Zero injury concept includes a certain working environment which most companies are now aiming at to attain a reduced rate of injury in the workplace. This concept does not imply no injuries will occur rather it emphasizes that there is the need to have longer durations without injuries (Ghormely, 2010). Also, this program requires organizations to train employees on how to work in a safe manner.; it requires observation of the safety policy of the company. This has to be in line with the existence of well-set rules to guide on how to set safety measures. According to Smith (2010), Adolfson & Peterson Construction observes such a policy. The employees in this institution are aware of their rights and hence they can demand it. It is crucial to carry out pre-planning procedures on safety before carrying out any construction work. The field teams are adequately trained (OSHA training) to educate them on basic measures and precautions. Safety goes beyond the limits of the work environment to incorporate a holistic safety lifestyle, even in the worker’s leisure activities. The management should also formulate an articulate emergency action plan that can be adhered to in case of any emergency. This is usually implemented hand in hand with a thorough accident reporting and investigation policy (Smith, 2010). As part of the controls, construction firms should have regular and impromptu safety audits to ensure that all persons working for the construction company observe the necessary safety rules. Furthermore, organizations should arrange to make sure that there are sufficient controls. This includes fire alarms systems that will alert employees in case of sudden fires. This helps to prevent the occurrence of accidents that usually occur in case of such emergencies. Sufficient investigations should be done to follow up on past accidents that have occurred in the workplace. Findings from such investigations can then be used to create a safer environment in the workplace. This is included in the firm’s policies in the form of written safety programs to act as incentives to employees. The concept of zero injury involves a culture in which most companies are now aiming at attaining a reduced rate of injury in the workplace in order to maintain the employees' welfare, to reduce the instances of strife and strikes by the employees, and to provide a competitive edge and financial stability.
Supervisors and managers ought to be especially keen when it comes to observing safety precautions. An example is given of ensuring the guard of a grinder is replaced or intact prior to any construction progress. Injuries in the construction industry are mostly avoidable. Very few of them occur as a consequence of the nature. Neglect and ignorance usually cause workers and managers to fail in their responsibilities to recognizing potential pitfalls as the construction work continues (Ghormely, 2010). This is especially crucial due to the role of trade unions in protecting of employees’ rights. Furthermore, employees may be unaware of the risk factors that exist in the course of the work process. A zero injury policy helps to promote the span of work of employees by ensuring they will not be hurt while working. It is the employer’s responsibility to create a safe work environment with a minimum number of risks. Implementation of a zero injury policy helps to reduce instances of accidents, consequent claims, and health bills that usually accompany such accidents. The existence of a working and versatile zero injury policy that addresses the welfare and well-being of the employees also promotes the morale of employees. This is because they feel valued, esteemed, and appreciated by the management. The zero injury policy was motivated by the increase in accidents, in the construction industries. This resulted in serious injuries that maimed some employees hence ending their careers. Furthermore, firms started receiving numerous lawsuits accusing them of negligence, as far as protection of the employees’ welfare is concerned. The government and also the private sector saw the need to controls in a bid to solve the upheavals that were slowly rising in the construction industry. The industries were advised to set strict rules as far as personal protective equipment is concerned. This part of the preplanning should be done by all construction companies (Hinze and Wilson, 2000). The construction industry is known to be a risky industry that is prone to numerous accidents. The industry was receiving negative publicity due to the high number of deaths and injuries that were associated with it. Most countries are yet to adopt automated systems that can be used in the construction industry. This change has also received resistance from trade unions that do not want the machines to be a prelude to the retrenchment of most of the labor force. Therefore, it is extremely crucial for an organization in the construction industry to observe a zero injury policy and maintain employees’ welfare by following it.
One of the most notable things that influence the concept of zero injury in the construction industry is the belief of the injuries not occurring. To ensure that such a policy is implemented effectively, there is a need to ensure that the employees and managers as well have the mindset that injuries will not occur (Hessler, 2005). It becomes essential for management in a construction firm to provide the necessary cultural platform where all workers perform their duties in a safe manner (Nelson, 1998). The managers and employees need to understand that even if the injuries do occur, it is not necessary that they do. However, this perspective requires a complete reprogramming of the mindset of the managers and employees in the organization. This then is faced with certain obstacles. One of the obstacles is the numbers games. The process of setting goals is usually a hefty hindrance to the achievement of a zero injury concept. Most companies will set goals, which allow a certain number of injuries. The concept of zero injury implies that the numbers of injury has to be zero yet the goals set to reduce injury involve numbers that are normally higher than zero. According to Hinze and Wilson (2000), safety is no longer deemed a principle consideration in construction firms, but a value that is permanently enshrined among the firm’s core values. Construction workers or employees will approach work with the idea that a certain number of injuries is acceptable. Thus, they may reduce their attentiveness to performing work safely. Consequently, the construction firm may opt to sacrifice issues of safety in the interest of production (Nelson, 1998). Further, most organizations believe that achieving the concept of zero injury is impossible yet there are some few organizations which can attain this. It also reduces instances of strife and strikes by the employees. This has the effect of increasing the efficiency of the workers in the construction industry. It also reduces time wastage since it avoids the need of having numerous investigations for the many accidents that occur. It also promotes the organization in the workplace. This is especially because a zero injury policy advocated for the removal of idle equipment from the construction site. The firm also markets itself to potential clients. Smith (2010) explains how Adolfson and Peterson attracted more developers and property owners by just implementing the zero injury policy. Such clients prefer contractors who will attract minimal liabilities. So the implementation of a zero injury policy leads to reducing instances of strife and striking, and also proves for a strong indicator of the ability of the firm to follow up as far as quality satisfaction is concerned, increasing the sales revenues of the construction firm and its share.
Bidding of constructions jobs requires that the constructions firms have safety measures in place and can provide a record of accomplishment of their safety performance. Further, having a strong safety record provides the firm with relatively low workers compensation premiums and low direct cost (Hallowell, 2011). Additionally, a strong safety record increases the competitiveness of the firm during the bidding process (Hallowell, 2011). The direct and indirect costs of construction injuries have a significant economic impact. According to Hallowell (2011), in 2004, the cost of 1,194 deaths was estimated at $1,150,000 per each death. Further, in the year 2006, the national safety council reported that the cost of 460, 000 disabling injuries were estimated at $15.64 billion (Hallowell, 2011). Such costs tend to have a significant impact especially on new firms that are starting the construction business. This eventually has a negative impact on the Gross Domestic Product. Lack of compliance with safety procedures and poor training generate a high injury rate in the construction industry (Wilkins, 2011). Consequently, injury prevention in construction firms becomes significant in terms of providing a competitive edge and financial stability.
Most firms look for cheap alternatives when it comes to the setting up of a highly safe work environment, which will eventually result in achievement of the goals of the zero injury policy. This means that a construction firm may just implement some shoddy controls that do not substantially enhance the safety levels. However, on the flipside organizations may try their level best to implement sufficient controls against accidents, fires and other emergencies only for employees to increase the risks. This can be through substantial drug abuse such that employees carry out life-threatening mistakes. In such instances, the level of liability of the firm may be reduced. However, this poses a strong point of discussion with employers and employees being two opponents on either side of the disagreement. To ensure that the concept of zero injury is implemented, different approaches have to be considered and applied. For instance, it may be difficult for an organization to implement the concept of zero injury unless it takes effort to improve the safety conditions of the work environment. This may be either through implementing additional safeguards or through training employees and workers on how to be thinking about safety as they go about doing their duties (Hessler, 2005). Skeptics declaring that zero injury is impossible normally view it over a long duration of time. However, it may be possible to change this perception by viewing the concept of zero injury over a short duration. This duration for instance may be a day. If no injuries are reported in a day, all the skeptics may be compelled to repeat the approaches of that single day through the working year hence eventually developing a zero injury policy. Any successful implementation of the concept of zero injury will require top management to be involved fully. Top management has a more influential role in changing the mindset of other workers towards the development of a zero injury program. Initiating training programs on how to achieve zero injuries in the construction firms may be a start but is not sufficient to ensure the success of the training program. Wilkins (2011) indicates that it is beneficial to performing an evaluation of understanding of the workers perception of the concept of zero injury training, which will aid in developing a more effective safety education program for the firm. Good safety practices are critical to ensuring a zero injury policy is effective. Additionally, it is vital for workers to have the ability to retain relevant information they have gained from the safety education programs. Most of the workers employed in the construction industries have less professional experience. Therefore, they will require more training and education if the concept of zero injury is to be achieved.
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