Safety Program

You could edit up the Caltrans safety code at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/row/landsurveys/SurveysManual/02_Surveys_Figure_2_1.pdf

I don't mean to come off as a smart a$$, but I did used to have a danger sign on my wall, it read "Danger- Stupid Kills" Would that work as a plan for a one man operation?

Monte, post: 395643, member: 11913 wrote: I don't mean to come off as a smart a$$, but I did used to have a danger sign on my wall, it read "Danger- Stupid Kills" Would that work as a plan for a one man operation?

How about this one?

When a contractor is hiring you to survey at their site, your safety program is the same as theirs...........:8ball:

As a one man show, you can probably keep it pretty simple; as per the above first and foremost you need to comply with their safety program. Yours probably just needs to contain some form of Jobsite Safety Analysis (JSA), task related risk assessment, wearing of proper PPE, and following contractor and OSHA guidelines.

One of our contractors gives us theirs and says you will follow it.

I have been on job site that required hard hats and safety vest, where there is no equipment or anything overhead, and tennis shoes are fine.
I have been on job sites that required steel toe work boots and no hard hats or safety vest, where they have cranes and earth movers.

I just keep in the truck work boots, hard hats, vest, eye protection, and hearing protection. I put on or take off to match everyone else.
I do like to wear the bright orange safety shirts on every job, they seem to overlook me, if I am not wearing a vest and I like to know the dozers can spot me.

I did go to one safety meeting the company was very strict about safety, and the safety guy giving the meeting said he walks around with a hammer and spots check to see if you have safety boots on, I told him you check my boots or my crews you will find out for sure they are steel toe when you get a kick to the shin, he really tried to have us ran off, but the super, told him to let it go, to replace the Surveyor would delay the project by weeks maybe months.

Don't take this wrong - this is a comment on safety and not on business practices or personalities or anything else: As a one man crew, you can't really have a very good safety plan unless you incorporate others into that plan. Teamwork is one of the most basic elements of overall safety. A team meeting to identify and assess known and potential risks will be you talking to yourself. There is nobody to lookout for traffic when your head is down focused on setting a tack. So right off the bat you are at a big disadvantage when it comes to avoiding problems.

If you encounter a problem, there's nobody to help you out unless you recruit some of the contractor's staff. That's tough to do if you are incapacitated from a medical problem or accident. Working solo can take a minor medical problem from an inconvenience to a fatality.

Personally, I would never send a one man crew to a construction site (or just about anywhere else) - it's simply not safe.

I'm not intending to be dramatic - or to push anyone's buttons - I know someone locally who died from a bump on the head when they slipped - there's a good chance they would have lived if there were someone there to call 911 or take them to the ER.

JKinAK, post: 395842, member: 7219 wrote:
...If you encounter a problem, there's nobody to help you out unless you recruit some of the contractor's staff. That's tough to do if you are incapacitated from a medical problem or accident. Working solo can take a minor medical problem from an inconvenience to a fatality....

I can imagine that a general contractor who wants any incidents on their project to be handled properly and promptly would look at it that way. But from the point of view of a sole proprietor with no employees, the question arises, would the sole proprietor be alone if he/she had the day off? Would the setting be more or less dangerous than the work site?

This is sad to say but it is not so much about safety as it is about the appearance or image of safety that can be presented in court. If you did have a full crew that you sent out every day, They could be the safest crew in the state but it may not matter.

Without documentation to present in court of training, weekly safety meetings, safety studies or audits from an outside source, the actual safety factor of your crew means nearly nothing in a legal setting. Being that you are a one man operation makes it more difficult.

You might contact you insurance company to see if they have some sort of online safety program you can participate in. Just google "online safety training" and there are multiple sources of online training available. Just remember, the fact that you took a two hour long safety class online does not mean anything in court if you can't show proof.

For your written policy, a few things it should include would be
1) always contact the site supervisor and let them know you are on site and how long you expect to be there.

2) ask about other work activity in the area you will be working.

3) obtain a copy of the site safety requirements before the job starts.

4) have someone you designate know where you are at all times and know when you will be checking in. This is especially important if you are the only one there. It is also the biggest item that I need to start taking my own advice. There are many times that if I did not show up at home by 10pm, my wife would not have a clue what county to call for someone to go looking for me. A way for your designated lifeline to track your phone would be a big help. My problem is that they tend to drain a battery too fast.

Safety is important for your health.
The appearance or image of safety is important to the lawyers.

James

Just curious if anyone shared their safety manual? We are in the process of setting up a manual ourselves that we can transition over to someone who knows what they are doing in the next couple of years. Or one of us will get the proper training to do so ourselves

TXSurveyor, post: 409887, member: 6719 wrote: Just curious if anyone shared their safety manual? We are in the process of setting up a manual ourselves that we can transition over to someone who knows what they are doing in the next couple of years. Or one of us will get the proper training to do so ourselves

Here's a draft of what has almost doubled in size due to contract specific items over the last 5 years:

I carry a cell phone. That's my safety pgm.

And I'm packin, an i got me leatherman, and i have a axe, and a camera. 🙂