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safely and be more productive. Another role of education and training, however, is to provide workers and managers with a greater understanding of the safety and health program itself, so that they can contribute
to its development and implementation3.”
Worksite analysis is the fourth of the five elements of an effective safety and health management system. Think of this as the time in the movie where the coach will say to the star player “they run this play every time, and when they run it against us, I want you to stop it!” Through assessment and evaluation, the coaches can prepare the players to identify situations as they happen. This is a lot like worksite assessment in that they both involve experts looking for obstacles to their goals; in the case of the sports movies it’s an opponent, in our case its hazards that can negatively impact our safety. MIOSHA defines worksite analysis as “a comprehensive evaluation of the hazards
and potential hazards in your workplace5.” The BWL has shown its commitment to worksite analysis by mandating and completing hundreds of safety inspections every year.
Hazard prevention and control is the fifth and final element of the safety and health management system and also the culmination and ultimate success of the first four elements. Management’s commitment and employee involvement and education leads to effective worksite analysis. Worksite analysis identifies the hazards that need to be controlled, and
it comes full circle with the management commitment
to eliminate the hazards by using ideas and suggestions
of involved employees. OSHA puts it “Effective controls protect workers from hazards; help avoid injuries, illnesses, and incidents; minimize or eliminate safety and health risks; and help employers provide workers
with safe and healthful working conditions3.”
It may be difficult to quantify hazard prevention and control at the BWL, not just because of the difficulty of tallying the incidents that don’t happen, but because the time and resources put towards
safety are endless. The efforts of countless corrective actions, multiple safety committees and hazards that were
identified during tailgates, incidents that were investigated thoroughly, and dozens of other safety activities have contributed towards multiple hazards being prevented and controlled. This has contributed to a steep decrease in annual injuries since 2017. Our efforts in safety won’t lead us to a state title, or an Olympic medal, but just like in the sports movies, we are seeing our efforts
lead us to a winning culture, a winning safety culture.
Resources:
1. MIOSHA Safety and Health
Management System
Guidelines
2. BWL 2021-2025 Strategic
Plan
3. OSHA 3886 -
Recommended Safety and Health Practices in Construction
4. BWL Safety and Health Policy
5. MIOSHA Safety and Health Management System Guidelines
We want to share your news with Pipeline readers. Please send us items on weddings, high school and college graduations, birth announcements – including grandchildren, and milestone wedding anniversaries (5th, 10th, 25th and so on). Photos are welcome! Send items to Amy Adamy at amy.adamy@lbwl.com
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