Our construction workers keep the world functioning by building our desks, bathrooms, hospitals and schools.

Working in this sector, however, can be inherently difficult. Workers face constant danger from objects left behind, from heavy machines and from suffering other injuries in the workplace. Embora eles estejam molding the infrastructure around us, this progress can have a high price.   

The cost of gluing talhos

It is estimated that the total annual cost of all construction injuries in the United States is more than US$$ 11.5 billion. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that the fatality rate for this professional group increased by 12.3 deaths per 100,000 full-time (FTE) workers in 2021 for 13.0 in 2022. Workers in construction occupations have the second highest number of fatalities compared to all other professional groups.

The real cost of construction injuries varies greatly from the estimated annual cost of US$ 11.5 billion to a growing fatality rate that highlights this severity. These injuries are not just economic setbacks, they can lock down careers, limit activities and leave lasting impacts on all stakeholders.  

Minitab can help you get started

The good news is that Minitab offers solutions that can help reduce non-local workplace injuries. To illustrate this, let's consider a fictitious company called Surefoot Construction. Leadership wants to be more aware of the safety precautions where its officials work. This commitment to the safety of its officials goes beyond simply following the regulations; It involves understanding where the roots of the problems lie and implementing changes to protect the company's employees.

Adopting a reactive approach to safety, simply continuing to respond to incidents after they occur, will not resolve the causes of non-local workplace problems. This is when Surefoot sought out Minitab Statistical Software for help. The company decided to use Minitab to analyze data from the previous year and identify trends and patterns that could be missed.

A Surefoot provides more information than the norm for similar companies. Pareto Charts, a visualization located in Minitab Statistical Software, highlights the major contributors to a specific problem. The use of a Pareto chart reveals the types of injuries that occur in our Surefoot work locations most frequently:  

By viewing the lesson data, Surefoot can see that 38.1% of the total lessons that occur in our work locations are related to meetings. Based on our data, leadership considers that the greatest improvement in safety in our construction projects could be obtained by reducing the number of crash incidents.

According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), crash protection must be provided at altitudes of 1.8 m or more in the construction sector. However, it also requires that crash protection be provided when working on dangerous equipment and machines, regardless of height.

Committed to continuous excellence, Surefoot has identified potential cliffs in its construction sites. These areas, in accordance with OSHA, present potential safety hazards and will benefit from the installation of additional precautions, such as protective guards and safety skirting. Surefoot decided to install protective steps at all elevated heights of 1.5 m or more and around all hazardous equipment. Also, install new covers in all holes to ensure that the safety equipment is not worn out.

After implementing these alterations, Surefoot wanted to ensure the security against damage to its work areas that had been completed. Using the Minitab Statistical Software again, the company uses the new data on the year's data and executes a test of two proportions. By this analysis, the proportion of stay incidents in relation to the total incidents of the previous year is compared with the new proportion of stay incidents in relation to the total incidents to see if a statistically significant difference occurs: 

From two open results provided by Minitab Statistical Software, Surefoot can see that, with a p value of 0.007, there was a significant difference between the two samples. I suggest a strong probability that the difference observed in the rates of crash incidents between the two years is not due to just a chance, but rather a genuine consequence of the security changes implemented. This statistically significant step provides Surefoot with evidence to support the success of its safety initiatives.

Data-Based Insurance Benefits

This security adoption based on data serves as an example for the construction sector, highlighting the transformative power of Minitab in cultivating a safer work environment. As companies we can eliminate the limitations of guesswork, get a clear understanding of how their security initiatives are affecting or improving their work force and strengthen the security of their businesses.

In construction, the average cost in case of fatal or non-fatal injury is US$ 27,000. Data-based insurance enables companies to make strategic alterations, optimize resource allocation, and continually refine their insurance programs. The example we analyzed today highlights how Minitab and statistics can be a transformative tool, promoting the safety of workers and the financial health of a company, a vantagem for all interested parties in the construction sector.

  Source: Minitab

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