Precast Inc. - November/December 2008 - (Page 22) and productive manner. There is no separation between job safety or productivity. Focus on quality A company that continues to raise the bar and require quality and excellence from its employees has learned that doing the job the right way repeatedly ensures everyone learns their roles and ensures each role is performed efficiently. This means that a company is able to optimize worker performance in accuracy, speed, productivity and safety. A precast plant that focuses on hiring quality providers will get a safe and productive workforce, a job done right the first time and on schedule, and a reduced likelihood of work stoppage due to injuries. The same can be said of a provider looking to offer services to another company. If that provider becomes ‘selective’ to ensure its workers are working in a safe environment on someone else’s property, there is little excuse for that provider to not fulfill its obligations and can focus on completing the job rather than having to modify work due to unsafe working conditions and exposures to hazards at the precast plant. The bottom line is that you are responsible for ensuring a safe work environment and safe work practices of your employees. You have an obligation to anyone who comes on site to ensure the work area is free from hazards and as safe as possible. If hazards cannot be removed, those hazards must be communicated to the provider before work begins so the provider can accurately determine how (or if) the job will be done. The provider must also value safety and ensure its workers are not creating a legal and regulatory nightmare for the precaster. Managers and owners, whether they perform the work themselves or not, are directly responsible for ensuring how their company conducts its business. The tool to ensure safety is a structured contractor safety program with open communication between the consumer and the precast plant managers. If there is a breakdown in the system, find a way to restore it. If either party refuses to value the safety of the other, that will create a breach of contract on the part of the unsafe party, and continuing in that environment exposes the other party to hazards and higher risks. Never compromise your safety or your workers’ safety for the buck. That buck may eventually cost hundreds of thousands of bucks due to lost work, lawsuits, fines and penalties. Randy DeVaul (safetypro@roadrunner.com) has written three performancebased workplace safety books (www.filbertpublishing.com/safety.htm) and is the creator of the “Safe At Home” series. He is a national safety consultant with experience in regulatory, corporate and industrial settings in human resources and safety. Comments are always welcome. 22 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 | PRECAST INC. http://www.filbertpublishing.com/safety.htm
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