- Juliea Hollingsworth., Marketing Investments Hardware Ltd.
In a recent interview with Gabe Fusco, president of PeakWorks Inc., we ask, “What does a standard visit to a jobsite entail for PeakWorks and ultimately the prospective clients?”
Gabe explains how PeakWorks initiates the relationship by conducting a complimentary safety Audit Program. Specifying that, “The first impression gives a lot of insight to the culture of the site. When walking through a jobsite the first thing that catches my attention is how the site office is maintained.” What he means by this is, “is there a formal procedure on how to sign in, policies for PPE (meaning hard hat, safety glasses and safety shoes).”
The second thing he looks for is whether or not the employees are following these procedures. He continues, “Once I have reviewed their site office I can gauge how the rest of the site feels towards safety. A poorly maintained site office is usually a sign that things may be overlooked or may have fallen to the way side.”
We inquire, “What do you look for once you are on site?”
Confidently, he states, “Once on site I inspect the guard rails and staircases to see if they pose a fall hazard. Is their adequate protection? Are all open “holes” covered or guarded off? Again, these are signs or indication as to how the site is maintained.”
“So, what does all this mean for fall protection?”
“Sites that neglect these issues often overlook the need for fall protection. The term fall protection does not just refer to the PPE (personal protective equipment) the worker wears; it entails much more than that.” He informs, “It starts with training. Are all those that work at heights competently trained to work at heights? Does the worker know the difference between fall arrest and fall restraint? Can they calculate their fall distance to determine if the equipment they are using will safely arrest their fall?”
“Well Gabe, this is really starting to sound like serious business – a matter of life and death,” we emphasize.
He agrees, “Certainly! Training is not just about knowing how to don a harness or how to inspect the equipment, it involves the ability to understand the hazard and assess which equipment will properly protect the worker.”
“Do you have any sort of checklist to assess their current fall protection program?”
“Yes, once the workers are adequately trained to work at heights, the next thing to complete is a fall protection plan for the site.”
“What does a fall protection plan involve?”
“It is a simple document that describes all the fall hazards and provides a procedure on how to handle each fall hazard. For example: if one of the fall hazards is the unguarded edge of the roof, a fall protection plan must be written to detail; What the hazard is – an unguarded edge of the roof, Can you control the hazard with engineered controls (Y/N)? If no: what PPE is required to protect the workers from this hazard? Do all the workers assigned to this task have the appropriate training? Finally, what is the rescue plan in the event of an accident?”
“Is your list identical to that of a safety inspector?”
Gabe answers, “The above is a very simple fall protection plan to explain some of the issues that need to be addressed during an audit. This is a very similar approach used by other safety inspectors to assess any site safety program in regards to heights.”
Lastly, “What do you usually recommend when conducting safety training?”
“Safety should be a company culture not a necessity. I truly believe that my role when assessing a job site is to ensure that all the workers go home safe that day and every day that follows. When safety is part of the culture of the company, it always results in safer workers and more productivity. Workers should not be ostracized for recommending safer ways to complete a task – instead the company culture should empower workers to freely recommend and make the changes to the tasks they perform daily so they become even safer.” He concludes, “This makes it a win-win situation for both the company and the workers.”
A special thanks to Gabe for bringing us up to date on jobsite safety and inspection. If you have any questions about site audits please feel free to contact us at Investments Hardware Ltd. to arrange a free site assessment by a PeakWorks professional.
In a recent interview with Gabe Fusco, president of PeakWorks Inc., we ask, “What does a standard visit to a jobsite entail for PeakWorks and ultimately the prospective clients?”
Gabe explains how PeakWorks initiates the relationship by conducting a complimentary safety Audit Program. Specifying that, “The first impression gives a lot of insight to the culture of the site. When walking through a jobsite the first thing that catches my attention is how the site office is maintained.” What he means by this is, “is there a formal procedure on how to sign in, policies for PPE (meaning hard hat, safety glasses and safety shoes).”
The second thing he looks for is whether or not the employees are following these procedures. He continues, “Once I have reviewed their site office I can gauge how the rest of the site feels towards safety. A poorly maintained site office is usually a sign that things may be overlooked or may have fallen to the way side.”
We inquire, “What do you look for once you are on site?”
Confidently, he states, “Once on site I inspect the guard rails and staircases to see if they pose a fall hazard. Is their adequate protection? Are all open “holes” covered or guarded off? Again, these are signs or indication as to how the site is maintained.”
“So, what does all this mean for fall protection?”
“Sites that neglect these issues often overlook the need for fall protection. The term fall protection does not just refer to the PPE (personal protective equipment) the worker wears; it entails much more than that.” He informs, “It starts with training. Are all those that work at heights competently trained to work at heights? Does the worker know the difference between fall arrest and fall restraint? Can they calculate their fall distance to determine if the equipment they are using will safely arrest their fall?”
“Well Gabe, this is really starting to sound like serious business – a matter of life and death,” we emphasize.
He agrees, “Certainly! Training is not just about knowing how to don a harness or how to inspect the equipment, it involves the ability to understand the hazard and assess which equipment will properly protect the worker.”
“Do you have any sort of checklist to assess their current fall protection program?”
“Yes, once the workers are adequately trained to work at heights, the next thing to complete is a fall protection plan for the site.”
“What does a fall protection plan involve?”
“It is a simple document that describes all the fall hazards and provides a procedure on how to handle each fall hazard. For example: if one of the fall hazards is the unguarded edge of the roof, a fall protection plan must be written to detail; What the hazard is – an unguarded edge of the roof, Can you control the hazard with engineered controls (Y/N)? If no: what PPE is required to protect the workers from this hazard? Do all the workers assigned to this task have the appropriate training? Finally, what is the rescue plan in the event of an accident?”
“Is your list identical to that of a safety inspector?”
Gabe answers, “The above is a very simple fall protection plan to explain some of the issues that need to be addressed during an audit. This is a very similar approach used by other safety inspectors to assess any site safety program in regards to heights.”
Lastly, “What do you usually recommend when conducting safety training?”
“Safety should be a company culture not a necessity. I truly believe that my role when assessing a job site is to ensure that all the workers go home safe that day and every day that follows. When safety is part of the culture of the company, it always results in safer workers and more productivity. Workers should not be ostracized for recommending safer ways to complete a task – instead the company culture should empower workers to freely recommend and make the changes to the tasks they perform daily so they become even safer.” He concludes, “This makes it a win-win situation for both the company and the workers.”
A special thanks to Gabe for bringing us up to date on jobsite safety and inspection. If you have any questions about site audits please feel free to contact us at Investments Hardware Ltd. to arrange a free site assessment by a PeakWorks professional.
