest owner of Safespan’s platforms systems, outside of the manufacturer, is one of those steps we’ve taken.

Safespan is a temporary platform system that uses cables, fastened at uniform intervals, to suspend a working area directly beneath a bridge. The steel decking can be customized to fit a specific project’s needs, and allows for working on multiple spans at once. The result is a working surface that offers safe, stable footing and completely shields the area below from falling debris.

Safespan also has containment capabilities, where form-fitting side curtains fasten to the platform for containment that meets category A requirements. This feature is especially useful on jobs with a lead abatement component, such as the one crews are currently involved in on the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee.

Safespan representatives are able to perform complete installation, redeployment and removal services. However, once a contractor is properly trained on installation safety and best practices, they may become certified to perform it themselves. A Safespan representative will then visit the site to sign off on the installation.

Thomas Industrial Coatings has worked closely with the manufacturers of Safespan to ensure crews are properly trained in installing the system. Representatives from Safespan have visited Thomas for training on the use and best practices of the system.

When it comes to the safety of our crews, investments in technology will always prove worthwhile. Our commitment to Safespan and the fall protection it provides? That’s Thomas Pride.

Toolbox topics: winter vs. summer job-site safety

Across much of the United States warm temperatures are already a distant memory. Weekly Toolbox Talks and daily safety meetings have long moved on from discussing the dangers of heatstroke, dehydration and severe sunburn.

Now toolbox topics are focusing on the perils of winter work outdoors (or perhaps have for some time now in the country’s northern reaches). Here are some toolbox topics project managers and foremen should consider discussing with crews as the mercury continues to drop.

Staying warm: It’s all about the base layer

Well, maybe that’s a stretch. There’s a lot to be said for a big, thick parka when temperatures remain low. A good pair of gloves made of a warm material that still allows for the dexterity needed to deal with nuts and bolts is essential. The power of some insulated coveralls to keep out the cold can’t be underestimated. And a good pair of thick wool socks.

But perhaps just as important is a heavy layer close to the skin. Many Thomas crewmembers prefer Under Armour’s cold weather gear. These layers, often polyester, have the added advantage of wicking away the moisture guaranteed to frustrate any attempt to stay warm.

When it comes right down to it, dressing properly for winter weather is a head-to-toe job, but it’s important to remember it starts at skin level. Layering is key.

Wind and rain

Painters know that rain will quickly put the breaks on tasks like abrasive blasting, because wet grit can’t be recollected and reused. But wind is another consideration that should be evaluated daily to keep crews safe. Lifts, for instance, are rated only to withstand winds up to certain speeds.

Equipment limitations should be an important factor in daily safety talks, but weather does not have to have the final say in the productivity of a job-site. Often when wind and rain make one portion of the job unsafe, focus can be shifted to another aspect of the job.

On the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee for instance, high winds blowing in off lake Michigan frequently make work high on the bridge unsafe. In order to ensure progress is made on the job, Thomas Industrial Coatings crews install sections of SafeSpan beneath the bridge during especially blustery periods. High winds and extreme cold may prevent some of the work on the Hoan Bridge for much of the winter, but by proceeding with the installation of the temporary work platform, crews will be ready to resume when Spring comes.

Snow is heavy

So is ice. They can become significant safety hazards, both on active job-sites and in the yard. Any water left to freeze on or inside materials will substantially increase the item’s weight, and it’s important to make sure lifting equipment, whether that means a forklift or your own back, is equal to the task.

The weight of accumulated snow can also pose a danger to staging systems. Temporary work platforms need to be cleared of build-ups of snow before the accumulation reaches dangerous levels.

Many factors can complicate calculating when the weight of snowfall will supersede the rating of a temporary work platform, such as water content and melting and refreezing. OSHA provides some good resources for the safe removal of accumulated snowfall from elevated surfaces.

A daily concern

At Thomas Industrial Coatings, Mother Nature plays a big role in how we execute our jobs. Painting requires a certain set of conditions which vary for every product. Not only in severe weather events like snowstorms and high winds, but ambient conditions such as temperature and humidity also have an effect on a coating’s performance.

With more than 20 years experience in painting and coating all sorts of structures in all sorts of weather, these are the things we are constantly considering. For more on what you should consider when hiring an industrial coatings specialist, download our Buyer’s Guide below.

Talking industrial painting safety with Andrew Everding, safety coordinator at Thomas Industrial Coatings

Andrew Everding, safety coordinator for Thomas Industrial Coatings, takes questions on his day-to-day, the job-site safety culture at Thomas and the famous “Safety Truck.”

What is your position with Thomas Industrial Coatings?

My official title, what’s on my business card, is Safety Coordinator.

How long have you held the position?

I’ve been here a little over a year.

What does an average day for you entail?

Everyone has office work, but a lot of the time, if I’m around St. Louis, I’ll bounce around to three or four different job-sites. I’ll set up a trip to Kansas City to visit some job-sites up there, or we have some in Milwaukee that I’ll visit to do inspections and see how everyone’s doing.

If it’s a bigger job-site, I may spend a few days there. If it’s a smaller one, it may be an hour inspection and then on to the next one.

When you say “inspection,” what does that normally entail?

It’s based on what our guys are doing. If our guys are wearing fall protection, are they using it correctly? That’s a main one. If they’re spraying, I’m making sure they’re wearing respirators or blast hoods.

Sometimes I go through trailers and make sure all the equipment is in working order. I’ll make sure there are no rips or tears in fall protection and things like that.

If it can malfunction, you’re checking to make sure it won’t?

That’s right, checking electrical equipment or if they’re blasting I’ll check out the C0 monitor. I’m pretty good at fixing those now.

You have a degree in safety management, correct?

Yes. I graduated from Central Missouri State with a degree in safety management.

Is it common for most companies to have a safety specialist on site?

Any company doing as much business as we are should have someone on site, but it depends on the values of the company. If someone really cares about it, they’re going to invest the money in it, because it actually saves money in the long run.

Is it true that anyone at Thomas can stop a job if they feel safety is an isssue?

Yes. Any employee can, from a first-year apprentice up to Don Thomas. If you don’t feel safe, anyone can stop a job. They can call me and ask questions. It’s about fixing a problem before it gets to a bad point.

Is that a common practice?

I think it’s very unique that anyone can say, “No, I’m not going to do this because I don’t feel safe,” and there will be no repercussions. We hope that our culture is not one where anyone’s job feels threatened.

What’s the “Safety Truck?”

Well I got a new truck when I came back from New Orleans. We joked down there that I would get my own trailer and tow it around the country. Now I have a brand new truck with a retractable cover on the bed.

I have any kind of fall protection you could need, extra respirators, all kinds of safety equipment. So if you come up to a job-site and see a potential problem, and the guy doesn’t have the piece of equipment to fix it, I keep my truck pretty stocked so you don’t have to shut down the job.

Are there other aspects of safety that you think are unique to Thomas?

The main one is, if we think we need something, we get the go ahead to go and get it. Like the new respirator fit test, which I’m using now, it costs a large sum of money but in the long run it’s going to save money because we can fit test new people in house.

It comes from the top down. Upper management really believes in it.