Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85911
Applications&Innovations How? "Because there can be a focus not only on things that need to be corrected, but [employees] can be given credit for what they are doing right," he says. "It gives them a sense of re- sponsibility for themselves and for their co-workers." It changes the mentality from being just a piece of paper with a checkmark. "It gives them a lot more feeling of ownership as opposed to someone just watching over them," Ritter says. "They are watch- ing over themselves." Ritter says Miller Brothers has avoided OSHA violations dur- ing the past four years, because "we have been able to stay on top of any issues we have collected data on and it allows us to stay ahead of any problems. It has certainly changed the way [our employees] look at safety in general. It's no longer, 'Here they come,' but now, 'Hey, how we help you or you help us today?'" Keeping it on record If contractors are out on a jobsite, it's critical to make sure the correct documents are used, especially when they have been recently updated or safety training is taking place at various lo- cations. "It helps with version control," explains Steve McGough, chief operating officer for HCSS. "By being electronic, you can make sure everyone has the same document." For example: "You can decide as an organization that this Monday you are teaching 6-foot-and-deeper trench safety," McGough says. "You can push out the documents to the fore- men so they have the latest sheets. This way, you know that everyone in our organization is being delivered the same message." This can be especially important if, McGough says, "God for- bid you have an incident and someone gets hurt. If OSHA comes by, you can show how someone has been trained and when. You have it at your fingertips instead of in a box somewhere." v Risky Business HCSS COO Steve McGough says there are five safety factors on which contractors often underestimate risk: 1. Work zone safety a. High-visibility garments on all workers b. Collisions in the work zone 2. Dangers of backing equipment 3. Excavation and trenching 4. Fall prevention and protection on elevated surfaces 5. Night work Write 171 on Reader Service Card TrailKing_BR0212pg08.indd 1 Better Roads March 2012 29 1/21/12 10:46 PM