For the second straight year and under the guidance of Safety Director Greg Covaleski, Blue Rock Construction participated in OSHA’s “National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction,” a voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety.
Throughout the week (May 8 – 12), Blue Rock’s project sites and offices took time for “a very good and open dialogue” regarding safety. The “Toolbox Talks” during the workday was a great time to review and discuss how safety goes a long way.
Every October, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration releases a preliminary list of the 10 most frequently cited safety and health violations for the fiscal year, compiled from nearly 32,000 inspections of workplaces by federal OSHA staff. One remarkable thing about the list is that it rarely changes.
Year after year, inspectors see thousands of the same on-the-job hazards that could result in a fatality or severe injury. More than 4,500 workers are killed on the job every year, and approximately 3 million are injured, despite the fact that by law, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their workers.
If all employers simply corrected the top 10 hazards, the number of deaths, amputations and hospitalizations would drastically decline.
Consider this list a starting point for workplace safety:
- Fall protection
- Hazard communication
- Scaffolds
- Respiratory protection
- Lockout/tagout
- Powered industrial trucks
- Ladders
- Machine guarding
- Electrical wiring
- Electrical, general requirements
At Blue Rock, safety is critical to our success and will always remain our No. 1 priority.