Masonry Magazine April 2000 Page. 24
rates, a number that has not changed in 1997. The National Safety Council reports that construction accidents claim six lives and nearly 520 disabling injuries every workday.
In an ENR article titled, "Unions Building a Health Machine," it was reported that approximately 2,100 construction workers die in the United States each year! Besides being a tragedy for the individuals and the families involved, the construction industry's record of safety increases the cost of doing business. The construction industry's track record on safety is poor, very costly, and in need of improvement. Construction accounts for only 5 percent of the gross national product, but 20 percent of the work place accidents. As a direct result of the losses, insurance companies and bonding agencies have increased Workers' Compensation rates dramatically. As far back as 1989, injury losses approached $112 billion in direct cost and another $20-$30 billion of lost productivity due to injuries, fatalities, and lost-time accidents.
The problem has become so serious that some construction companies, in an effort to reduce their Workers' Compensation rates, are "prescreening" the medical records of new applicants for their Workers' Compensation history. The relationship between safety and productivity is clear. More attention to safety increases productivity on construction job sites, reduces the direct and indirect costs of construction accidents, and, therefore, improves profits. But how can this be true when these activities seem so different? One answer could be that doing the job according to a defined set of standards integrates quality and safety, and the net result is increased productivity. You could bet that "doing the job right" with high quality and productivity would provide a safer work environment because safer behaviors are being exhibited.
Effective planning, training, communication, and motivation are the tools for encouraging people to do their work "correctly". The table below compares the traditional and a more contemporary view of productivity, safety, and quality.0
Contemporary
Traditional
Proper job/task instruction
Productivity instruction
Quality instruction
Safety instruction
Standard job/task procedures
Productivity procedures
Quality procedures
Safety procedures
Planned job/task observations
Productivity observations
Quality observations
Safety observations
Positive reinforcement
for doing the job the right way
Productivity reinforcement
Quality reinforcement
Safety reinforcement
Where there is a history of, or potential for, major productivity, quality, or safety problems combined, the job/task training will decrease "substandard" performance. Accidents and losses will be reduced and productivity increased. Losses have their origin in the same set of circumstances.
Continued on page 26
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24 MASONRY-MARCH/APRIL, 2000