Billy Smith – Ground Conditions Language Needs to be in your Contract
Billy Smith, Executive Vice President, NBIS summarized six risk management takeaways as we bring 2019 to a close. Including Ground Condition language in your contract was a key topic noted in the article on page 51 of the December ACT publication and also discussed during the September SC&RA workshop in Glendale AZ.
To quote from the article, “Ensuring ground conditions language is in your daily rental ticket helps protect your operator, equipment and business. OSHA 1926.1402 states that ground conditions are the responsibility of the controlling entity, and the controlling entity must do two very specific things. Be sure you know what those two things are (by reading the standard) and put them in your contract. – Billy Smith, Vice President NBIS
The two very specific things OSHA 1926.102 states the controlling entity must do are: “Ensure that ground preparations necessary to meet the requirements in paragraph (b) of 1926.1402 are provided,” and to “inform the user of the equipment and the operator of the location of hazards beneath the equipment set-up area.”
DICA fully supports and encourages crane owners to manage both their risk and daily operations by proactively including your required Ground Conditions, or more specifically the minimum Ground Bearing Capacity you require the controlling entity to provide. Taking this step can significantly improve pre-lift planning and discussions, improve overall safety and reduce everyone’s risk.
Read the full article here, published in American Cranes & Transport (p. 52), December 2019. You can also read a full reprint below.
Year-end take-aways
With 2020 right around the corner – and because risk management topics never really go out of style – we thought we’d close out a year of risk-management articles with this 2019 risk management roundup: a bite-sized list of takeaways from topics we’ve covered the past eleven months.
It’s our hope that as you plan for next year, you’ll dedicate the time you need to make sure you’re managing your risk and becoming a better, safer organization.
YOUR INSURANCE AGENT MATTERS. Back in January, we covered the topic of insurance agents, and the takeaway was this: Who you ultimately pick as your insurance agent matters; and what your agent doesn’t know about your business matters, too. Ensuring that you select the right agent – and making certain that agent possesses the industry knowledge they need to adequately protect you in the event of a claim – isn’t just a good idea – it’s imperative.
TELEMATICS IS A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT. Telematics has radically changed the kind of information available to safety managers. One of the biggest benefits to using telematics is the sweeping insight it gives you into the behavior patterns of your drivers. Not long after implementing a telematics solution, you begin to understand your driver’s behavior on a much more comprehensive scale – both in terms of what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong. You also begin to understand that the data is telling you a story – a story about just how safe your company truly is.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE GREAT – UNLESS THEY’RE NOT. If we’ve learned anything from the ongoing crane camera debate, it’s that new technology can seem helpful at first – and even like a logical next step – but upon closer examination you might learn that the technology could actually work against you. Hook cameras are one example of an emerging technology that goes against your ASME B30.5-cranestandards defensible position, which is afforded you based upon the standard’s delineation of responsibilities on the jobsite.
GROUND CONDITIONS LANGUAGE NEEDS TO BE IN YOUR CONTRACT. Ensuring ground conditions language is in your daily rental ticket helps protect your operator, equipment and business. OSHA 1926.1402 states that ground conditions are the responsibility of the controlling entity, and the controlling entity must do two very specific things. Be sure you know what those two things are (by reading the standard) and put them in your contract.
YOUR INSURER SHOULD BE HELPING YOU BECOME A BETTER COMPANY. One of the primary objectives of your insurance company should be to provide the finest insurance coverage available while simultaneously improving the risk profile of their policyholders. At NBIS, we see the changing safety, regulatory and technology landscapes as opportunities to both educate and provide coverage. Can your current insurance carrier say the same?
MAKE A DAILY COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYEE SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT. If “your people are your most valuable asset,” as many companies like to say, then prove it by making a real investment in your employees. Be sure to provide ongoing safety and risk management training – both online and in person – on a variety of topics, like the switch from CSA to IRT, defensive driving and general construction safety. And don’t forget to document that training.
As we move into a new year, be sure to bring the lessons learned and commitments made in 2019 with you. As always, for more information on safety, risk management and training, or to for more information on how your agent can obtain an insurance quote from NBIS, call 877.860.RMSS or visit www.NBIS.com