SAFETY ZONE
BENEFITS OF A “BUDDY SYSTEM” W
Dr. Sam Steel, NALP Safety Adviser
hether you are gearing up for a new year or hiring replacement workers, you should consider incorporating a “Buddy Sys- tem” for your employees. It represents a very cost-effective means of preventing injury and illness events among your employees. It has been shown time and again that “new”
workers are most prone to injuries in the workplace early in their new job, often during their first several days. Statistics clearly indi- cate that most injuries to workers in the U.S. occur during their first six months of employ- ment. For the most part, although they have received proper safety training on workplace hazards, they do not fully understand these hazards and tend to ignore the training and take short cuts that increase their risks for serious injury or illness.
In addition to new and replacement worker
risks, those employees who are often working alone or out of site of their fellow crew mem- bers are at risk for unwitnessed emergencies that need to be dealt with quickly and profes- sionally. Response time is of the essence with many of the sole worker incidents that happen in the landscape industry.
Both factors are good reasons to institute and enforce a “Buddy System” among your crew members. Another way to describe a buddy system is working in pairs where an experienced worker mentors a young, new or replacement worker over the all-important first several months and provides guidance and assistance as the employee “learns the ropes.” It takes an understanding and patient team member to mentor an inexperienced worker. They must set a good example of abiding by the safety policies and procedures estab- lished by the company and then share them with the individual being mentored. When personal protective equipment is specified, the mentor wears the assigned PPE to set a good example. When a “close call” shakes the nerves of the new person, their mentor takes the time to discuss the incident and find ways to prevent it from happening again.
Observation is an important part of a “Buddy System.” It means that the mentor observes his/her work partner and corrects their unsafe work behaviors when they happen. For the person being mentored, they should be able to observe their mentor working safely and always feel free to ask questions and seek assistance when they do not understand company safety policies and procedures. The mentored worker should never feel intimidated when asking questions about doing their work in a safe manner.
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) recommends that a “Buddy System” becomes an integral part of employer’s comprehensive site safety and control plans. Reference is made under OSHA Standard 29-CFR 1910.120(a)(3) that a buddy system pairs a group of employees so that all members of the team are always being observed by a fellow worker. It may be that not all job functions require
a “Buddy System” at all times, but using this technique to reduce injury and illness inci- dents during hazardous work is a proactive approach to protecting the health and safety of your employees.
In addition to new and replacement worker risks, those employees who are often working alone or out of site of their fellow crew members are at risk for unwitnessed emergencies that need to be dealt with quickly and professionally.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS
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