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Safety Director Of The
Month: by Joe Wheeler
"There was this big piece of plastic hanging out and I went to get it," he said. The plastic acted like a sail, catching the wind and pulling the scaffold away from the building. "As soon I stepped on it, it started shifting. I felt it slide and stepped away and the whole thing (the scaffold) fell away from me." The scaffold caught on the eaves of the building, and they quickly secured it in place and got rid of the plastic once and for all. Unhurt by the incident, it reinforced for Eddie Pritchard the lesson that safe, solid scaffold is no luxury. Today, he spends a good part of his time inspecting scaffolds to ensure that his crews are working safely, and that no one goes sailing anytime soon. Walking an American West job site with American West Safety Director Tanya Spatz, Pritchard and Spatz talked about the demands of keeping residential job sites safe. "When we get to the point where the scaffold is up, I come and check it," Pritchard said. "I check the set up, make sure there’s three planks across, check the cross braces, and make sure it’s tied off." He’ll also check the crews to make sure there’s hard hats and safety glasses in place. If someone lacks either one, he gives them what they need. "Basically, our guys are pretty good," he said. For violators of the company safety program, he says they have a progressive discipline system. "First violation, it’s a warning. Second one, it’s a written notice. The third violation, you’re out," he said. He’s happy that he hasn’t had to fire someone for safety problems in years, and credits that with the simple fact that Sierra Tahoe expects everyone to follow the rules and everyone knows it. Tanya Spatz said that builder American West is also serious about safety issues and writes "citations" for subs who are not in compliance. "We have a ticket book and issue violation notices to subcontractors," she said. "Three citations of the same nature at a job site and you get a very nasty letter. If you’re caught the fourth time, that employee is removed from the job site. Five or more citations and we go to the owner of the company and decide if a fine is implemented." The project, Coronado Ranch, is a major development in the Southwest area of the Las Vegas Valley. Located between Rainbow Boulevard and the 215, the development features 2000 homes planned for construction. There will be as many as 200 workers on site at height of construction.
He once shut down power to an entire neighborhood to safely plaster a building located dangerously located close to a 7500 watt power line. "We erected a mesh that allowed air and water to pass through, but our guys couldn’t touch the line," he said. "We had Nevada Power shut down power to the entire area, and had to notify everyone in the neighborhood. It took an entire Saturday to do the job." Eddie Pritchard started working with Sierra Tahoe in 1989, when he left the military after 28 years of service. He’s done every field job the company has to offer, starting out as a clean-up guy. When the crew he was on was short of workers one day, he started learning how to plaster. Company owner Dick Peck asked him in 1995 to be the safety director, and Pritchard has been doing that job ever since. "It’s really been fun," he said. "I like working for the company. I had a chance to go to work for the Post Office after I left the service. The Civil Service wanted to send me to Mississippi, but I turned them down." Pritchard has been married 40 years to his wife, Johnnie. "Everybody needs someone like Johnnie," he says. "She’s been my rock." A proud father of three grown children, his youngest boy is Michael Pritchard, former NFL wide receiver for Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. |
From The Construction Zone August
2001