The workers building HarborCenter paused from their labors Thursday for an important message about safety.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and M.A. Mortenson, the project’s general contractor, hosted a one-hour “stand-down” for about 225 workers at the construction site. It was part of a national OSHA campaign this week teaching workers and their employers about the risks of falls and how to prevent them.
OSHA says falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry and accounted for 12 percent of all occupational injuries in 2012. “All these falls are preventable,” said Gordon DeLeys, an OSHA compliance assistance specialist.
The HarborCenter site experienced the danger a few months ago. An ironworker on the eighth floor took a bad step and fell toward the seventh floor. Fortunately, his safety equipment was properly connected and essentially lowered him to the seventh floor, where he unhooked himself and walked away uninjured, said Ryan Poropat, lead project supervisor for Mortenson.
A job like HarborCenter is big, complex and poses plenty of safety challenges, Poropat said. When completed, the $172.2 million project will consist of two ice rinks along with a hotel, restaurant, a Tim Hortons and other retail space.
Each time a contractor has joined the project, the workers have undergone training for safety practices on the job site, Poropat said. A program like Thursday’s was a refresher to guard against complacency. “Following all of the safety rules and regulations related to fall protection is a big deal. It can save your life.”
The preparations are paying off, Poropat said. More than 350,000 man- hours have been put into the project, and the site has gone 96 days without a recordable incident, he said.
Poropat said Mortenson typically partners with OSHA at projects around the country to identify safety issues. Through that relationship, OSHA asked if Mortenson would host a fall-safety presentation at HarborCenter.
OSHA estimates 1 million workers and 25,000 businesses will participate in “fall safety stand-down” programs this week. Another one is scheduled for today at Conventus, a project on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York, said OSHA wants workers and their employers to absorb a basic yet meaningful message: Plan for fall hazards on jobs, provide the proper safety protection and train workers to use it. Through the presentations, OSHA drives home the human toll that fall incidents take, as well as the high cost that falls generate in workers’ compensation cases.
Kulick took part in a “stand-down” at a New York City site this week that involved 400 workers. He observed the site had already implemented fall-protection standards that exceeded requirements. “I was impressed with that, and I got the sense they were taking it seriously,” he said.
email: mglynn@buffnews.com
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and M.A. Mortenson, the project’s general contractor, hosted a one-hour “stand-down” for about 225 workers at the construction site. It was part of a national OSHA campaign this week teaching workers and their employers about the risks of falls and how to prevent them.
OSHA says falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry and accounted for 12 percent of all occupational injuries in 2012. “All these falls are preventable,” said Gordon DeLeys, an OSHA compliance assistance specialist.
The HarborCenter site experienced the danger a few months ago. An ironworker on the eighth floor took a bad step and fell toward the seventh floor. Fortunately, his safety equipment was properly connected and essentially lowered him to the seventh floor, where he unhooked himself and walked away uninjured, said Ryan Poropat, lead project supervisor for Mortenson.
A job like HarborCenter is big, complex and poses plenty of safety challenges, Poropat said. When completed, the $172.2 million project will consist of two ice rinks along with a hotel, restaurant, a Tim Hortons and other retail space.
Each time a contractor has joined the project, the workers have undergone training for safety practices on the job site, Poropat said. A program like Thursday’s was a refresher to guard against complacency. “Following all of the safety rules and regulations related to fall protection is a big deal. It can save your life.”
The preparations are paying off, Poropat said. More than 350,000 man- hours have been put into the project, and the site has gone 96 days without a recordable incident, he said.
Poropat said Mortenson typically partners with OSHA at projects around the country to identify safety issues. Through that relationship, OSHA asked if Mortenson would host a fall-safety presentation at HarborCenter.
OSHA estimates 1 million workers and 25,000 businesses will participate in “fall safety stand-down” programs this week. Another one is scheduled for today at Conventus, a project on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York, said OSHA wants workers and their employers to absorb a basic yet meaningful message: Plan for fall hazards on jobs, provide the proper safety protection and train workers to use it. Through the presentations, OSHA drives home the human toll that fall incidents take, as well as the high cost that falls generate in workers’ compensation cases.
Kulick took part in a “stand-down” at a New York City site this week that involved 400 workers. He observed the site had already implemented fall-protection standards that exceeded requirements. “I was impressed with that, and I got the sense they were taking it seriously,” he said.
email: mglynn@buffnews.com