With 2009 behind us, it is prudent to review how we did as a collective group contractors at preventing injuries to our employees. The chart below shows the number of reported injuries during 2009.
For obvious reasons, much of the safety focus for roofers has to do with fall protection. Whereas that should continue to be promoted and enforced with equal or greater fervor, there are other injury prevention topics that warrant attention as well.
“Lifting/Carrying” (material handling injuries to employees who were lifting or carrying objects) shares the top ranking as the most common source of injury in 2009. Most of these involved strained shoulders or backs. Their causes included lifting heavy objects, repetitive lifting, and twisting while lifting or carrying. In 2010 crew leaders are encouraged to discuss proper lifting with employees; and to encourage team lifting and the use of material handling aids. Correct employees when they are observed lifting incorrectly and make a positive comment when you see them lifting or carrying properly.
Employee injuries while using ladders resulted in just as many injuries in 2009 as did lifting and carrying objects. These included employees failing to secure ladders; leaning too far while working from a ladder; placing ladders on an inadequate surface; slippery ladder rungs and jumping from ladders. Every one of the ladder-related injuries in 2009 was preventable. Crew leaders are encouraged to step-up their enforcement of ladder safety in 2010.
Although there appear to have been a number of explosion-related injuries in 2009, it is notable that each of those injuries resulted from a single event that is still under investigation.
Use the information in the above chart to help shape your injury prevention focus for 2010.
