2019 News

Why Your Contractor’s Safety Rating Matters

Why Your Contractor’s Safety Rating Matters
05.01.2019

Contractors that have an excellent safety record are much more likely to get the job done on time and on budget, and without safety citations that can bring bad press for building owners and delay projects indefinitely. Jobsites are also cleaner and more efficient when they are staffed by people who utilize disciplined safe working techniques.

How Do You Recognize a Safe Contractor?
Ask them about their EMR (Experience Modification Rate). Every year the safety records of all similar contractors are analyzed by OSHA. Based on the comparison of the contractors, each contractor receives an EMR rating. The “average” company gets a rating of 1.0 and, similar to golf scores, companies with better-than-average ratings gets a lower scores while companies with poorer safety scores get ratings over 1.0 (par).

Baker Group’s EMR rating is 0.78. According to Baker Group’s Safety Director, Tracy Haus, “Our EMR is proof we have a safety rating 22% better than an average contractor.  Our rating reflects the significant investment our company makes to ensure that everyone goes home safely at night.”

In-house Safety Training for Employees, GCs and Others
A year-round schedule of in-house training is provided for Baker Group employees. Depending on the course, Baker Group also invites general contractors and building owners to participate. Courses include:

  • OSHA 10-Hour Construction training, which teaches recognition, avoidance, abatement and prevention of workplace safety and health hazards.
  • OSHA 30-Hour Construction training, which is a comprehensive safety program for construction employees, particularly foremen, superintendents, project managers and others who have safety responsibilities.
  • CPR/First Aid Available to all employees and their family members, “CPR is a lifesaving skill that can be used anywhere. We even have babysitters take our course,” Haus says.
  • HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) training, which qualifies contractors to remove hazardous materials from jobsites.
  • Competent Person training for individuals who lead trenching and excavation work.

Baker Group also subscribes to ClickSafety, a software program that electronically delivers a different safety question to employees each day. This gives them an opportunity to test their safety knowledge and get on-the-spot feedback and education.

In-house Safety Team
Baker Group has dedicated seven full-time, specially trained employees to its safety program. Together, they oversee risk planning, safety assessment and compliance for all Baker Group business units – Mechanical, Sheet Metal, Electrical, Automation, Security and Service – both in the Advanced Manufacturing facility and on jobsites.

“The Safety team’s main focus is to help with preplanning and to help people adhere to safety rules and regulations, which help them succeed in their daily work,” says Haus. 

Supporting Safety Training for Contractors Nationwide
Safety is clearly one of Baker Group’s cultural values. “We want to help everyone be safe, so we also support the training initiatives of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America,” says Haus, who is co-chair of MCAA’s National Safety Committee.

“We’ve helped the MCAA produce training materials for other contractors around the U.S. For example, we’ve provided our facilities, manpower and equipment for approximately 10 different safety videos,” Haus says. Last year, Baker Group was awarded a prestigious Telly Award for its role in creating MCAA’s Workplace Violence Prevention and Protection video.  “Our goal is to send people home safely to their families every day.”

About Baker Group

Founded in 1963 and with 650 employees across Iowa, Baker Group is the Midwest’s premier full-service specialty contractor providing mechanical, sheet metal, electrical, compressed air, building automation, process automation, security systems, fire alarm systems, parking/revenue controls and 24/7/365 service. For more information, call 855.262.4000 or visit https://www.thebakergroup.com/.

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