SAFETY, COMPETENCY, AND SECURITY
PILLARS OF SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION SUCCESS
Safety
Nothing can sidetrack a school construction project
faster than a construction worker fatality or serious injury on the jobsite.
Investigations by law enforcement and regulatory agencies, contractor
internal investigations into the causes of the event, and making changes
in the work processes to prevent future injury occurrences can take a
bite out of project completion time schedules, and delay planned school
openings. Choosing contractors with proven safety records in preventing
injuries and fatalities is one way to minimize the risks of delays due
to construction hazards. Workers’ compensation insurance carriers
assign Experience Modification Rates (EMRs) less than 1.0 to contractors
with injury and illness loss experiences less than the industry average.
Be sure to ask about a contractor’s EMR before awarding a contract.
For almost 15 years, the Laborers Union has partnered
with their affiliated contractors through joint labor-management funds
to improve safety and health on the job and make union jobsites synonymous
with safe jobsites. Many of our affiliated contractors have low EMRs that
reflect the fruit of these partnerships, and using these contractors will
minimize project problems due to safety and health issues.
Competency
School administrators recognize the value of competent and committed staff
and teachers in the process of educating our children. It is not hard
for you to see then, that a trained and skilled construction workforce
is another key to the successful completion of a school construction project.
Workers who are experienced and competent in their craft are able to build
schools that will serve their communities for years and years. Unions
and their affiliated contractors provide untold opportunities for their
construction workers to maintain and update their construction skills,
and ensure that quality buildings are constructed.
Security
In many school construction projects, construction activities take place
at the same time that students and faculty are in the school. With all
the attention you have given to school security issues, doesn’t
it make sense to minimize the security risks to students and faculty posed
by the presence of construction personnel on site? Union workers are accountable
to both their union and their construction contractor employer. Most of
the workers have years of work history and are known by their construction
company, their fellow workers, and by their union officers. In addition,
most union apprentices (craft workers learning the trade) have been through
interviews, drug tests, and other types of background checks. By contrast,
some non-union construction contractors pick up willing workers on street
corners every day. Be sure to ask prospective contractors about how they
hire their workers, and how they can assure security on your jobsite.
Safety, competence, and security should be key considerations
in any decisions you make about who will build your school. The New Jersey
Laborers’-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust has the ability
to provide assistance and advice as you navigate the waters of a school
construction project.
Please feel free to call NJ LECET Safety Director
Ken Hoffner at 609-860-9223 or e-mail at khoffner@njlaborers.org |
