Contractor & Member Surveys Highlight Partnership Priorities, Opportunities, and Successes

Making Progress in Safety and Health

JOURNAL: ISSUE 2 - 2015

After just a few years, the Masonry r2p Partnership is already making a difference when it comes to health and safety in the masonry industry. Ergonomics, silica, hearing loss, eye injuries, and hand safety are among the priority areas the partnership set out to address in 2011. These and various other safety and health issues were revisited recently in separate telephone surveys of BAC contractors and members as well as discussions at BAC’s six Labor-Management Craft Committees in March.  The survey results from 2011 and August 2014, in combination with input from the Craft Committees, have helped shape the Partnership’s work and  demonstrate that progress is being made in increasing contractor and worker awareness of hazards and implementing safer equipment and work practices (http://bacweb.org/journal/2012_02/safety2.php).The most recent survey results show that BAC contractors and members are generally in agreement on the most significant hazards, the frequency with which safety interventions are used, and the barriers to their use. The following highlights from the 2011 and 2014 surveys show that both groups agree there has been an overall increase in awareness and use of safety interventions such as hearing protection, gloves, and silica controls. 

• When contractors were asked what influences them in purchasing specific equipment or tools, a greater percentage said safety in the 2014 survey compared to 2011 (34% vs. 25%). These findings are especially significant because they demonstrate the progress made by the Partnership (see graphic below)

• Reflecting the Partnership’s focus on hand safety through the development of toolbox talks, newsletter articles, and new websites like ChooseHandSafety.org, use of gloves (see graphic below) to prevent skin disorders and injuries has increased. In 2011, 66% of contractors said they provided gloves, and by 2014, 75% said they provided gloves. When asked about use, the percentage of members and contractors who said gloves are “always” used also increased during this period , and the percent saying “rarely” or “never” declined. Contractors who were aware of the Partnership were more likely to say their employees “always” wear gloves. In February 2014, the ChooseHandSafety.org website was launched.  It contains information on hand tool and glove selection, related safety and health information and preventive measures, and training materials. Following the survey, IMI began to make instructors aware of this resource and how to incorporate the information into their training programs, and several other industry publications and other organizations have promoted this Partnership initiated website.

• Job related hearing loss is a serious issue for construction workers. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), roughly half of all construction workers suffer from some level of hearing loss due to occupational exposures. Since the baseline survey in 2011, the Partnership has been working to raise contractor and member awareness. With this latest survey, among both contractors and members, the percentage who said hearing protection is “always” used increased by 16% in each group compared to 2011. Those who said it is “rarely” or “never” used declined (see graphic above). The Partnership’s efforts to raise awareness of the risk of work-related noise and hearing loss appear to be having an impact. To learn more, visit IMI’s Tool Kit and click on the “Hearing Protection” safety tool box talk (http://imiweb.org/imi_toolkit/index.php), or ICE’s Safety Intervention Sheet“Reducing Noise Levels & Preventing Hearing Loss” (http://media.wix.com/ugd/e6d95a_74ffdd711097463c8d8f9d6b29cec2ca.pdf ).

Overall, progress has been gradual, with about a quarter of both the contractors and members surveyed saying they had heard of the Partnership. But the information and materials developed and shared by the Partnership appear to be having a positive impact as demonstrated by the increased awareness and use of safer work practices in the three years since the baseline survey. BAC, IMI and ICE are continuing to work together through the Partnership to address priority safety areas going forward, and has agreed to support several projects in collaboration with CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training researchers, including projects focused improving construction safety and health through partnerships, and reducing injuries and illnesses associated with ergonomics, mast climbers, dust generated during tuck-pointing, and RF radiation exposure.