Construction's "Fatal Four"

According to OSHA, the Federal Government’s agency charged with safety in the workplace, “…one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.”

In 2013, four categories of hazards accounted for nearly 60% of those deaths.  OSHA has dubbed those categories “Construction’s Fatal Four.”

The Fatal Four were:

·       Falls — 294 out of 796 total deaths in construction in CY 2013 (36.9%)

·       Struck by Object — 82 (10.3%)

·       Electrocutions — 71 (8.9%)

·       Caught-in/between — 21 (2.6%)

Nifty Tools’ latest product, the CordControl System addresses both the first and the third leading causes of death in the industry; the CordControl System is “Safety Simplified.”

Workplace safety is, of course, vital in helping assure employees are not harmed as they work but, it is also a financial issue.  A contractor can save thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars a year by making sure a safe workplace is provided for valued employees.

Why not look into the financial benefits the CordControl System can provide your firm by helping to reduce injuries; or worse?

The focus at Nifty Tools LLC is on innovative products designed to accomplish four primary tasks; the enhancement of safety, competitiveness, productivity and, profitability.  The Foam Rebar Anchor Pin (FRAP) is no exception.

Engineers designing construction projects often specify EPS Foam as a block-out in concrete applications, especially in large applications.  Using EPS Foam architects and engineers have more flexibility regarding footing configurations allowing for significant reductions in the amount of framing needed to support the weight of large concrete projects as well as in the cost of labor to accomplish the job. 

EPS Foam can be custom cut to any shape, it is strong, and is lightweight.  The ability to use EPS Foam offers cost benefits by reducing the volume of concrete needed on a job, the amount of framing material necessary, and the labor needed to accomplish the job.  All that allows for accelerated construction time preparing for the concrete pour.

An issue with EPS Foam is the placement of the rebar needed to strengthen and hold concrete in place.  If rebar shifts during a pour the shift can create both quality and safety issues.  Traditional approaches to the problem of shifting rebar are inadequate to the task required of them.  That inadequacy has led to some engineers being reluctant to utilize EPS Foam in appropriate applications despite all the benefits it offers.

The Foam Rebar Anchor Pin was design to help insure accurate placement of rebar steel when used with EPS Foam in an engineered concrete component then, help assure the rebar does not shift position during the pour.

The FRAP mechanically locks the rebar and wire mesh in a vertical and or horizontal position, in conjunction with the EPS Foam Block-Out, while concrete is placed in the form, during casting.  Contractors, inspectors and engineers can be confident that the rebar and wire mesh, is located and held in place, during concrete casting, thus ensuring required design parameters are met.

While the safety and quality aspects of the FRAP tool are paramount, contractors will also appreciate the fact that the tool installs in a few seconds; an important factor in enhancing productivity and competitiveness over traditional methods of securing rebar. 

The FRAP is a simple tool with a big impact on the construction industry allowing engineers to confidently expand their use of EPS Foam with all the benefits that use provides in terms of safety, productivity, competitiveness and profitability.

When Jack Noble, creator of the CordControl System and other innovative products for the construction industry speaks about job safety, important people listen; over a 32-year career in the construction industry, Jack’s resume includes work on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of major projects for large corporations including positions as:

Site Safety Supervisor for Greenberry Industrial;
Site Safety Supervisor for Dawson Construction;
Site Safety Supervisor for Mills Electric;
Site Safety Supervisor for Fluor/Alcoa;
Safety Director for Archer Construction;
Night Safety Manager for TTI Constructors on the Sea-Tac Third Runway Embankment project;
Site Safety Manager for The Austin Company - Development Center at Ft Lewis;
Contract Safety Manger for Boeing Construction Management Group;
Site Safety Manager For Baugh Construction for the Intel Facility in Dupont, Washington;
Site Safety For Haskell Construction - Capital Project for Texaco 

Throughout his career Jack has understood that job safety is not a stand alone endeavor; job safety is an integral part of a competitive company’s efforts to improve productivity while still enhancing profitability; the firm that’s able to be productive by reducing accidents and down time will achieve profitability more readily than a less committed firm can; The bidder demonstrating excellence in its approach to safety is more likely to come out on top in a competitive bidding situation, all other things being equal, than the bidder with a less robust record.

As his career as a respected safety expert progressed, Jack also came to realize that some of the tools available to even the best construction firms were not up to the tasks he thought ought to be demanded of them.  Those tools did not address fully safety, competitiveness, productivity and, profitability; all attributes tool designers should strive for.  

To address the need for better tools, Jack began to tinker with a variety of approaches to tooling able to live up to standards Jack thought should be demanded of them. Jack’s early work resulted in a singular product designed to vastly improve job site safety, productivity, and profitability in excavation and other site prep projects.  Regulatory agencies as well as construction professionals have since come to value the tool because it is not only “state of the art;” it has the characteristics of enhancing job safety, competitiveness, productivity and, profitability.

Early success with the research and development of new tools and their acceptance by the industry led Jack to found Nifty Tools, LLC as a way to bring additional, innovative new products to the marketplace.

The CordControl System is the first product researched, developed and, brought to the marketplace by the new firm.

According to Jack the CordControl System features an approach he intends to bring to every Nifty tool; “Each product I develop,” he explains, “Is created to not only optimize on the job safety but also to increase productivity by allowing construction professionals to accomplish their jobs more quickly and easily and that means both profitability and competitiveness are enhanced.”    

“With the wide use of power tools on construction sites, flexible extension cords often are necessary. Because they are exposed, flexible, and unsecured, they are more susceptible to damage than is fixed wiring. Hazards are created when cords, cord connectors, receptacles, and cord- and plug-connected equipment are improperly used and maintained.”  OSHA

It doesn’t get any better!  The Cord Control System puts money in your pocket while reducing electrical hazards OSHA points to as important! 

OSHA - Electrical Incidents

Here’s what OSHA has to say about “strain relief” regarding electrical cords and workplace safety:

“To reduce hazards, flexible cords must connect to devices and to fittings in ways that prevent tension at joints and terminal screws. Flexible cords are finely stranded for flexibility, so straining a cord can cause the strands of one conductor to loosen from under terminal screws and touch another conductor.”

Broken or loose cords, especially at the plug end, lead to down time and repair costs.  Strategically placed, a cord control unit can relieve the strain on a cord connection reducing both the cost and the potential for an electrical hazard.

Cord damage is also a concern for OSHA:

“A flexible cord may be damaged by door or window edges, by staples and fastenings, by abrasion from adjacent materials, or simply by aging. If the electrical conductors become exposed, there is a danger of shocks, burns, or fire.”

The Cord Control System is all about managing flexible cords and hoses in a way that isolates them from potential damage.  Again, a workplace hazard is controlled even as you save on downtime and repair costs.

Wet floors and electrical cords are not a marriage made in heaven.  According to OSHA:

“When a cord connector is wet, electric current can leak to the equipment grounding conductor, and to humans who pick up that connector if they provide a path to ground. Such leakage can occur not just on the face of the connector, but at any wetted portion. Limit exposure of connectors and tools to excessive moisture by using watertight or sealable connectors.”

The Cord Control System; Where Job Safety, Productivity, And Profitability Come Together

According to the United States Department of Labor as cited by OSHA (https://www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/fy07/sh-16625-07/slipstripsfalls.ppt), falls caused by slips and trips “Make up the majority of general industry accidents.  Fifteen percent of all accidental deaths in the workplace come as the result of falls making falls the second leading cause of deaths behind only vehicle accidents.

Nifty Tools’ Cord Control System can make a significant difference.  Properly and consistently used in the workplace the system can help reduce workplace injuries and, in doing so, enhance productivity, improve profitability, and reduce the potential for OSHA citations.