Proactive safety is a unique approach to safety training that incorporates progressive thinking in order to improve plant safety. The approach allows you to detect issues before they become tangible problems, reducing the chances of an injury or death down the line. According to the OSH Academy, proactive safety has been known to cut costs and reduce accidents by “emphasizing accident prevention” through training and contractor orientations which focuses on the well-being of workers within your plant. Furthermore according to the ACE Group, the safety industry has seen a shift from compliance-driven safety to a more proactive approach over the past few years. This type of training is known to reduce claims and delays, enhance productivity and profitability and “strengthen a company’s reputation.” With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can use a proactive safety approach for protecting contract workers within your plant.
Creating a Safer Workplace
The UK manufacturing industry continues to experience contractor fatalities. According to new numbers by the Health Safety Executive, (HSE) manufacturing fatalities accounted for 10% of deaths within the UK workforce in 2014, with food manufacturing having the highest number of injuries at 14 over the same period. In the US according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), manufacturing fatalities stood at 341 in 2014, up 9% from 2013.
For the industry, slips, trips and falls are still a considerable problem, costing American businesses and estimated $15 billion in 2012.
The manufacturing industry is particularly prone to accidents due to poor maintenance, permanent hazards, under-trained employees and carelessness and has a number of continuous risks that can set back your contractor safety. All of these accidents are of course preventable, which is why a proactive approach to contractor safety should be considered to reduce the risk of accident and cut any associated costs.
Measures Towards Proactive Safety
1.Pre-Job Briefing
The pre-job briefing is a necessary tool that allows your contract workers to “think through a job” or a project before actually working on it, increasing safety. This process may include a group of workers who, while reading from briefs, will be able to get a full picture of the task ahead and what technicalities they may come up against. The process should also include a supervisor or a foreman who will lead the briefing to ensure that “briefing standards are met.” There are only certain times this briefing should be used for contractor safety, according to the document, and they include during both high and low hazard jobs. Furthermore, there are certain things to consider during this process.
- Contractors should prepare for the briefings by reviewing any documentation relating to the upcoming job.
- Pre-job briefings must “ emphasize the expectation of procedure usage.” This means documents must be clear in terms of what next steps your contractors should take. This is a key component of proactive safety and will safeguard your contractor safety.
- Everybody, including management and workers, should decide if “work can be performed safely.”
- If the nature of a job changes, ie if a job changes from a low to high hazard job, an additional briefing will be required.
You should also be careful in terms of how you approach your talk, according to the document. For instance, be careful not to lecture your contract workers, don’t lead the talks too much allow your contract workers to do that for you, don’t meet in a noisy place, and don’t allow the briefing to exceed 30 minutes. This proactive safety approach to talks will help protect your contractor safety.
2. Two-Minute Rule
The two-minute rule says that your contractor workers should take some time to reflect before starting a job. This will help them become familiar with their working environment “detect conditions unanticipated by work planning”, “discover risks and hazards” and gives them the ability to act accordingly. There are certain things to consider during this process:
- Contract workers should inspect a job site in the “first two minutes” of a particular job or project.
- Workers should identify “industrial safety and environmental hazards, sensitive equipment hazards, work area conditions.”
- There should be a discussion between contractors and supervisors regarding “unexpected hazards” and the right “precautions to take.”
- According to the document, for contractor safety, you should ensure your contractors avoid hurrying their job, assuming the “job is routine or simple”, and make sure they raise safety concerns with management.
3. Stop When Unsure
According to the document, when contractors are confronted with a problem that could potentially cause an issue it’s time to take a “time-out and get another person’s mind focused on the problem.” Furthermore, they should think about getting help from those who have the “expertise, not necessarily from those of higher rank.” This is why they should listen to their “gut feeling” and when “something is not right, stop.” According to the document, it’s ok if contractors forget what work, this is why they should ask for help. “Don’t be embarrassed, stop and get help!” According to the document, there are other things your contract workers need to consider.
- You should stop working when you are confused or unsure of a task.
- As someone experienced to help with an ongoing problem.
- Inform your supervisor of the problem.
- Don’t proceed with your job if you are uncertain.
4. Peer Checking
Peer checking allows you to get your contractors to work closer on projects, opening up the job to observance and advice. According to the document, this usually involves a “verbal agreement” between two contractors prior to work has commenced. The whole idea of the process is to ensure behavior is checked and contractor safety is not but in jeopardy. Other things to consider.
- Process should be used between two contractors
- Both workers can confirm correct components, labels and related work is carried out correctly
- One worker watches the “actions of the performer to verify the action is correct”
How GoContractor Can Help
Our platform was designed with your contractor safety in mind and allows you to undertake a contractor orientation efficiently by issuing contractors with a code before they arrive on site. Contractors register online, upload documents and photos and take their first contractor orientation. Furthermore, the contractor orientation can be adapted to suit each location and worker type, meaning if you have several manufacturing plants you can rest assured knowing that all of your workers are aware of the hazards they may face. You can also deliver refresher training and toolbox talks on an ongoing basis to contractors who remain at the facility for extended periods. This keeps safety front of mind.
Our platform can help you with your proactive safety approach by ensuring contractor safety comes first. According to safety.com, being proactive means that you catch “potential problems” before they become an issue and suggests that if you incorporate a number of safety protocols, like open communication, training and regular maintenance into your plant, the likelihood of an accident or fatality will be significantly reduced.
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