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Safety Housekeeping and Saving Time
by Susan McElrath
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Time, on any construction project, is money: Wasted Time = Wasted Money. So it goes without saying that the key to a profitable project is getting it done "on-time" or within budget. But getting the project done quicker does NOT mean getting it done in a manner which is not safe. To ensure that time is utilized to its best and that the job site remains safe, use the following, time saving tips.
- Keep an orderly work site. Assign one or two people the responsibility of keeping the job site clean so the workers don't have to climb or walk around construction materials and waste. Make it an ongoing process and don't leave the mess to clean up at the end of the day, because it won't get done! A clean site is a safe site.
- Send any unused material back to the shop as soon as possible. This keeps the site clean and orderly and gives management the opportunity the ship the materials to another site where they can be used.
- Don't overcrowd materials and workers. Give the crew room to work; they will be quicker and safer.
- Although you have now assigned a person or team the responsibility for a clean and safe work site, make sure that the rest of the crew understands that it is EVERYONE'S responsibility to maintain good safety housekeeping standards.
- Always keep an eye out for the little thing that may cause an accident; an accident is Lost Time, Big Time.
- Keep the tool boxes and cabinets neat and orderly. It doesn't take much imagination to realize that digging around for a misplaced tool is lost time. And using the Wrong tool because you could not find the Right tool is, in most all cases, unsafe and a no no.
- Put the garbage in the garbage. This may seem simple but how many of you just walk away from that fast food bag after lunch? Now the wind comes up and the stuff is blowing all over the place. PUT IT IN THE TRASH before someone twists their back getting it out of a trench that is ready to backfill, or worse yet, falls into the trench head first.
All this boils down to one simple statement which we have all heard over and over again: "Put Things Where They Belong". By doing so you will be using time to its best, and you will make the job easier, smoother, quicker.......and Safer.