SAFETY
Safety stuffers entertain as they inform
Ordinary Coffee spilled on the stairs turned them into a Deathtrap! Those stairs were … Deadly When Wet. Starring Slick DeMise. Rated P for Perilous.
Is that an advertisement for the latest direct-to-video horror movie? No, it’s text from the front of a “safety stuffer” published by the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago and United Association Local Union (LU) 597. The small flyers accompany the weekly paychecks of LU 597 workers employed by member contractors of MCA Chicago (Figure 4). The one quoted above has its key message on the back: Please, clean up spills as soon as possible.
Twenty-six different stuffers are being distributed, each conveying its safety message in the form of a scary movie ad, complete with eerie illustrations. The safety stuffers are being paid for by the LU 597/MCA Joint Safety Committee.
“The safety stuffers remind workers to observe important safety measures on the job,” explained Stephen Lamb, executive VP of MCA Chicago. Its mechanical contractors install and service heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, as well as fire sprinklers and plumbing and process piping. “We have the safest workforce in the industry, and we hope that stuffers help keep it that way.”
“The safety stuffers cover a wide variety of vitally important worksite issues,” added James Buchanan, LU 597’s business manager. “There are stuffers that explain appropriate lifting techniques, proper ladder usage, the need for personal protective equipment, lockout/tagout procedures, ergonomics, fire safety, and more. There are even stuffers covering sexual harassment and workplace violence.”
Nehlsen Communications, a marketing and public relations firm, helped MCA Chicago develop the safety stuffers. “Safety is a huge issue to all of our construction clients,” said Nancy Nehlsen, president of the agency. “We have to find ways to get workers’ attention and make them constantly aware of hazards on the job. Today’s younger workers are used to the Internet and high-energy video games, so they like their information quick and engaging. If you can’t excite their interest, you’ve lost them. So for maximum impact, we made each safety stuffer eye-catching and entertaining, with little text.”
“The safety stuffers are just one of many educational tools used by MCA Chicago and Local Union 597 to increase safety awareness,” Buchanan emphasized. “For example, we also hold Toolbox Talks at worksites. At the start of each workday, workers gather so the foreman can share the day’s prepared safety advice. Because everyone hears the talks, everyone ends up on the same page, safety-wise. Most talks remind them to work together and watch out for each other.”
MCA holds numerous safety classes in its own Construction Education Institute, a learning facility with course offerings for all levels in the mechanical construction industry. Lamb said, “We now offer classes in CPR and first aid, automated external defibrillator training, electric arc safety, as well as OSHA’s 10-hour and 30-hour safety courses, and we add new courses constantly.”
Combined, these educational tools instill in MCA Chicago’s member contractors and their LU 597 workforce a high level of safety awareness. Considering the high costs that accident-related injuries and lost work time can incur—including lost productivity, medical bills, administrative expenses, workers’ compensation fees, higher insurance premiums, the expenses of training replacements, and overtime for uninjured workers—it’s clear that any step to improve worker safety is worth the time and effort.
—For more information on MCA Chicago, visit www.mca.org. For more information on UA Local Union 597, visit www.pf597.org. For more information on attention-getting safety stuffers, contact Mark McLaughlin (mark@ncpr.com), a public relations specialist for Nehlsen Communications.
TRANSPORTATION
Doubling up for a heavy load
Last summer, Barnhart Crane & Rigging was hired to receive one generator and one turbine from a railroad, haul them more than 8 miles to a power plant rising near Emporia, Kansas (Figure 5), and then set them on their foundation. As part of the contract, the company also was supposed to install three transformers that it had hauled to the site earlier and had placed on stands and beams for temporary storage.
The major delivery challenge was a bridge crossing. Fearing a collapse, the bridge’s engineer would not allow the generator and turbine to cross on a single-wide Goldhofer. He insisted that Barnhart spread the load.
The solution was to begin the haul using a single-wide Goldhofer. Then, as the bridge was approached, another Goldhofer was brought alongside. The crew then slid the generator over to the middle of the now double-wide trailer (Figure 6). Once the bridge was crossed, the operation was reversed and the journey continued in a single-wide configuration.
—Contributed by Barnhart Crane & Rigging (www.barnhartcrane.com)
Email
Comments
Print
Reuse
