WHAT IS SAFETY

Safety is a culture within an organization. It is how we go about doing our job, and living our life. It is the benchmark by which we gage the appropriateness of our actions. It is the way we want to be treated. It is respect for our selves, our family and our fellow man. It is doing the right thing because that is the way you always do it. It is knowing how and why. It is assessment, recognition, acknowledgment, planning and executing as a matter of course. It is knowing what is going to happen before you do the thing you are preparing to do; and the reaction of that action. It is forethought without thought. It is your most important job.

After you as an individual figure this out your life, and the lives of those around you will be more productive.

If the company you work for knows what safety is, stay there; if they do not, either make them understand or quit. If your company doesn’t pay you for safety training they are outside the law. If your company thinks that safety is a twenty minute meeting; they are wrong. And if you think that one of those companies gives ½ a damn about you, you are wrong.

How do you make money in the pumping business? One sure way is to have an accident free company. A typical pump company’s major accounts payable items are labor, debt,

(equipment payments) and right up there are insurance premiums. Your insurance company is the only item on an accounts payable ledger that would like to have your payment for next year be smaller, or the same as this year. To accomplish that trick you must be safer. That means you are less of a risk to them, and a better source of profit without an escalation of premium. And there are other ways safety saves. It saves on lost time; a very expensive proposition for your workers compensation carrier. It saves on HR time and expense. When, for example, you sprain your wrist. The direct cost (medical expense) is about $1,500.00. The hidden cost (indirect) is at least four times that amount; and if your pump sits because of that, the cost goes up even more.

So the bottom line is: if you can not charge more for your service and still want to make (in pocket) more money; be safer.

Yes, SAFETY PAYS

Bob Sanderson

www.concretepumpingsafety.com  

wow great stuff Bob and i would never expect anything less from you.

Bob,

Good stuff! I have to ask, What is OTHER PPE? Thanks.

PPE = Personal Protective Equipment

Hard hats

Safety glasses

Respirators

Safety harness

Work boots

that sort of gear, individual, personal

bob, give me a few minutes to discuss workman's comp and how it works. unless you have a claim, say property damage or a claim that doesn't affect workman comp. you are based under a work experience and number of workman comp claim which you have determine your "mod rating". which can follow you up to 3 years after a claim. workmans comp can be based to gross sales or gross payroll. operators being the highest rated then falls off from there say salesmen etc.  some companies are in the "concrete construction" catagory while other may run under the "ready mix driver" catagory. the comp rating, at least here in the southeast is determined in i believe jacksonville, fl, i may be wrong about the city. your insurance company does not set nor give you the rating. still being safe and operating safe is your best defense to keeping workmans comp rates low not only for the company, but for the industry itself. believe me i know i tried for 5 years to get concrete pumps classified under its own rating in the late 80's and early 90's. the states have to put into laws any changes.  insurance companies don't lose money. they have had lobbyists getting laws changed to favor them, a lot longer than concrete pumpers.

Bob's title speaks for itself. Safety Pays. Your workers comp rating is based on your experience rating, which is basically your claims. If you have a good safety rogram in place, this should be of no concern, but accidents do happen, and if you are wise when they do you investigate. Knock on wood, but my WC rate at present is 1.5%.

2cents

Perhaps I am too optimistic. Accidents only happen when someone has or is doing something wrong... so they really don't have to happen. I know only too well that they do; but they don't need to.

If you were counting on them to happen you would have a line in your budget that said: ACCIDENT FUND.  And hoping that they don't happen is a waste of time.

Insurance companies have long memories; You are right. It is all about paying for what you have done while at the same time working to make it safer.

Bob,

Accidents happen when someone has a sudden lapse of focus, not paying attention to what they have been taught and practiced through experience.

One running their outriggers in and moving their machine with a boom in the air, or into electric lines has no excuse. Yet it has happened to many times.

 I do not have an accident fund, yet I guess I should, because all of the certified and uncertified operators that have lost their focus and done so, has done nothing for myself personnally and the industry but cost me and all a lot of dollars in premiums.

Knock on wood, we have never had a claim, yet we were cancelled and upon new coverage, our costs doubled because of the lack of attention, and unprofessional charactaristics of others in the industry. Our WC premiums are very low, as well our insurance did drop this last year because all of our team pays attention to safety first, yet we still pay the higher rate because of the ignorance, or what ever of all the others.

The Insurance industry looks at the claim rate of the whole pumping industry and claim rates as a whole. They consider us as a risk because dollars paid out do not compare to dollars coming in.

You can always stay on the couch and not make money, it is a hell of a lot easier, and I wish many would figure it out.

Take your time, BE SAFE FIRST, and get YOUR FING PRICE YOU DESERVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are right. We are a bunch of .5 ass operators. This newest fad of leaving the boom in the air and sucking in the outriggers has me stumped. What (in their world) could possibly be more important than what they are doing. Certification is only a start; but it is a start. We need to teach FOCUS - 101

Thanks for the START Bob. It starts at the top and works it's way down. Education is a wonderful tool, but if you do not follow thru, and on a daily basis talk with your team about different circumstances, and how you deal with them in a positive manner, nothing is ever going to change.

It starts at theTOP, and if it does not start now, We have all wasted our sweat & blood. To all owners out there, just start watching what is going on, and stay off the golf course. You will be suprised what you see! Do you personally know what your operator's are doing with your equipment? What I have seen some do just to save themselves a little bit of time sickens me. You are never going to help the industry progress if all you think about is that  your machine is on a job. Take a worn out machine with a good man and sell experience, not price. Give a man a new machine and not pay attention, and you will experience a worn out machine with a poor reputation, and never get the price we all deserve.