Masonry Magazine September 2011 Page. 58
INDUSTRY NEWS
Insufficient management support for health and safety functions and meeting the safety needs of an aging workforce tied at 18 percent. Lack of funds to implement safety programs was last at 8 percent.
Given the importance of PPE in ensuring worker safety, the survey examined the reasons for such high levels of noncompliance. Of those respondents who observed PPE noncompliance in the workplace, 69 percent said the primary cause was workers thinking that PPE wasn't needed.
This was followed by:
* Uncomfortable
* Too hot
* Poor fit
* Not available near work task
* Unattractive looking.
What measures have safety managers taken or do they plan to take in the near future to encourage greater PPE compliance? The top strategies were: improving existing education and training programs (61 percent) and increased monitoring of employees (48 percent). These were followed by:
* Purchasing more comfortable PPE
* Tying compliance to individual performance evaluations
* Purchasing more stylish PPE
* Developing incentive programs.
When it comes to compliance with PPE protocols, eye protection was found to be the "most challenging PPE category, according to 24 percent of respondents. This was a disturbing, though not unexpected, finding considering that nearly three out of five workers who experienced eye injuries were found not to be wearing eye protection at the time of the accident or were wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. Add to this the fact that that thousands of workers are blinded each year from work-related eye injuries that could have been prevented, and the magnitude of the problem becomes clear.
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READER SERVICE #270
56 MASONRY
Non-profit Org Focuses on AWPS
The Institute for Aerial Lift Safety is a recently established, non-profit organization dedicated to providing aerial lift safety training. Located near Philadelphia, the institute is the first non-profit organization in North America focused solely on aerial lift safety training. Through better safety education, the institute aims to improve workers' hazard awareness, thus increasing overall workplace safety and decreasing the potential for aerial lift-related incidents resulting in property damage, injury or death.
A major benefit of their classification as a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization is that the institute is able to seek grants from private and governmental sources to increase educational offerings and provide scholarships to individuals who are unable to afford the comprehensive training programs available.
Following a thorough review of the many training programs currently offered, the institute selected the programs available from American Work Platform Training (AWPT), the North American training arm of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). The training programs offered by AWPT are based on the ISO-certified programs developed by IPAF and comply with all ANSI, CSA and OSHA requirements.
Courses offered by the institute include theoretical and practical hands-on training on scissor lifts, boom lifts and truck-mounted aerials. Currently, the institute is the only organization in North America offering AWPT training for truck-mounted aerials.
Following the successful completion of an AWPT program, the student is awarded a PAL Card (Powered Access Licensed-Registration), which identifies the student and notes the type(s) of aerial work platforms on which he has been trained. The PAL Card is recognized in many countries throughout the world as proof that the platform operator has been trained in the safe and proper use of a specific type of aerial device.
For further information, contact Katherine Hinkel at The Institute for Aerial Lift Safety, 267-536-9528 or TRAIN@AerialLiftSafety.org.
Construction Services Prices Rise in July
The amount contractors pay for construction materials and charge for completed projects both increased in July, as firms finally finally able to charge more
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