Contract workers are some of the most vulnerable groups in our workforce, and many of their roles require them to put themselves at risk of injury on a daily basis. Despite the extensive supply of health and safety guidelines and stringent regulations, accidents continue to happen and may be even worse than the official numbers are telling us. It’s estimated that contract workers have experienced some of the highest number of deaths within the sector, with immigrant workers being particularly vulnerable. Even with growing pressure from governing bodies and society as a whole, corporations seem to continue to place a lower value on the well-being of contract workers to that of their direct employees. Why do accidents continue to happen to contract workers, and what can be done to improve contractor safety?
The Stats and Regulations
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of deaths incurred by contract workers in 2014 stood at 797, which is a sizable increase from 2013 where the number was at 749. Overall in construction, the fatality number for 2014 was the highest since 2008, standing at 874 in 2014, which is a 5% increase from 2013. In the UK, there were 35 construction deaths over the 2014/2015 period, which brings the total number of fatalities in the industry to 217, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A separate report by the AFL-CIO suggested that “temporary and other contract workers” often work in “dangerous jobs, with no safety and health protections or training.”
The report is also critical of the issue of under-reporting, saying that the issue “must be addressed” and contracting firms must ensure that they don’t have policies in place which prohibit the reporting of accidents or injuries, for fears of a fight with the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “Thousands of workers still face retaliation by their employers” for raising a number of concerns relating to safety and continuously face the risk of harassment or being fired. The report says that the problem can be solved with a greater emphasis on safety of contract workers. It should be noted, that just last year OSHA changed its reporting mechanisms to ensure severe fatalities were reported within eight hours of occurring, and work-related single hospitalizations, amputations or “losses of an eye” are to be reported within a 24-hour period.
According to David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health in USA, “host employers need to treat temporary workers as they treat existing employees. Temporary staffing agencies and host employers share control over the employee, and are therefore jointly responsible for temp employee’s safety and health.”: The UK Health and Safety Executive, asserts that “businesses… using temporary workers must provide the same level of health and safety protection for them as they do for employees. Providers of temporary workers and employers using them need to co-operate and communicate clearly with each other to ensure risks to those workers are managed effectively.”
Why Do Accidents Happen?
But why do contract workers experience greater workplace risk and higher fatality rates in the first place? According to research by Nonprofitrisk, there’s a platitude of reasons the belief systems of managers about “what really matters” which may impact if health and safety issues are taken seriously or not. If there’s a lack of oversight in this area, obviously the chances of an accident increases. There’s also the fear that management could adopt a thinking process whereby they assume accidents are something that “happen to other people, therefore workplace safety is not a priority,” according to the research. Another aspect of the research pinpoints a range of human resource policies and practices as contributing factors to why accidents continue to happen, such as a lack of safety culture within the organization, or an unwillingness to promote safety throughout the contractor orientation process. Some further points contributing to poor workplace safety performance include;
- A lack of effective health and safety training leaving your contract workers both unsure and unsafe, increasing the chances of an accident.
- Unsafe workstations, buildings, warehouses and heavy duty equipment present greater risk to workers who are unfamiliar with related hazards
- A lack of ongoing safety communication on site
According to additional research by Rita Yi Man Li and Sun Wah Poon in Construction Safety, accidents are “not random occurrences,” and usually happen as a “failure in one or more factors.” In fact, this theory is widely upheld by research by the safety blog Safety Partners, where they lay out some of the simple reasons why accidents tend to happen, such as;
- Shortcuts
- Overconfidence
- Ineffective housekeeping
Finally according to researchers at the University of Burgos, accidents happen because work was being rushed, therefore increasing the chances of forgetting key safety protocols. Although other factors played a part, such as tiredness, lack of training, or workers acting unsafely, many of the accidents that happen can be prevented by slowing down the pace of work. The research also says that most accidents tend to happen after lunch, between the hours of 1 and 5 pm indicating that we’re able to concentrate better earlier in the day. This presents an opportunity to shift to lower risk work when our brains are becoming tired.
OSHA have created an extensive guide complete with a list of standards that will ensure you can make contractor safety your number one priority. Some of the relevant standards to the construction industry are summarized below.
Fall Protection
Falls are one of the top causes of fatalities for contract workers. Therefore, the OSHA standards require that you “assess the workplace to determine if the walking/working surface” has the “strength and structural integrity” to support your contract workers. If a contract worker is in danger of falling 6 feet, adequate protection- such as a “personal fall arrest system, safety net or guardrail”- must be provided.
Head Protection
According to OSHA, head protective equipment must be worn in “areas where there is a possible danger of head injuries, flying or falling objects, or electrical shock and burn”.
Hearing Protection
It’s also a requirement that you provide adequate hearing protection to your contractor workers, however, this depends on the noise levels on site. You can find more information about that on the OSHA website.
Concrete Loads
According to the OSHA standards, no “construction loads shall be placed on a concrete structure” unless it’s determined that the structure is capable of “supporting loads”.
Concrete Buckets
It’s against OSHA standards to have your contract workers working under concrete buckets while they are being “elevated”.
Demolition
Before demolition of a building or structure, OSHA standards recommend that you carry out an “engineering survey” to “determine the condition of the framing, floors, and walls” and the “possibility of a “collapse of any portion of the structure.”
Excavations
OSHA standards require that you protect your contract workers from “excavated or other materials or equipment” that could pose a significant “hazard by falling or rolling into excavations.”
How GoContractor Can Help
GoContractor allows you to orientate all of your contract workers on our unique online platform. Workers upload documents, photographs, and associated material and take their orientation training from anywhere. The training can adapt to suit the worker type. Safety training is obviously a major part of this process, and can be easily integrated into the platform, giving you peace of mind that all of your contract workers are fully versed on all aspects of health and safety training. Why not continue reading some of our news pages.
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