April 2015

The top two reasons to properly manage storage and deliveries to a site are: lifting, loading and unloading causes about half a million injuries per year, and sites are too tight and exposed to leave valuable materials lying around outdoors.

The coordination required to reduce material handling pays off in efficiency and safety. Schedule delivery of materials an supplies so they arrive when needed, or slightly before.

Major building components need to arrive so they are placed as they are removed from the truck. Not laid down and revisited in two months. Soaked structural components placed in buildings create environments for microbes, fungus and mildew.

Any heavy materials or supplies difficult to balance on a forklift require storage where needed for construction. This storage can conflict with on-going operations, which suggests not delivering these components until installation day.

Off site storage requires moving material twice not recommended. But supplies can be stored off site if easily loaded and brought by small truck. This solution avoids theft and sloppy storage areas.

Provide and train personal protection equipment for site employees. Steel-toed boots, safety glasses, lifting belts, gloves, and hardhats at a minimum.

Train employees to lift weighty objects correctly, or simply ask for help. Bending and twisting causes hundreds of thousands of injuries per year.

Allow only trained workers to operate forklifts or mobile equipment. Load stability is critical to safe operations. Train all employees regarding the risk of these loads falling, make sure they are all aware.

Lay out storage areas with purpose. Know which items are incompatible for close by storage. The fueling area should not abut the welding area for example.

Do not allow high stacking of pallets or boxes. Falling items can break bones and crush body parts.

Talk to the site supervisors about storage on site and assess how much material can be stored safely, prior to groundbreaking. Plan deliveries for the shortest possible storage time. Try to move items only once on the site, plan accordingly. Reducing the loading, unloading and movement of stored materials will reduce strains, sprains, broken and crushed bones, and back injuries. 

Job sites become messy and trashy fairly quickly, especially when inside work begins in earnest or site conditions are muddy.

Critical needs include:

1. Keep floors clean.
2. Keep trash removed or at least in barrels.
3. Keep stairways and exits clear.
4. Keep storage towards the middle of rooms.

Clean floors reduce the risk of tripping, slipping or falling. Dangerous sharp objects may be among the trash on the floor. Cuts, scrapes and puncture wounds increase on sloppy sites. Trashy work sites are a greater fire hazard too; a carelessly discarded cigarette or hot tool in a trash pile can ignite the jobsite.

Smoking should be banned completely on some sites, and tightly controlled on others with a designated area, plenty of butt pails, and a maintenance schedule to keep it clean.

Plenty of trash barrels scattered throughout the site makes disposal convenient. Designated recycling barrels for plastic, glass, wood scraps (which can be used on site) and metals and copper helps achieve LEEDs points, if desired, and a lunch fund for special events like building completion.

The object of these barrels or any other “straightening up” idea is to keep as little trip hazard on the floors as possible without adding to the cost of labor on site for specialty maintenance workers.

Life and safety rules which become compromised on sites frequently involve doors and fire escape routes. Vitally important to keep hallways clear of debris and stairwells and doors fully operational. Create a zero tolerance policy for leaving anything in a hallway, stairwell, or blocking a door, for any length of time.

Closely associated with hallways and stairwells is the need to store materials in the middle of floors. Work is generally performed on the perimeters of the rooms. A clear path around the room must be maintained for workers to access an exit without climbing over supplies.

Take a few moments during the design phase to regulate debris and housekeeping on the site. Be sure all contractors understand the importance of cleanliness and orderliness. Safety and efficiency improve with proper housekeeping.

What is ergonomics? It’s the study of the interaction of people, environment and work to create safety and efficiency. How do employees interact with technology?

Fitting Machines to People

Traditionally, machines and equipment were purchased and then work stations were created around them. The manufacturers have become savvy to ergonomics and do build in more comfort and flexibility.

Several factors need review and adjustment to fit the individual worker.

1. Elbows should be bent slightly downward from parallel to comfortably guide the hands to the working level. Wrists should be supported where applicable.
2. If sitting is an option, chairs should be designed with backs against the rest, knees slightly lower than hips and a foot rest or the floor fit to the employee’s leg length.
3. Standing positions should reduce bending or tilting of the head.
4. All tools and supplies staged within fourteen inches of the working station, in front of the worker.
5. Keep any monitor or work in easy line of sight without bending the neck.
6. Try to reduce repetitive motions, or allow the employee to take periodic breaks from their work to change positions or walk a bit.
7. Anyone using phones or other communication devices regularly requires a headset, Bluetooth device, or speaker phone to avoid repetitive hand motions or neck pain from pinching receivers.

General environmental rules include lighting the workspace properly, keep aisles or halls unobstructed and the floors level with non-skid surfaces.

So you’re not an ergonomic expert nor does your company have the money to invest in consultants, what can you do?

Begin with your own workspace. What tasks are uncomfortable? If you’re on the phone constantly, try standing up or walking every so often while on a call. Feel better? How about your desk height compared to the chair? Do you have good lines of sight where needed?

Interview the office employees to investigate any ergonomic issues.

Start with the beginning of your assembly line, site workflow, or process and interview each employee along the process. They’ve thought about these issues and can give great insight. Be open to the discussion. Be open to solutions.

Correct ergonomics, a comfortable workplace, lead to tremendous efficiency. That’s your payoff.

Any task involves thinking about what tools or materials will be needed. Next, the employee must stage the task by gathering these tools, equipment, machines and supplies to ready the work space.
Train your employees to keep the space managed so reaching for tools is unnecessary. They will avoid strains, muscle pulls and worse.

Some safety consultants suggest different rules for jobs requiring one hand or two. Use the shorter reach keep reaching down to fourteen inches.

If the reaching requirement is more than fourteen inches, move the entire body rather than leaning or stretching. If the body must move excessively, the staging needs to be reviewed.

Some typical scenarios leading to overreaching:

Stretching to High Storage Areas.

Heavy objects should be stored on the ground and not stacked above waist height. Medium weight items, around fifty pounds, should be stored at stomach and chest height for easy and less strenuous capture and carry. Only very light loads should be stored no higher than shoulder height. Step stools should be available for shorter employees.

Any additional storage above shoulder height needs access via a fork lift. Moving up or down ladders or movable stairs just adds danger to any job.

Reaching Over, Across or Around Obstacle

Shoulder strains, rotator cuff injuries and other muscle tears occur when the load or stretch exceeds the capacity of the joint or muscle structure.

Never store items in a hard to reach place. Always reach from the shortest distance or move your body to a more convenient lifting location. Keep pathways clear to any storage area.

Working from a Stage and Reaching Down to Pick a Supply

Your on the scissor lift and forgot that bucket of sheet rock compound, do you climb down or reach for it? Train your employees to climb down, lift it properly onto the stage and then remount.

Look around your facility, job site, storage area, even in the office for situations where dangerous reaching might occur. Rethink your layout to eliminate these situations and train your employees how to spot them.

Make sure everyone knows it’s alright to ask for help.