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McCarthy Helmet Transition

Republished from a McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. e-mail to Lone Star dated January 26, 2023. www.McCarthy.com


Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2023 2:18 PM Subject: McCarthy Trade Partner Helmet Policy - Please Read


TRADE PARTNER HELMET TRANSITION


WHAT


Earlier this year, McCarthy made a transition from standard hard hats to helmets across all our Regions.

This decision was not taken lightly and involved a high level of detailed planning and feedback from our Operations and Field teams.

Below is some detail on why we made this decision, lessons learned and benefits we’ve heard from our partners. We know many in the industry may be making this transition as well and hopefully, this can assist how you can be prepared to make this transition now, if you elect to do so, as helmets will become a requirement on every McCarthy project for our Trade Partners on July 1, 2023. McCarthy is available to help answer any questions or share best practices from our transition.


WHY

New technology provides greater defense against traumatic brain injuries.


Construction workers sustain more traumatic brain injuries than employees at any other type of workplace in the United States, according to a recent report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). Traumatic brain injuries represented one-quarter of all construction fatalities during the eight-year study period. According to the report, workers 65 and older were nearly four times more likely to sustain a fatal traumatic brain injury than workers 25 to 34 years

old. More than half of fatal work-related traumatic injuries are a result of falls – particularly from roofs, ladders, and scaffolds.


Safety helmets offer superior head protection for construction workers, including much greater defense against impacts to the front, back, and sides of the head. In addition, safety helmets feature an integral chinstrap to keep head protection in place in the event of a fall, while leaning over, or looking up.

Armed with the above data and our commitment to the safety of all individuals, McCarthy is raising the standard for head protection. For years, the traditional hardhat was the first line of defense in preventing the types of head injuries stated above. With new technology and innovation comes added protection and the latest four-point chin strap safety helmets offer the highest protection standards, while still being comfortable and versatile.


Although those working at heights are at greater risk of injuries from falls, other activities including material handling and falling objects or simply slipping and tripping can cause a traditional hardhat to come off which can lead to serious injuries; the four-point chin strap will assure that the helmet stays

in place regardless of the type of task being performed.


Additional drivers behind the transition:

• Better head protection could have significantly reduced the severity of several serious injuries experienced over the past years.

• We anticipate this requirement to evolve into an expectation from client across the industry.

• We continue to see our industry evolving towards better head protection and we want to proactively be a part of this evolution.

• Consistency across the industry as peers and clients begin to implement this requirement.


WHEN

We will be making a full transition to helmets across our projects beginning July 1, 2023.

WHO

Determining who would benefit the most from this change


At McCarthy, we did an evaluation of who would benefit from helmets and quickly determined that it was necessary to make this transition across our entire employee population. We will be requiring our Trade Partners to use helmets that incorporate the following features:

• Safety helmet that meets the requirements of recognized testing against vertical, front, back, and side impacts as well as penetration). This requirement includes meeting ANSI Type II or EN 12492 testing. Current helmets that meet this requirement include, but are not limited to, the following:


o JSP EVO 6151 Ascend

o JSP EVO 6161 Ascend

o JSP EVO Vistalens Ascend

o JSP EVO Vistashield Ascend

o Milwaukee 48-73-1300 (Vented)

o Milwaukee 48-73-1301

o Milwaukee 48-73-1320 (Vented)

o Milwaukee 48-73-1321

o KASK Zenith X

o KASK Superplasma

o MSA V-Gard H1 Trivent

o Petzl Vertex Series

o Petzl Strato Series


• Four-point, adjustable chin strap - provides a secure fit; easily replaced.

• Ratchet suspension - easily adjustable, to comfortably fit different head sizes which ensures a precise and comfortable fit around the back of the head.

• Universal accessory slots for adding an integrated visor, glasses, or face shield.

• Electric shock protection - Protection against electrical hazards (Class E) if electrical exposure exists for your employees.


HOW

Lean on McCarthy as a trusted partner – we’re happy to provide guidance and support.


McCarthy has spent significant resources in the development and piloting of several Safety Helmets and will continue to invest in products that provide additional levels of protection for those on our projects. Injuries to the head, either from heights, a simple slip and fall, or dropped objects, can be irreversible or even fatal. Because of these life threatening/altering consequences, McCarthy is taking steps to require additional protection for those on our sites.


Our Regional Safety Leadership is available to also provide feedback, lessons learned and further guidance to you.



Billy Naylor

SOUTHERN REGION


Billy Naylor

Vice President Safety wnaylor@mccarthy.com












Thank you for time and support as a partner to us.

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