On Friday, April 7th, the CF Evans Construction site leadership at The Lively at Carolina Forest organized a Safety Awareness Cookout for the entire site. Our safety presentations and cookouts serve as a fun way for all involved with our project sites to refocus on safety precautions and topics relevant to their day to day work. Hank Rhame, our Safety Compliance Officer, gave a safety presentation on what PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is expected to be worn on site and when. He discussed hardhats, proper clothing, proper footwear, eye protection, and hearing protection. The next part of the presentation dealt with fall protection to include safety rails, PFAS (personal fall arrest systems), and ladder safety.

Safety rails are a big opportunity for our project sites. Rhame explained that the rail systems at the breezeways and balconies locations are there for their protection and should not be removed.

Individuals working at heights 6 feet or greater must wear fall protection or have a safety rail system installed. If a PFAS is the only option, then the system has to be working, serviceable, complete and compatible. A correctly installed PFAS starts with an approved anchorage system that can support 5,000 pounds. Typically, in multifamily housing construction the anchorage system will be limited to a roofer’s anchor plate or cross-arm strap. The next component of a complete PFAS is the lifeline. The lifeline or lanyard connects the worker wearing the harness to the anchor system. The harness should fit the worker comfortable and be serviceable. These systems will always connect to each other by snap-hook and D-ring and never be tied or connected back to itself.

The ladder presentation covered both step ladders and extension ladders. Both types of ladders must be working, serviceable, and inspected before use. Ladders should be free of any dings, breaks and cracks. If such is found during the inspection, the ladder must be taken out of service. Ladders must be placed on a firm level foundation. Step ladders should be used only in the fully open and locked position and never leaning against an object. Workers are prohibited from standing on the top two steps of any ladder system.

After the safety presentation, the entire site was served a gourmet meal of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs with all the condiments, and our site superintendent’s special baked bean recipe. In addition to the 80 site workers that were served, representatives from developer Orange Capital Advisors and property management firm Meridian Residential Group also enjoyed the delicious meal.