As I write this, my final WORKSAFE RECORD, I want to thank all those who believe in the program and have faith that the MBI safety professional team is working its hardest to assist you in your safety management efforts.The new team, which is up to a full staff of three now, will bring more experiences and vigor that will truly make them the best resource for a contractor to turn to when needing advice or training to make their places of work safer.
Job site safety is really about caring for one another. Yes, there are many OSHA rules that need to be followed, but when we show care through throwing debris in a barrel instead of the floor, or remind a fellow worker to wear safety glasses, or reinstall a guard rail whether or not we took it down, we’re still caring for one another. Company owners need to care about their workforces, foremen need to care about their crewmembers, and tradesmen need to care about their coworkers.
Just think how safe job sites would be if we gave the same emphasis to safety as we do to production! Contractors who do this have slowed down their injury rates dramatically at the same time they’ve maintained or increased production and eliminated “call backs” or “redo’s”. It’s not that hard to do either. It makes a big difference when a crew takes a few minutes at the start of the day to discuss any near misses from the day before and how hazards that day will be controlled.
Since we all like to be recognized for doing our jobs well, a way to reward those who have done so should be implemented. It can be a simple thank you in front of our peers or a prize that is appreciated, but finding a motivator is needed for this to be successful.
If we don’t make our industry safer there will be less people who want to enter the industry and construction work will be looked upon as an undesirable occupation. This is not caring for one another.
- Tom Suckow, WORKSAFE Manager (Retiring March 1st, 2019)
