SAFETY
at hearing we lost a project
over a small amount of money
when I distinctly remembered
the other contractor suffering
public, large-scale accidents
and incidents. The current
world of ever-increasing safety
data collection by potential
customers, (while never fun to
compile), is a sign of how far
this has gone the other way.
Contractors in our business
are literally removed from
projects over incidents, and
one point in a TRIR can
make the difference in who
gets a project, in spite of the
monetary issues. High level
mangers realizing the true
value and money saved due
to an effective safety program
is definitely something to be
grateful for.
Increased value of the safety
professional position.
Finally,
the increased attention on
the matters above continue
to make the career of a safety
professional more valuable.
More degree and certification
programs seem to pop up
all the time, and with that
increased knowledge and
professionalism comes an
increased value to employers.
19
DECEMBER 2013
ACT
by more than 65 percent
and occupational injury and
illness rates have declined by
67 percent. At the same time,
U.S. employment has almost
doubled.
Worker deaths in America
are down – on average, from
about 38 worker deaths a day
in 1970 to 12 a day in 2012.
Impressive stats
Worker injuries and illnesses
are down – from 10.9
incidents per 100 workers in
1972 to 3.5 per 100 in 2011.
There is no way that the
credit for all these positive
statistics can be attributed
only to the formation of
OSHA, (or any of the other
regulatory agencies formed
since). Increased technology,
training and individual
company initiatives have all
greatly contributed.
However, the OSHA era of
safety, as it is called, opened
a door for companies to have
some incentive to work safely
other than it simply being “the
right thing to do.” The days of
eating lunch on steel beams 80
stories up sans fall protection,
and construction estimators
adding funds to each high-
rise project for fatalities and
injuries, have ended. This is
definitely something to truly
be grateful for.
The true value of safety
programs being noted.
I
remember wishing years
ago, (in the commercial
construction world), that
general contractors would
pay more attention to safety
performance in the choosing
of their subcontractors instead
of just picking based on price.
I recollect being frustrated
‘‘
”
Let’s look with
a grateful eye at
where we are safety
wise and where we
want to be.
THE AUTHOR
Daniel Erwin
is director of
safety for TNT
Crane & Rigging
in Houston.
Daniel Erwin
talks about being
grateful for the
current state
of safety.
I have personally not seen
a time in my career that I
feel it is better to be a safety
professional than right now.
Some of the things I have
written about in the past in a
negative light are those same
things that make a safety
professional more valuable.
With added value comes
increased salary potential
and job security. These are
definitely things to be grateful
for.
In closing, as we approach
the time of the year that
goals are set and progress is
reviewed, let’s look with a
grateful eye at where we are
safety wise and where we want
to be both as companies and
an industry.
■
Grateful
for safety
T
he holidays are
upon us. I think
people seem to
be more grateful and even
gracious this time of year;
work generally slows down a
bit and many of us have more
time to spend with family and
friends. I don’t think it is a
mystery for anyone who has
regularly followed this safety
column that I have expressed
some other than grateful
opinions about some of the
safety initiatives taking place
today. In the spirit of this time
of year, I will take this article
in a different, more grateful
direction. I will focus a few
reasons I am grateful for the
current state of safety.
Continued reductions in
workplace fatalities and
injuries.
Before 1970 in
America, safety was up to
individuals, contractors, or
assorted industry groups.
Numbers were improving, but
slowly. OSHA was formed in
1970 after studies determined
a need for some beefed up
motivation for employers. It
is easy to look at increased
compliance and enforcement
as a negative; however, we
should not lose sight of one
big fact.
As taken from the OSHA
website the following statistics
are very telling:
Since 1970, workplace
fatalities have been reduced
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