It’s not very often I have the pleasure of witnessing our masonry restoration crew hard at work repointing brick right from my office window. As I watch the restoration process on the old brick building, which has been exposed to many harsh New England winters, several observations about safety come to mind.
First, how are they protected from falling? All three of the crew are on pipe staging well over six feet above the lower walking/working surface. As I take a close look at each team member, I am proud to say that each one is tied off using a safety harness and/or has a guardrail system in place to protect them from falling to the lower level. I can understand why they seem to be going about their job restoring this structure built in the 1800’s as if there was hard earth under them not just a few planks on the staging many feet in the air. Using this safety equipment provides the confidence necessary to perform at those heights with the speed and expertise required to do quality restoration work and do it safely.
Besides the obvious fall protection I also see that every man is wearing a hard hat and safety glasses. These men understand the significance of wearing personal protective equipment, not only because it is mandatory according to Hascall & Hall and OSHA, it is the best way to ensure their safely, protecting themselves from injury.
I am also impressed at the neatness of the jobsite. Poor housekeeping on a job can result in many injuries not the least of which are trips, slips and falls. An orderly work space is paramount especially when working in an area where movement and storage of materials is limited due to lack of “real estate.” Twisting an ankle on a stray brick left on a staging plank can result in a serious injury with a long recovery time.
At Hascall & Hall Safety is our Number One Priority – and it shows. It is certainly clear from my office window that we have an amazing workforce that is extremely good at their jobs while maintaining a safe work environment. In fact, in 2015 we did not have a single recordable injury. My “hard” hat’s off to this invaluable Hascall & Hall team!