Walls & Ceilings Group Publisher Jill Bloom speaks with Tammy Clark regarding a new clause on jobsite hazards. She is a highly credentialed Health, Safety, & Compliance Professional who works in the fields of Industrial Hygiene, Occupational & Environmental Health & Safety. In this episode, Bloom and Clark are on an actual jobsite.

Clark is an in-demand lecturer and trainer, and enjoys speaking to industry organizations, trade groups, government agencies, and organizations nationwide. Her goal is to help companies create a safe working environment for employees by applying Total Quality Management principles to the company's safety program, and teaching clients how to manage their program so it is sustainable and always up-to-date. Clients benefit from her services as their working environments become safer while their safety programs become compliant with current regulatory requirements.

Understanding the Greater Hazard Clause: Safety First

Speaking from an actual jobsite, Health, Safety, & Compliance expert Tammy Clark emphasizes the importance of tailored safety approaches rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, which can inadvertently create greater risks.

In this video, she talks about a recent clause that will affect subcontractors in regards to jobsite hazards. In Clark’s remarks to general contractors, “One of the main things is I’m struggling with in my profession to keep people safe is the general contractor approach, a one-size-fits-all approach does not work nor consider the factors that the contractors as far as means and methods.

“I would never come in here and tell a contractor how to do a job as I’m not the competent person.

“Competent Person, the person qualified by experience and can anticipate and correct hazards on the jobsite. They can stop the work or correct the work,” she said. “Well, the GC isn’t the CP on the job. So, taking a blanket approach does not consider the fact that they are violating the individual contractor’s CP status and makes and determines the health and safety standards.”

I’m seeing this across the board—you name it—and it’s been frustrating as it’s created a greater hazard.

What is a decision that someone is making that might a greater job site hazard.

“Here’s an example: A roofing contractor determined that everyone on the job site has to wear steel-toed boots. They’re not taking into consideration that that affects roofing contractors. It puts them at greater risks for falls, I’ve seen serious falls from that.”