DETROIT, Mich. – Slips, trips and falls are serious concerns on construction worksites during the winter.
A special initiative by Walbridge was successful in eliminating those safety concerns during December 2016 through March 2017.
Dubbed “Worries of Winter”, a challenge was issued to 265 Walbridge craft workers in nine states.
For a total of 179,000 man hours across 41 projects, those workers completed the challenge without a single recordable slip, trip or fall.
“Safety being on the forefront of everyone’s mind was key,” said Joe Castellano, Vice President and GM of Walbridge Industrial Process. “This program was successful because all the workers focused on the welfare of themselves, their coworkers and their team.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Bureau of Labor Statistics, slips, trips and falls make up almost 20 percent of all job-related injuries. Those same statistics show that about 1 in 6 of all lost-time work injuries result from slips, trips and falls.
Walbridge’s first core value is to “Think, demand and deliver safety in all aspects of our business.” Signage was placed around job sites and hand-outs featuring statistics, information and safety reminders were delivered to workers throughout the challenge.
The initiative follows in the footsteps of Walbridge’s proactive “Summer of Safety” program that workers participated in during the summer of 2016.
More than 115,000 man hours were completed in that challenge, all without a single hand injury. Summer months typically yield the highest rates of hand injuries on construction sites.