Jeff Ship, Division Safety Manager for Walton Construction, was featured in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Ask the Experts” column on Friday.

“Q. In addition to possible fines, what are potential costs associated with accidents on the job site?”

“We base our safety program on risk prevention, not fines. We actually review the project before responding to a bid, evaluating all possible risks that could affect our employees and our company. Accidents can have an impact on a project on many levels, from increased cost production issues to delays. The medical bills and time lost by a worker recovering from a broken arm, for example, can cost the company $15,000. Accidents also can erode employee trust in the company if co-workers worry that a job site is not a safe environment.

“Serious or multiple work site accidents are likely to increase an employer’s insurance and bonding rates, and affect the company’s experience modification rating, which affects workers’ compensation rates. They can put a damper on future work prospects, even lead to contract termination if a client feels the contractor has failed to meet safety requirements.

“A good work site safety program prevents accidents by training employees to be responsible and accountable for safety, and by empowering them to enforce the rules to stop any unsafe act.”

Jeff Ship, Walton Construction

A new Miami-Date County ordinance went into effect on Friday, three days after a section of a tower crane collapsed at a Bay condominium construction site near downtown Miami, leaving two workers dead and five others injured.

The new ordinance requires certification of operators, who must pass a written test and show proficiency, including the ability to maneuver and shut down the giant crane, and then to secure it, according to ENR.

The state of Florida does not require certification. Miami-Dade County is among a handful of major metropolitan areas — including Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Omaha and Washington — that have passed their own rules requiring licensing of tower-crane operators.

Missouri is not one of the 15 or so states that currently require crane operator certification.

In early March, a crane accident on the I-64 reconstruction project closed Clayton Rd. in St. Louis for 13 hours when a clamp holding a beam broke, causing the crane to topple. No one was injured in that accident.

Source: ENR

The entire industry seems to be focused on crane and construction worksite safety in the wake of two deadly crane collapses, one in New York City and a second in Miami. Those cities quickly moved to pass strict rules for crane inspections and safety practices.

But a survey of other areas of the country showed little discussion about standardizing crane inspections and operator certification procedures, unless a fatal crane accident has recently occurred locally, according to ENR. Some examples are Washington state and California, which were both motivated to tighten crane safety rules following crane accidents.

A couple of ENR blog posts worth reading - People Are Scarier Than Cranes and Walking the Walk: The Writing is on the Wall about Crane Safety.

What is your company doing about crane safety?