BX AWARDS

The BX Safety Awards started in 1995 as a way to promote the positive aspects of workplace safety and to honor companies with proactive safety efforts and exceptional safety results.  

Since then, over 170 companies have been honored at the BX Annual Meeting for their safety success – through two types of awards. Your company can receive one or both of the awards.

This year, 21 companies earned BX Safety Achievement Awards and two companies earned BX Safety Innovation Awards. All Safety Award winners will be recognized for their safety efforts at the BX Annual Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15.  

Each of the BX Safety Achievement Award winners were first judged anonymously by North American Industry Classification System Codes (NAICS) on the merits of the company’s safety record. Information about the company’s workplace injury and illness statistics, experience modification rate (EMR) and incident severity were all considered.

Selected companies then received an unannounced site safety audit where a team of BX judges evaluated safety practices in action.

With 37 total applications, 21 companies earned the distinction of earning a BX Safety Achievement Award. Of eight submitted Innovation Award applications, two earned top honors.

To win an Innovation Award, a company must submit documentation of unique safety practices or tools that the company has implemented.

• Continental Building Systems – designed temporary electrical outlet covers that provide a means to energize the permanent power earlier in the construction process. 
  
  The temporary covers attach to the permanent electrical boxes and provide access to a switch or outlet inside the electrical box. They are used in place of the final covers and come in a variety of shapes and sizes for use on outlets, light switches, and GFCI outlets.
  
  With the use of permanent power, the need for temporary power locations would be minimized or eliminated which in turn, would limit the amount of extension cords required. Having fewer extension cords would minimize tripping hazards and decrease the potential for shock from damaged cords. 
  
  The temporary outlet covers do not need to be removed to paint because they have a smaller footprint than the final permanent covers.

• George J. Igel and Co., Inc. – During installation of 21-inch PVC sanitary sewer line, the plans required that the line be backfilled with CDF (grout).  As the crew backfilled the line, the CDF leaked into the sewer line and hardened, making it difficult to remove or clean out.  After the line was installed, removal of the build-up became a safety concern as it would require someone to descend a manhole approximately 17 feet, enter a narrow sewer line, crawl approximately 30 feet to the area of the buildup, and hand-chisel out the CDF.  While feasible, this process introduced the potential for oxygen-deficiency, ergonomic constraints, and necessitated horizontal and vertical confined space rescue procedures.
  
  George J. Igel and Co., Inc. addressed this hazard by designing a retrieval bucket that could be used to apply force to break up the CDF and drag it through the sewer line for removal.
  
  The device fit the narrow sewer line and allowed a winch system to force an opening through the CDF. Using a mandrill fan, the crew ran a ˝-inch cable from the manholes on either side of the buildup, having just enough clearance to pass through the grouted area. Then the retrieval bucket was attached using the ˝-inch cable and cable clamps. At the other end, a pulley was installed inside the manhole to allow a horizontal pull in conjunction with a vertical lift, making sure that no crew member would be inside the confined space while the grout was dislodged, instead allowing the force to be applied above ground.

 For more information about the safety awards, contact Jenna Conaway (ext. 236) at the BX.  

 

The BX Safety Achievement Award –  for outstanding injury and illness statistics

The BX Safety Innovation Award –  for creative and unique safety practices

The Meg DeWerth Industry Impact Award – to recognize a person, company or program that has significantly improved the safety and health of employees in Central Ohio

Thanks to our 2010-2011 BX Safety Awards Sponsors: