The Concrete Facts. A safety newsletter for the ready-mix concrete industry

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1 The Concrete Facts A safety newsletter for the ready-mix concrete industry Welcome to the first annual edition of The Concrete Facts, a safety newsletter designed specifically for the Ready-Mix Concrete industry! The Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association (NSCSA) is dedicated to achieving a positive occupational health and safety culture within the Nova Scotia construction industry. In order to continue to work towards that goal, the NSCSA must ensure that its products and services meet the individual needs of its entire membership. With The Concrete Facts newsletter, the NSCSA will be able to provide information that applies directly to Ready-Mix Concrete. You will find facts and figures about safety performance within your industry sector that will demonstrate your achievements, and show where improvements can be made. You will also find information about how the NSCSA can help you reach your safety goals. In this issue: Statistical Information Save Money with Petro Canada NSCSA Training Performance and Tips NSCSA COR Program NSCSA Member Outreach Program CNIB s Eye Safety program Upcoming Events 2012 Toolbox Talks

2 Statistical Information Total lost time claim volumes by year (2007 to 2011) PAYROLL LOST TIME YEAR CLAIMS RATIO $15 Million $15.8 Million $16 Million $18 Million $17 Million 1.1 Lost time injuries have been reduced by 50% in the last five years. The average assessment rate is $3.76 with a minimum of $3.21 and a maximum of $7.54. **The following graph shows the average assessment rates for Ready-Mix Concrete since $5.50 $5.42 $5.41 $5.00 $4.50 $4.52 $4.33 $4.29 $4.21 $4.00 $3.77 $3.77 $3.59 $3.50 $3.65 $3.64 $3.76 $3.61 $3.56 $3.47 $3.37 $3.33 $3.00 $2.91 $2.87 $ Most Frequently Injured Body Part: Back, including spine, spinal cord (30.8% or 41/133) Legs (19.5% or 26/133) Arms (7.5% or 10/133) Nature of Injury: Traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, etc. (29.3% or 39/133) Traumatic injuries and disorders (14.3% or 19/133) Other traumatic injuries and disorders (12.8% or 17/133)

3 Would you like to save $$ on gas? As a member of the NSCSA you could be saving up to 3 cents per litre. Contact jleech@suncor.com for more information In partnership to serve you better.

4 Training Performance Since 1994, 2,612 Ready-Mix Concrete workers have been trained through the NSCSA. WHMIS, Emergency First Aid and Confined Space make up 70% of the training taken in this industry. **The following chart shows an overview of courses taken and workers trained. Course Workers Trained WHMIS 733 Emergency First Aid 580 Confined Space 517 Safety Orientation 250 Traffic Control Person 109 Fall Protection 64 Principles of Loss Control 62 Leadership for Safety Excellence 61 Temporary Workplace Signing 56 COR Evaluation 40 Transportation of Dangerous Goods 36 Excavation 34 Commitee Member Rep 28 Hazard Identification and Control 12 Rigging 8 Standard First Aid 7 Accident/Incident Investigation 6 Construction Safety Supervisor (CSS) Program 4 COR Workshop 3 Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2 Demand Training is available.

5 A Tip to Improve on Training Requirements Keep training up-to-date. While it is encouraging to see that safety training is being taken, keeping training up-to-date is just as important as taking it the first time. Regulations, legislation and training are constantly changing and it is important to be aware of these changes. It is important to ensure that a worker who may not use their training every day (working in confined spaces for instance) refresh their training to ensure it is at the forefront of their mind when the need arises. First Aid is also an example of a course that requires refresher training to ensure up-to-date techniques and information are learned. The compliance courses offered by the NSCSA expire every two or three years depending on the type of training the member received yet only 12% of members who have taken First Aid and 8% who have taken Confined Space training have maintained their certification through the NSCSA. **The following chart shows workers that have been re-certified in their original training. Course % Re-certified Emergency First Aid 12% (70) Confined Space 8% (42) Fall Protection 25% (16) Traffic Control Person 7% (8) Transportation of Dangerous Goods 16% (6) Rigging 37% (3) Temporary Workplace Signing 5% (3) Excavation 5% (2) **These numbers do not reflect employer retirement,company changes, in-house training, etc.

6 NSCSA Certificate of Recognition (COR) Program The NSCSA Certificate of Recognition (COR) recognizes companies who have implemented and continue to maintain a successful safety program that meets NSCSA standards. Once a company has taken the applicable training they are eligible to become COR certified. Their safety program is then regularly evaluated and must continue to meet NSCSA standards in order to keep this certification. Many companies and organizations in Nova Scotia require the COR certificate as part of their tendering process and it is the most widely accepted standard for safety in Atlantic Canada. The NSCSA is also the only COR provider in Nova Scotia that is a member of the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA). This affiliation means that NSCSA COR is the only safety certification available that offers transferability and reciprocity within other Canadian jurisdictions with a construction safety association. The COR program has been pivotal in helping us to drive down the number of lost time claims per million dollars of accessible payroll 75% since NSCSA inception in **As shown on the chart below, 82% of the Ready-Mix Concrete industry (14 of 17) companies are NSCSA certified. One of these companies obtains their safety certification from another provider making 88% of the industry safety certified. 2 1 NSCSA Certifed 14 Not Certified Other Certified Like the NSCSA on Facebook for regular updates and information!

7 NSCSA Member Outreach Program (MOP) In 2010, in an effort to help our membership reduce injuries and lower claims, the NSCSA implemented a program to help certified companies that were having lost time injuries. The program provides the companies access to additional services to enhance their safety program and they are also required to comply with additional COR requirements as part of renewing their certification. Three companies that fall into Ready-Mix Concrete are currently part of the Member Outreach Program. **The graph below shows Issues consistently identified during the COR Evaluation process as missing from a safety program. Safety Policy 11% Hazard Assessment 5% Safe Work Practices 8% 8% Safe Job Procedures 6% 0% 0% Company Rules PPE Maintenance 14% 19% Training & Communications Inspections Investigations 6% 6% Emergency Preparedness Records & Stats 3% 11% 3% Legislation Supplementary The top four issues most commonly identified are: Investigations (19%) Records and Statistics (14%) Supplementary/Training and Communications (11%) Hazard Assessments/Legislation (8%) Tips to improve on these commonly identified issues: The NSCSA Accident/Incident Investigation course can help you identify the root cause of an accident or incident to ensure it does not happen twice. Collecting statistics on safety activities will allow a company to identify common injuries and areas that may be lacking in their safety program (such as the required number of inspections being conducted by a specific supervisor). Forms that can aid in this analysis are available at Employees need to receive the appropriate training to perform their duties. Supervisors and JOHS committee members require training in their roles and responsibilities to ensure due diligence and effective involvement. The NSCSA Leadership for Safety Excellence course also provides supervisors with the knowledge required to support their staff in maintaining their safety program. Hazard Identification and Control is the largest element in a company s safety program. When completed thoroughly, it will be used as the foundation for all other areas of the program. The NSCSA offers a one day course to provide the tools for conducting a proper comprehensive hazard assessment of a company s activities. Forms and record books are also available at

8 Workplace eye injuries are preventable yet a few devastating seconds is all it takes to go from 20/20 vision to no vision at all when a worker isn t wearing protective eyewear. Eye injuries cost your organization. Lost time, reputation, productivity and employee morale are all affected. CNIB s Eye Safety Program educates organizations and their employees about eye protection building a culture of safety and reducing the associated costs of workplace eye injuries. Our customizable workshops combine real-life stories, impactful visuals and interactive exercises to motivate your workers to take responsibility of their eye safety. CNIB can help you protect your most valuable asset your employees. In partnership with CNIB, the NSCSA is offering eye safety workshops across Nova Scotia. To find out more contact us at or

9 What s going on at the NSCSA in 2012? NSCSA AGM and Awards Please join us as we celebrate another safe and successful year in the construction industry! May 17, 2012 Best Western Plus, Dartmouth 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Complimentary buffet breakfast will be provided. To RSVP call x36 or x36 CSS Conference-November 22, 2012! Register now for the 2012 Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association (NSCSA) Construction Safety Supervisor Conference and receive the early bird rate of $129.99! ( after June 1st)! Highlights include: TapRooT is used by leading companies around the world to investigate and fix the root causes of major accidents, everyday incidents and minor near-misses! Breakout sessions for both OHS Management and Worker Based issues... and more! To register call x36 or x36 Watch for our new website in 2012! Features will include: New look and design Easy navigation to find what you need whether you are an employer, a worker, a safety professional or a high school student Access to tools, forms and products to aid in creation and maintenance of your safety program Access to the NSCSA through various social media outlets such as You Tube, an updated Facebook page and LinkedIn For more information call x36 or x36

10 Tool Box Talk-Chipping the Barrel: Hazards of Cleaning Ready-Mix Concrete Trucks Workers are required to enter the mixing drums periodically to remove the hardened concrete. This cleaning operation presents many hazards to the workers including confined space, control of hazardous energy, respiratory hazards and noise. Workers need to take note of the following primary hazards associated with the cleaning operation so that the worker can protect themselves: Permit- Required Confined Space: Ready-mixed concrete mixing drums are a confined space. There needs to be a detailed hazard assessment, written entry permits, employee training and emergency planning. Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tag out): The use of lockout/tag out needs to be used so the equipment cannot be accidently turned on. The worker performing cleaning activities inside the mixing drum needs to be covered by this standard because unexpected startup of the mixer can cause serious injury or death. Respiratory Hazards: Workers entering concrete mixers to chip them out need to ensure they have the proper personal protective equipment and that it has been properly fit tested. The primary respiratory hazard associated with chipping operations inside the drum is crystalline silica. Noise Hazards: Personal protective hearing protection is an essential requirement during chipping operations inside the concrete mixing drum using a jackhammer chipper. Improper use of this equipment the worker is at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Do Something Smart!

11 Tool Box Talk: Concrete Crusher Operating a concrete crusher can have many hazards that the worker needs to be aware of before the start of the job. Take note of the following guidelines: Keep documentation of the daily inspection of equipment and take into account the following factors that can affect safety of the work site; location and configuration of the equipment type of equipment used attachment of additional or optional equipment alterations or modifications type of materials being processed operation of equipment by unqualified personnel (Consider the above factors when considering additional guards or other precautions that may be required to comply with organization rules and government regulations) Mount or dismount equipment using steps, ladders, handrail and walkways and use three points of contact Do not refuel equipment with engine running Make sure to eliminate all possible sources of ignition within a minimum of 15.24m (50ft) Be aware of your actions, and others, on the job site Report any unsafe or defective equipment to a supervisor immediately Ensure proper housekeeping on, or around, equipment or machinery Repair fuel leaks immediately and clean up fluid or lubricant at once

12 Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association 35 MacDonald Avenue Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3B 1C