The Thrillof the CHASE
Award Demonstrates Commitmentto Safety on the Work Site
By Mali R. Schantz-Feld
Accidents on construction sites cause tragic injuries, demoralize employees,slow down work, and cast a shadow on owners, managers, and contractors.For these reasons, developing and implementing a rigorous, comprehensivejobsite health and safety program benefits everyone.
With this idea in mind, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry implemented a major safety initiative in 2003 to reduce construction-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Its Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) program stresses the importance of providing a safe, healthy work environment. The CHASE guidelines also focus on the need to create mutual trust and respect among all parties involved in the construction process. The specific goals of CHASE Minnesota are these:
• Reduce injuries and fatalities from the leading hazards on construction sites — falls, being struck by or caught in or between equipment, and electrocution
• Increase the number of general and specialty contractors implementing effective safety and health programs and effective training for management, supervisors, and employees
• Recognize contractors publicly with exemplary safety and health programs and sitespecific plans
• Promote open communication between Minnesota OSHA and the construction industry in pursuit of safety
A Well-Deserved Honor
On June 9, 2005, the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota and Minnesota OSHA honored Parsons Electric LLC with a “whitelevel” CHASE award for the firm’s demonstrated commitment to safety and to accident and injury reduction. “Parsons met all eight white-level CHASE requirements,” says Bill Olson, Safety Director for Parsons. “These include a written safety program; completion of OSHA’s 10-hour training by supervisory staff; a substance abuse program; weekly safety meetings; weekly job-safety audits; an incident rate below the industry average; participation in Minnesota OSHA’s Consultation Program; and jobsite review by the Associated General Contractors safety committee.”
The company put in many years of hard work developing its safety program. “We started in the late 1980s after the creation of the Minnesota AWAIR (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction Program),” says Olson. “The law required companies to develop and implement a written safety program to identify and eliminate job safety hazards.”
Parsons’s safety program intensified in 1995 when the firm committed additional resources to it, including hiring Olson as full-time Safety Director. His primary responsibilities were ensuring compliance with OSHA regulations, implementing the written safety program, training all employees, and last, but certainly not least, keeping all workers on their toes when it comes to safe job practices. To accomplish this mission, Olson ensures job audits are done and employees attend weekly safety meetings and receive specialty training in areas such as confined-space entry, excavations, fall protection, respiratory protection, and arc flash protection (NFPA 70E).
An Effective Program
The three award levels for CHASE Minnesota participation are color-coded red, white, and blue. Each level designates a comprehensive program with safety and health requirements.
Participants earning the white award do not receive citations for minor violations, provided they eliminate the hazards within Minnesota OSHA’s prescribed abatement period. They also receive the maximum good-faith penalty reductions available under Minnesota OSHA policy, along with written recognition from Minnesota OSHA and the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota.
The program at Parsons has had terrific results. “In 1991, we had 40 recordable incidents and 19 lost-time cases in 467,000 man-hours,” says Olson. “In 2005, those statistics were down to 26 recordable incidents and four losttime cases in 1.2 million man-hours.”
The safety improvement makes for a better job environment, and workers have responded to this atmosphere. “Employee attitudes have changed because they know the company cares about their safety and health,” says Olson. “They also have been trained in the OSHA 10 class, which helps them understand safety rules and regulations and identify hazards on the job. The key to success is developing employee leaders through involvement and empowerment.”
A Never-Ending Responsibility
Parsons’s Safety Department continually reviews its program and consistently implements new safety procedures to improve the company’s safety record. “We go over the written safety program every year to stay current with new rules and regulations,” Olson explains. “We also ask for employee input, which is important to and appreciated in our efforts to address safety concerns and develop new policies and procedures.”
Parsons recently hired Sandra Iverson as Assistant Safety Director to assist in the department’s increasing workload. (Parsons now works in more than 10 states.) Iverson will manage the drug-testing program, conduct and monitor weekly safety meetings, and work on the safety recognition program. “We will also look at expanding our behavior-based safety procedures and our stretch-and-flex programs for injury prevention,” adds Olson.
But the company’s safety program involves much more than just better statistics. “By improving safety, we place people first,” says Olson. “Parsons recognizes that our most valuable asset is our employees. We want everyone to go home to their loved ones each and every day, and the only way that can happen is for everyone to work together to make the jobsite hazard free.”
