A jobsite at Temple University bordering dense residential neighborhood had a temporary fence to protect deep excavation pit, but fence panels on uneven ground had up to 10” gaps below them to ground — plenty of room for a child to slip through. This is typical of a small detail that goes unobserved which can lead to multi-million dollar liability and tragedy.
From “The Eight Major Mistakes Employers Make When Workers’ Compensation Rates Go Down”
"Ask a businessperson how much they spend on Workers’ Compensation and almost all will respond with the price of the premium. Yet, the direct costs of Workers’ Compensation often represent only 20–30% of the overall injury expenses. Indirect costs, including overtime, temporary labor, increased training, supervisor time, production delays, unhappy customers, increased stress, and property or equipment damage represent several times the direct cost of the injury. A 2002 Safety Index report by Liberty Mutual tallied the direct cost of workplace injuries at $40.1 billion. The total financial impact of both direct and indirect costs was estimated to be as much as $240 billion."
Perimeter Protective Systems, Inc. President, Ken Hantman, Says:
Naturally we all care about preventing injuries to workers and to the public. Some people think that doing the OSHA required training, or tool box talks or meetings is enough. But not if some workers are defiantly snickering under their breath, and the moment the meeting ends or the safety inspector walks away, they are back to bad habits. That is why frequent spot-checking of compliance yields real benefits. We will provide safety training that really tunes into the mindset of the employees to get them cooperating in safety.
We believe there is a correlation between unsafe workers and ones who have an anti-company attitude and may be involved in employee theft, as well as risky behavior. So first we want to work to make a climate change where workers will tell one another if they see an unsafe act. Then we want to use our remote monitoring “video guard tours” with our pan/tilt/zoom camera to possibly catch a violation such as no safety glasses worn. This is recorded in high definition and a video clip is sent to your superintendent’s or manager’s smart-phone or e-mail.
We also have found that workers who work safely are more productive. For example, wearing ear protection when near noisy machinery or tools produces less fatigue on the body.