Improving Business Quality and Productivity in Construction by Reducing the Potential for Occupational Injury and Workplace Violence in a Multicultural Population

摘要

The Ergonomic Safety and Health demonstration Project described in this paper was conducted with the JDH Construction company from January 1998 through May 2000. JDH Construction is a small residential sub-contractor that constructs single family dwellings for Gentry Home Builders in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. There are two non-union supervisors at this project, the Project Manager and the Assistant Project/Safety Manager. The financial and accounting positions are located in Maui, Hawaii. There are approximately 50 union employees at any given time, consisting primarily of carpenters and drywall tapers. The job duties performed include all exterior structural, framing, sheathing, and siding carpentry work; hanging and taping of drywall; and other interior finish carpentry work. The job sites are all located in the same area of Ewa Beach on the Island of Oahu. The physical locations of the inspection areas change daily as homes are completed. Each job site is inspected daily by the Safety Manager, the Tool Supervisor conducts inspections weekly, and all employees are required to inspect their tools and equipment daily. The overall goal of this demonstration project was to reduce injuries on the job site, promote health and productivity, and reduce the potential for workplace violence by emphasizing spirituality and increasing employee morale. The following objectives were selected for this project: 1) Fire prevention training and inspection of first aid equipment; 2) Blood borne pathogen training and risk evaluation; 3) Ergonomic and risk evaluation intervention program; 4) Electrical safety training and inspection program; 5) Slips," trips and falls safety training; 6) Stress Assessment and Personal Profile System; 7) Safety and health program survey; and, 8) Improving employee relations and morale by emphasizing spirituality. Results of the project were very positive. All employees participated in the training sessions since they were conducted on company time. Employees reported a positive response to the "Toolbox Training Session" and the number of safety hazards observed was reduced. Overall company morale remains excellent and no incidents of workplace violence have been reported.