Injury and death rates on construction sites hover at numbers none of us want to see. One death is unacceptable. One injury is too many. The internet is full of tips to avoid workplace accidents, but the Central South Carpenters' approach is mandating intense training and ongoing reinforcement of safety practices for every single worker.
Safety is the overriding principle for our work, and we regard safety as an equal deliverable with cost and scheduling. We maintain safety partnerships with contractors and project owners to remove jobsite injuries, work stoppages and higher project costs due to illness or accidents, worker disabilities, workers' compensation claims and death.
Our standards on jobsite safety include:
- Instilling a core value of safe work in everyone, from apprentices to superintendents.
- Teaming up with general contractors, project managers, specifiers and owners on a project's safety program to identify, assess, monitor, manage and eliminate risks.
- Consistent safety-related communication among all stakeholders prior to and throughout the project's lifecycle.
- Meeting and exceeding the highest level of OSHA and other industry safety standards.
- Reinforcing zero tolerance from our carpenters and pile drivers regarding safety infractions and near-misses.
- Ensuring the level of safety training meets and exceeds the level of inherent risk factors.
Safety training starts on the first day of apprenticeship, and we reinforce safety throughout the career of our scaffolders, carpenters and pile drivers by focusing on:
- Personal accountability.
- Responsibility to others.
- Understanding the owner's safety expectations.
- Identifying and calling attention to unique hazardous or unsafe factors.
- Safe technical skills performance.
- Safe behavior in and around hot work areas.
- Maintaining safety, human performance, first-aid and OSHA qualifications.
- Effective communication with co-workers and supervisors during dangerous tasks.
Our contractors deliver safety practices at a jobsite by:
- Including a health and safety management system and safety performance history in bid documents.
- Providing a crew of carpenters and pile drivers with proven track records in safe work.
- Verifying safety qualifications and training of employees.
- Conducting a safety-orientation meeting with all employees prior to the job's launch.
- Communicating with project managers and owners regarding hazards and safety risks.
- Enforcing a drug-free workforce.
- Implementing a safety risk assessment and mitigation program.
- Completing safety audits with truthful and comprehensive information.
- Eradicating hazardous or unsafe conditions or practices quickly and efficiently.
Our training is done in partnership with OSHA, and every Central South professional masters safety training skills before being cleared to work. In addition to the standard OSHA 10 and 30, here's a look behind the scenes at just a sample of Central South Carpenters' safety training programs.
Aerial Lift Operator Qualification
The course covers scissor lifts, boom-supported aerial lift work platforms, manually propelled aerial lift work platforms, vehicle- mounted elevating and rotating aerial devices, vehicle-mounted bridge inspection and maintenance devices, and mast-climbing work platforms. Operator requirements, inspection procedures, and limitations and capabilities of specific types of aerial lifts are also addressed.
Asbestos & Lead Abatement
We emphasize the hazards and precautions involved in working with and around lead and asbestos. Workers train to identify hazardous materials, use the safety data sheet to locate hazardous materials on the jobsite, properly select and use personal protective equipment, and safely abate hazards.
Bloodborne Pathogens
Workers learn to identify bloodborne pathogens and protect against exposure in training that covers information on bloodborne pathogens and diseases, methods used to control occupational exposure, hepatitis B vaccinations and medical evaluation, including post-exposure follow-up procedures. The course meets OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030).
Confined Space
This training covers the characteristics of confined spaces and requirements for a permit-required confined-space program. Atmospheric hazards are taught, as well as how to ventilate confined spaces, time requirements for proper ventilation, and air quality monitoring procedures. Safety precautions, practices and protective equipment are covered, including advantages and disadvantages of various types of personal protective equipment. The importance of effective communication equipment is emphasized.
Construction Fall Protection
When working in an elevated area, workers learn to be aware of fall hazards and how to make the entire worksite safer for everyone. The course covers types of fall hazards and fall protection regarding stairs, ladders, scaffolds, aerial lifts and steel erection, and how to create a safe work space.
Disaster Site Worker
We specifically address working safely for utility, demolition, debris removal, and heavy equipment operation and site cleanup services in response to natural and manmade disasters. Training stresses the differences between disaster sites and regular construction or demolition worksites.
Hazard Communication & Chemical Safety
Chemical hazards and safety precautions, hazard recognition and chemical hazard protection are taught in this course. The importance of communicating information about hazards and making information available to all workers is emphasized throughout.
Powered Industrial Truck Operator
This course covers lift trucks, their components and applications. Focus is on industrial and rough- terrain lift trucks and safe operating procedures.
Contractors that employ Central South Carpenters have open access to all of these courses as well as many others. Let us show you how you can leverage this world-class training and attention to safety.
For more information or to schedule a private consultation, visit www.centralsouthcarpenters.org or call (504) 305-4737.
