June is officially Safety Month, a time to focus on safety consciousness and its application in the real world. In construction and renovation, exposure to injury is ever present, requiring a rigorous and ongoing mindset to prevent the heartbreak and financial cost of serious accidents.
We implement a program of full OSHA compliance, safety seminars and job site safety inspections, as required by law. The images of our recent work on the Harvard-Epworth Methodist Church, in Harvard Square illustrate the precautions our master carpenters take while restoring some technically challenging curved windows on the roof of a round, slate covered tower a good distance above the pavement. Their safety equipment is, of course, OSHA compliant.
What isn’t shown in this picture is S+H’s company culture of real-world safety procedures that we practice, complementing OSHA rules. For example:
Our team will purposefully establish a safe and deliberate pace appropriate for the task at hand.
When we change tasks, our team will discuss and agree on what comes next, and how it will be accomplished.
Every team member is accountable for the safety of all.
We schedule breaks, to recharge and to revisit our plan of action.
June is Safety Month, but in fact, safety is our obsession twelve months a year.