MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Upper Peninsula Homebuilders Association hosted coffee with MIOSHA, an event where contractors and construction workers can ask questions and seek guidance from MIOSHA officials.
Safety is no accident, a popular slogan for workers, underscoring the need to always keep safety at the forefront of any construction project. Aaron Gundrum, a MIOSHA Training Specialist, says meetings like this are essential to keeping workers up to date on safety regulations and best practices.
“We try to have these types of forums to let companies, construction, and general industry facilities know that we have a service to provide, and we can help them in some of the challenges they have from a health and safety standpoint,” said Gundrum.
Gundrum points out that workplace safety is an investment, not only for the individual, but in the company as well.
“They provide not only the level of personal protective equipment, they’re providing that training, they’re providing that awareness, and honestly, their businesses are successful because of those pieces,” said Gundrum.
John Dickerson, president of the up Home Builders Association, agrees, citing downtime on any project due to an injury can be very costly.
“Because now you have somebody that can’t do their job, or you have a gap now, and it’s really hard to fill those gaps, just because, again, with worker shortages and not being able to have employees readily available,” said Dickerson.
MIOSHA cites falls on the job as being an ever present concern.
“What we typically see in our statistics shows that fall protection and fall awareness are really one of the drivers, that’s where we’re seeing the vast majority of the fatalities and serious injuries,” explained Gundrum.
MIOSHA encourages anyone with questions or safety concerns on the job site to reach out to their local office for insight and, if needed, further training.
