Safety

The end of 2014 marked the 17th consecutive year that CD Barnes Construction had zero lost work days due to injuries and the 8th consecutive year without any recordable injuries. That kind of safety record doesn’t happen by accident, but as a result of due diligence. From the top-down, every member of CD Barnes Construction’s staff are trained to keep safety in mind at all times. So how do we do it? What makes our jobsites so safe?

MIOSHA

CD Barnes has initiated a safety education program that few other construction companies take part in or participate with. Consultation Education Training (CET) is a program offered by the State of Michigan in which contractors are encouraged to “partner” with MIOSHA on each jobsite and conduct an on-site meeting to point out potentially dangerous construction activities and put in place the necessary safety standards prior to beginning each construction task. At the beginning of all of our construction projects, our site superintendent contacts MIOSHA to set up an on-site consultation with a MIOSHA inspector. Once on site, our superintendent outlines the construction project and highlights the project’s critical and safety orientated construction tasks. The MIOSHA inspector then points out safety standards that must be in place during the completion of these tasks and will generally “walk thru” the process of each task. By conducting these on-site consultations, CD Barnes Construction promotes a great safety conscious employee who in turn passes along the safety knowledge to the companies and workers performing these duties. Prior to beginning construction, CD Barnes Construction meets with project owner representatives to review CD Barnes’ current Safety and Health Plan. CD Barnes Construction will relay information pertaining to any phases of the project that may cause unsafe or unhealthy circumstances, and address the measures we intend to implement to control those circumstances. At this time, our team will also review with the owner what we learned during our time with the MIOSHA representative so they are aware of any and all risk. Our process is not just for the safety and health of our employees and subcontractors but also for the project owner, staff, clients and visitors. CD Barnes Construction continually monitors our projects for safety and safety awareness. In conjunction with the items identified above, CD Barnes Construction also conducts monthly tool box talks with the contractors on the jobsite and performs routine jobsite safety inspections. These inspections point out potential safety hazards and direct contractors on the possible dangers when performing everyday construction tasks. These inspections also put in place a plan for corrective measures. 100_0788CD Barnes Construction is registered with numerous agencies throughout the surrounding municipalities, counties and state to receive notifications of changes in building codes, fire codes, county laws, city ordinances, township ordinances, or municipal code or law changes. By taking this initiative, CD Barnes Construction remains up to date on our current reference library and stays current on standards that pertain to the construction industry. Safety is the job of every employee. Our site managers are equipped with hard hats, safety goggles and yellow vests; part of their job is not only to enforce safety with each person that comes on-site, but also to lead by example. Accidents cost time and money, and more importantly, personal injury and sometimes death. Safety is no accident; our safety standards and practices are planned diligently and executed meticulously.