Masonry Magazine March 2008 Page. 48
PERSONAL SAFETY
"It's really pre-planning," he says, regarding overall job-site safety. "It's planning and making it a part of the work day to get workers involved in protection and safety to identify hazards and what can be done to control and mitigate those hazards."
Korman, who is currently overseeing the massive New Meadowlands Stadium project in New Jersey, says his company goes so far to protect workers from injury that they start each and every morning with a 10- to 15-minute group stretch and flex session.
"It's a stretching routine to get the body moving and stretch out muscles, especially in cold weather. I think that's been proven to be a major benefit in reducing the likelihood of soft tissue injuries," he says, noting the financial benefits of keeping employees safe, including lower premiums for workers' compensation insurance.
"The entire insurance industry's costs have gone up over the years, but workers' compensation, is something, as high as it is, that can certainly be reduced by being safe," says Korman, adding that workers have a right to a safe environment. "Insurance companies have an interest in working hand-in-hand to put safety programs into place."
"Every worker has a right to go home to loved ones at the end of the day," he continues. "As a country, we spend too much time looking at OSHA as the bad guy. We're trying to create a culture
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Perspective
Elevating Security on Mast Climbing Platforms
By Vincent Dequoy
A current trend among manufacturers, whether for hand tools, PPE or heavy machinery, is to integrate continuous innovation to provide optimal safety and comfort to the users. In the access equipment market, a safe and ergonomic solution is slowly replacing traditional methods: the mast climbing work platform.
Examples of workers wrestling heavy and dangerous loads through levels of scaffolding remain common, even though OSHA reports that scaffolding-related incidents cause 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths every year in the United States, with an average cost of $100,000 per accident.
Here's the question: Do you really want your main assets your skilled labor - to use traditional scaffolds?
Hydro Mobile's answer is in mast climbers so safe that workers don't need to be tied with a lifeline on the work area. The platforms feature wide workspaces, overload control, emergency brakes, self-leveling devices, weather protection, anti-slipping floors and efficient guardrails to provide the safest work environment Materials can always be placed at a comfortable height, reducing fatigue and risks of injury, as workers do not need to bend over to lift heavy weights.
The key factor for safety in the construction industry remains the qualifications, experience and training of the responsible persons. For this reason, Hydro Mobile created Hydro Mobile University more than 10 years ago to provide the proper training client support and technical expertise essential to both personnel and equipment safety.
Vincent Dequoy is president of Hydro Mobile, a privately owned company mainly involved in the design, manufacturing and distribution of mast climbing work platforms for the construction industry.