Safety training extends beyond the job site for glaziers

Accidents on the job site—from slips, trips and falls, to falling windows—can prove fatal for glaziers, making effective safety programs critical.

Many glazing contractors nationwide institute programs that involve all employees from the president to entry-level workers. These programs include education, training and retraining; enforcement; regular safety meetings; random work-site inspections; and analyses of all injuries followed by corrective strategies and incentive programs.

Linda Vos-Graham, president of Vos Glass Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich., says a company must establish “a structured and scheduled program and stick with it.”

Many glaziers hold frequent—weekly or every other week—safety meetings, and employees go through an average 30-to-40 hours of training a year. Employees with serious safety violations must undergo retraining. Employers can facilitate training by paying for and hosting in-house classes during the day.

At East Coast Glass Systems Inc., in Richmond, Va., safety begins before employment. “Safety is preplanning and prevention,” says Linda Forrest, human resources and safety director. ECGSI initiates safety training on the hire date. And before new hires are allowed on a job site, they undergo a five-hour orientation.

On the job site, ECGSI workers perform job-hazard analyses and assessments to determine the hazard exposures and the types of safety equipment needed. The company also requires daily inspection documentation on equipment and power tools to ensure they’re in good working condition; managers conduct weekly job-site inspections.

“Safety in the field is much harder to maintain than in a manufacturing environment,” warns Lawrence Cartner, president and owner of Cartner Glass Systems Inc. in Charlotte, N.C., “because you have so many variables.” Workers from other trades are on site as material gets moved, cranes lift beams and holes get cut in floors.

Cartner hires retired state or federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration inspectors to do spot visits, especially if a site is potentially hazardous, to ensure employees follow safety procedures.

For a safety program to succeed long term, everyone must be engaged. At Walters & Wolf in Fremont, Calif., says Brian Wilber, safety director, “everybody in the company has a voice regarding safety.” If workers notice an unsafe practice, “they are encouraged to raise their hands and stop whatever process is in place,” he says.