Aw! The beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge which serves as a reliable connection from San Francisco to Marin County, California, spanning to where the Bay meets the extensive, deep blue Pacific Ocean.
While we love viewing the spectacular waterfront, most of us cringe about water-related building issues, mold growth, or any waves of trouble such as insecurities or accidents. Just like we rely on the Golden Gate Bridge to safely travel from one side to another, we need to be able to rely upon safety, precautions, and successful connections for commercial and historic building restoration projects.
Safety must be a leading priority for building restoration and waterproofing. There’s just no leeway for error. High-rise work such as that from swing stages and scaffolding, daily use of power tools to perform construction, and public safety around our sites is a core value that must always be protected.
In this article, we discuss some key guidelines to consider for commercial building construction, historic restoration, and waterproofing safety.
Key Commercial Building Restoration and Waterproofing Needs
We at Rainbow care about employees, customers, and public safety all around a project–and strive to maintain a solid experience modification rate (EMR) with current no-lost time injury statistics.
Safety First
The first and perhaps most important consideration–when it comes to building construction and commercial waterproofing safety–is to work with a partner that ensures a safety-first culture and promotes worker safety participation. Engagement in safety at every level of the organization including employee education and company-wide safety awareness helps empower a thriving culture committed to safety.
Hazard Assessments
Before employees begin work on any job, hazard assessments need to be conducted to avoid issues. Potential risks should be documented and controls put in place quickly to help prevent incidents from happening, and to protect the workforce, and customers.
Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) including hard hats, safety goggles, gloves, and respirators are essential on the work site. Safety goggles protect eyes from harmful chemicals and dust, while gloves help to protect the hands from sharp edges and chemicals. Respirators are also important, as they protect lungs from harmful chemicals and dust.
Scaffolding and Fall Protection
The last thing any building owner needs is an insurance hazard on their hands so another important safety consideration is proper scaffolding and fall protection. When working at heights, it is essential to have proper scaffolding or fall protection in place. This includes guardrails, safety netting, and harnesses.
Guardrails are important to prevent falls, while safety netting provides a safety shield in case of a fall. Harnesses, on the other hand, are worn by workers to protect them from falls. It’s important that all scaffolding and fall protection support systems are properly installed and maintained to ensure safe use.
EMR–Protection, Safety, and Assurance
The main contributing factors which combine to create any experience modification rate may include:
- The Age of Your Company – A new business starts with a fresh 1.0 EMR. This EMR is adjusted based on 3 years of claims history providing enough data to create a weighted EMR.
- Your Industry – The industry you’re in has a big factor in your experience modification rate, providing the benchmarks and comparisons by which you will be measured against.
- The Frequency and Severity of Your Claims – The main factor for determining and calculating your EMR is the frequency and severity of the ‘size’ of your claims.
- Your Total Premium – Different states or authorities have different regulations around EMRs. In some states, you may not be eligible for an experience modification rate until your premium hits a certain threshold.
Experience modification rate acts as a multiplier on your insurance costs. If your EMR is 1, then the base insurance cost will be multiplied by 1 (i.e.: it will be that base number). If your EMR is 1.1, then the insurance company would multiply that base rate by 1.1, meaning you are paying 10% more for your insurance. Rainbow currently operates with an EMR below 1.0 and has for several consecutive years.
Our Commitment
The priority of safe work is a commitment to a culture that promotes worker engagement and participation in safety at every level of the organization. You need a contractor that provides proper guidelines such as employee education and company-wide safety awareness, to truly cultivate dedication and adherence to safety.
At Rainbow, before employees begin work on any job, we ensure hazard assessments are being conducted. This way risks can be documented and controls can be put in place quickly to help prevent incidents from happening and to protect the workforce and the public.
Ongoing training is also essential and a part of our continuous improvement plan. Regular safety training sessions in the classroom also help ensure safety is always top of mind for the team.
Adequate training can help avoid accidents in the workplace and vastly reduce injury and incident rates. Making employees aware of unsafe behaviors that may unknowingly be practiced can make a huge impact on reducing worksite injuries.
Working with a Building Restoration and Waterproofing Leader
In conclusion, commercial building restoration and waterproofing safety is a critical aspect of our business. Building owners have assets to protect and images to consider; why not hire the safest contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area: Rainbow.
By following proper safety protocols and guidelines, such as using proper PPE, handling and applying chemicals safely, having proper scaffolding and fall protection in place, and having an emergency plan in place, commercial waterproofing, commercial building, and restoration projects can be completed safely and efficiently.
Safety, Customer Service, and All-Around Excellence
Rainbow strives to always follow stringent safety guidelines with unmatched customer service excellence that comes across in all our projects.
We care about our employees, customers, and public safety–maintaining a solid experience modification rate (EMR) with current no-lost time injury statistics.
Safety is a core value of Rainbow. It’s instilled in every part of our work, in every team member–from field apprentices and operations leaders to office staff, employees, and project managers. This care and concern–safety at all costs– is extended to our community, customers, and partners who we care about every day.
Providing a workforce that is committed to safety is our goal: Working with our customers to ensure our projects are completed safely by protecting our employees, customers, and the general public.
Just like with the Golden Gate Bridge, it took time and expertise to build an incredible, iconic, and safe connection to our city. So, it’s crucial to take the time on each project to protect and ensure safety, effective waterproofing, and commercial and historic buildings restoration with the highest safety and customer service standards.
Rainbow delivers expertise. Safety, and success for your Bay Area commercial and historic waterproofing and restoration projects.
