Play It Safe: Preventing Injuries and Protecting Your Business

from Building Business News July 2022

by Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City

KCHBA Hosts the Largest Golf Tournament in Several Years

Play It Safe:

Preventing Injuries and ProtectingYour Business

According to NAHB, there were more than 4 million workplace injuries that required medical attention in the U.S. in 2020. June was National Safety Month, but it’s never too late (or too early) to ensure your work environments are up to code and stay there. Here are some tips and reminders from NAHB.

Where to Begin

Set up safety expectations and rules company-wide, including who will be implementing protocols and who will be enforcing. Ensure these protocols are put into place at every new jobsite. A few jobsite safety reminders: • Emergency contact forms should be easily accessible. • A “competent person” roster should be created and on display. Occupational Safety and

Health Administration (OSHA) defines “competent person” as “one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.” • Any OSHA posters, such as excavation safety and fall prevention, should be on display at the jobsite in both English and Spanish. • Additional items on display should include federal and state labor posters, encapsulating all wage and medical leave information. Ensure the data is current and accurate. • No matter the jobsite, some predictable safety essentials include the following: an appropriately sized first aid kit, PPE (hard hats, safety glasses, ear protection), caution tape, eye wash station, standard safety signage and fall protection equipment. • Have legal document templates on hand, including but not limited to: injury accident, non-injury near miss forms, subcontractor safety agreement, property damage forms and witness statement form. More details and resources for creating and upkeeping a company safety program be found online at tinyurl.com/nahbsafety.

Prevent Falls

With falls being the leading cause of accidents and injuries in construction, finding ways to reduce or eliminate fall-related injuries is always important. Keep in mind all the areas a fall is a possibility: ladders, scaffolding, roofs and other walking and/or working surfaces. Since September 2011, OSHA has required homebuilders and trade contractors to implement its “Compliance Guidance for Residential Construction.” More information on this instruction can be found at tinyurl.com/OSHArescon. This document outlines when guardrails, personal fall arrest systems (harnesses and lanyards) and safety nets are required for workers on residential construction sites. If these devices are deemed unnecessary and/or unfeasible for certain situations, a fall protection plan that utilizes alternative fall protection measures must be presented. All fall protection plans must be in writing and be site specific. However, the written plan developed for repeated use for a particular style/model home will be considered site specific. Go to tinyurl.com/nahbsafetytools for the complete NAHB fall protection toolkit. Here you can also find toolkits for many other areas, including onboarding new employees, electrical, silica in construction, heat stress on the job and excavation safety.

Record Keeping

Missouri and Kansas are under federal OSHA jurisdiction, which covers most private sector workers within the state. State and local government workers are not covered by federal OSHA. Most OSHA-approved state plans have stricter standards to adhere to as well as added coverage areas that Federal OSHA does not consider. Employers with more than 10 employees, and whose establishments are not classified as a partially exempt industry (more information at tinyurl.com/partexempt) must record work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA. Employers are not responsible for reporting on subcontractors. Subcontractors are considered separate employers by OSHA and must maintain their own OSHA records.

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