Summer 2012 - Barriere Construction

e v e r y d a y i s a n e w s t a r t
Every day is different, so we should never
start a safety meeting by saying, “it’s the
same thing we did yesterday”. Are things
exactly the same as they were yesterday?
Even when our tasks remain the same
on the jobsite, the conditions around
us change constantly. Perhaps we are
approaching a high traffic intersection,
an overhead power line, a school zone…
maybe it rained, perhaps someone didn’t
show up for work today, or a new crew or
subcontractor has started to work on the
project, creating more work zone traffic.
That is why, when it comes to safety,
every day is a new challenge.
A long record of success can end quickly
when we become complacent. Some of
our tasks are repetitive, so we get a false
sense of security. We begin to believe that,
if something has not happened to us, it
never will, rather than acknowledge that, if
the wrong things happen at just the right
time, an incident will usually occur.
Often on long-duration jobs, we start with
a strong sense of safety because it is a
new setting and we have a high sense of
awareness. Once we become comfortable
with the location and the crews we are
working with, we drop our guard. This is
usually when incidents occur. After an
incident occurs, it raises our awareness
and we take specific action to prevent
it from recurring. This roller coaster will
repeat itself until we stop and look at
every situation.
1 8
The Situation How to Prevent an Incident
You’re performing a
task you’ve performed
“hundreds of times.”
You do not expect
anything to happen or you
are doing something you
think is easy.
You are thinking or
worrying about something
outside of work.
Something distracts you.
EVERY situation.
Distractions at Work
Look around for anything
unusual or what might
have changed.
Perform the task one
step at a time.
Clear your mind while at work.
Off the job, try to address
the problem.
Finish or stop your task. Secure
equipment as needed. Then turn
your attention to the distraction.
Make sure all safety measures
are in place and properly
adjusted. Look ahead.
Sometimes, we have personal problems
that occur outside of work. When your
focus is on personal problems instead
of the task, you can overlook a hazard
that can lead to an incident or injury.
The problem could be financial, or a
disagreement with a friend or significant
other. We have frequently seen an increase
in incidents after major weather events.
Our minds may be elsewhere, such as
lack of power to our homes; our property/
homes may be damaged; or we may have
even been displaced from our homes.
If you feel that you are distracted and need
to regain your focus, try the following tips:
• Accept the fact that you can’t solve
the situation that is distracting you
immediately, and clear your mind until
you have the time to resolve it.
by Paul Albrecht, Field Safety Supervisor
• During a break, you can talk about
what’s troubling you with a friend.
• Clear your head. Take a minute to walk
away, stretch, or grab a drink of water.
Don’t Lose Focus
Staying tuned into the risks present on the
jobsite is key to staying safe, day-in and
day-out. Many incidents occur when we get
complacent or too comfortable with our
routines. Bottom Line: We can’t see into
the future, so we don’t know exactly when
an incident will occur. Otherwise, we would
all have won the Powerball by now. What
we do know, though, is that when we let
our guard down, there are enough hazards
in a construction work zone that we are
increasing our odds of being injured.
One thing is certain—we always want to
conduct a thorough TAR, cover all hazards
to be encountered with our work, and
explain how we are going to mitigate these
hazards. We want to communicate this
information in a manner that everyone
will understand. It is important that all
employees participate during the TAR,
because the employees that conduct
the work every day have the most to
contribute. We want everyone to stay
focused. Our work is very important, and
so are our employees. Please help to keep
everyone alert and focused, so that they
can return home safely each day.