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Small Contractor Develops a Safety and Health Training Manual

State: Texas     Company: George D. Alan     Industry: Waterproofing, Caulking and Moisture Protection (SIC 1799/NAICS 238390)     Employees: 40 in 2001; approximately 60 in 2005     Success Brief: After the George D. Alan Company worked with the Texas On-Site Consultation Program and the Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute, it developed its own Safety and Health Manual, reduced its Workers Compensation premiums and experienced two years with no-lost time.   The Situation: In February 2001, the George D. Alan Company (GDA) of Dallas, Texas, a small contractor/subcontractor with approximately 40 employees experienced a jobsite fatality. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) did not issue any safety citations for the fatality-causing incident, the Company expended considerable resources researching the safety and health issues and their affects on the work force to ensure that a similar incident would not occur. The Solution: To improve its health and safety culture, GDA began by reviewing the safety and health programs of larger companies and organizations in its industry, instituting new safety practices, hiring a full-time safety coordinator and implementing a policy for educating those employees who repeatedly violated the company’s safety and health programs and procedures. In addition, the Company empowered its employees to walk away from situations where they perceived concerns about the safety and health of a jobsite and recognized them for their exemplary safety practices. In 2003, GDA also joined the Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute (SWRI)1 and through the OSHA and SWRI Alliance2, the company learned about OSHA’s substantial resources available to it for identifying and preventing workplace hazards before injuries or illnesses occur including: The OSHA On-Site Consultation Program, which is a free service that small businesses, particularly those in high-hazard industries or involved in hazardous operations, can use to help improve their safety performance. In Texas, the Program is administered by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation. The SWRI Safety and Health Manual, which was developed through the OSHA and SWRI Alliance, contains basic information on a wide range of important topics within the sealant, waterproofing and restoration industry such as hazard communication, confined space, fall protection, recordkeeping, personal protective equipment, respiratory protection and scaffolding. While helping to develop the Manual, GDA representatives learned about safety and health practices that they subsequently implemented at their worksites and in their safety and health programs. In addition to using the SWRI Safety and Health Manual as the basis for The George D. Alan Safety and Health Manual, GDA is sharing its own best practices through participation in the Fall Protection and the Design for Safety Work Groups, which are part of the OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable. In particular, GDA managers have distributed the Fall Protection Safety Tips Sheets for Employers and Employees developed through the Fall Protection Workgroup. The Impact: During 2005, Binny Joseph, a safety and health consultant from the Texas On-Site Consultation Program visited three different GDA sites and worked with supervisors to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing safety and health programs. As a result of that visit, GDA implemented all of the recommendations including those involving ladder safety and trenching and shoring. The interchanges have been so beneficial that GDA has requested several safety audits from the On-Site Consultation Program and is gathering data to participate in the OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) and On-site Consultation Program’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). According to Bo Bosher, Safety Coordinator at GDA, "Joining SWRI has been a huge benefit for us. We’ve become much safer more quickly than we expected because we have made good use of the OSHA and SWRI Alliance network. We’ve modified the SWRI Safety and Health Manual and morphed it into our GDA Manual. We’ve networked with other SWRI members and shared safety information and data with them. And, we’ve sent all of our Spanish-speaking employees to OSHA 10-Hour Construction Outreach Training Program Courses." Says GDA President, Dan Cain, "The reduction of our insurance rates is fantastic. Not having a lost-time injury in two years is really good. Becoming a company where being safer is an integral part of the culture from top to bottom is the best." Source: Bo Basher, Safety Coordinator at George D. Alan Company. Binny Joseph, Safety and Health Consultant, Texas Workforce Commission, On-Site Consultation Program. Developed through the OSHA and the Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute Alliance (June 2007).   1SWRI is a nonprofit corporation of approximately 200 commercial contractors, manufacturers and consultants engaged in the application, design and manufacture of sealant, waterproofing and restoration products. Through the Alliance OSHA and SWRI work together to increase access for employees to safety and health information and outreach programs and develop and disseminate injury and hazard information at conferences and events and through print and electronic media. 2Originally signed in February 2003 and renewed in July 2005, the Alliance between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and (SWRI) provides information and guidance on reducing and preventing exposure to lead and silica as well as emphasizes safety concerns in the areas of confined spaces, fall protection and staging requirements. Through the Alliance OSHA and SWRI work together to increase access for employees to safety and health information and outreach programs and develop and disseminate injury and hazard information at conferences and events and through print and electronic media.

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