The BX Safety Achievement Award 
for outstanding injury and illness statistics  

The BX Safety Innovation Award  
for creative and unique safety practices

2007/08

• Adena Corp.

• Athens Glass Service

• Atlas Industrial Electric

• Bruner Corporation

• Capital City Electric, LLC

• Capital Fire Protection Co.

• Continental Building Systems

• Corna Kokosing Construction Co.

• Custom Air Conditioning and Heating Co.

• Danis Building Construction Co.

• Echo 24, Inc.

• G Force Automatic Doors, LLC

• Gilbane Building Company

• Heiberger Paving, Inc.

• Joe Dirt

• Lang Masonry Contractors, Inc.

• Limbach Co. LLC

• Lincoln Construction Inc.

• Lithko Contracting, Inc.

• Messer Construction Co.

• Mid-City Electric Co.

• Sauer Inc.

• Settle Muter Electric

• Smoot Elford Resource

• Solid Rock Builders and Developers, Inc.

• Suburban Erectors

• Suburban Steel Supply

• The Righter Co., Inc.

• The Superior Group

• Thomas Glass Co., Inc.

• Trucco Construction Co., Inc.

• Turner Construction Co.

• Continental Building Systems – for a method to protect electrical cords. With multiple cords running on a jobsite and being pulled in different directions, Continental wanted to device a way to minimize stress on the male end of electrical cords to reduce the number of missing third prongs and strain relief. The company created a cord protector tree which is made of hard plastic with a sturdy metal base. Strong enough to avoid dipping over, it can be placed near temporary panels. The cords are plugged into the temporary power and then easily fed through a smooth slot in the tree before being moved up to 100 feet away for use. Each slot accommodates multiple 14 or 12 gauge cords.
  
  

• Continental Building Systems – for developing a ladder base angle bracket to prevent the base from slipping or being kicked out. Especially in cases where a temporary extension ladder will be in use for a long time periods or the surface may become slippery, the angle bracket remains secure and ensure the proper 75 degree angle. Tapcons are used to secure the bracket first to the concrete, and the ladder fits securely inside and is held in place in four areas.
  
  

• Continental Building Systems – for creating a top step shield for use on step ladders. The shield is made out of Plexiglas and is painted to make it highly visible. It is attached to ladders using brackets and screws that only penetrate the Plexiglas without compromising the integrity of the ladder. In addition to preventing employees from using the top step of a ladder, it also provides a “leg rest” for employees to lean against when standing immediately below the shield, providing more stability for overhead work.
  
  

• Continental Building Systems – for addressing floor hole covers in multi-story structures where many piping holes expose employees to safety hazards. Typically using Tapcons to screw wood to the concrete floor, the old method can be very time consuming. Many times the materials used to secure aren’t strong enough or they are removed and never replaced. The cover created by Continental is made out of a ¼-inch plate of steel to withstand pedestrian and equipment traffic. Sized to fit standard pipe holds with a lip that sits on the floor to keep it secure, the covers sit nearly flush with the floor as to not create a trip hazard.
  
  

• Continental Building Systems – for a magnetic cord management system for the temporary support of electrical cords. Electrical cords strewn across the floor create a serious tripping hazard, and it’s a constant battle on most construction sites. Additionally, electrical cords on the ground are often laying in standing water when weather conditions are bad. The cords are also damaged by equipment rolling over them. To address this issue, Continental used small, powerful magnets to tie cords off the ground and used Velcro to tie them to extension cords. The magnetic pouch instantly adheres to any steel material, metal deck, structural steel, steel stair stringers, metal ceiling grid or steel door frames. The Mag-Bag is strong enough to hold a long length of 12 gauge cord, yet is easily removable.
  
  

• Elford, Inc. – for minimizing electrical hazards on articulating boom lifts. With some manufacturers recognizing the need for electricity being supplied to the basket of the lift, the current method unfortunately creates additional safety hazards. An electrical cord stretched across the ground is exposed to traffic and environmental conditions, in addition to creating trip hazards. And trying to maintain visual contact from 70 or 80 feet is difficult. The shortcut is to tie extension cords around the basket’s handrail, which creates the risk of the electrical cord being worn, cut or broken. To address this, Elford, Inc. created a cord holder using a cut section of 3-inch diameter PVE pipe, about nine inches long. By securing it to the basket’s handrail on the boom, the electrical extension cord is looped to the designed length and a wooden dowel holds the cord in place.
  
  

• Smoot Construction – for preventing ergonomic injuries caused by carrying granite slabs weighing up to 1,200 pounds. The granite slab is secured to the hoist lift line, and then raised clear of the existing building structure. Next the granite is lowered toward the hoist mast and placed onto the plywood base. After being secured, the front wheels of the Roust are positioned to carry the front platform load, while a pallet jack is placed under the rear of the Roust About and extended to its full length. The pallet jack enables the innovation to be pulled backwards five feet before lowering the jack. Now a wooden A-frame is put into position between the front end of the Roust About and the wall, secured and centered on the dolly. The granite slab may now be lifted above the A-frame’s front lip and lowered onto the wooden A-frame and wheeled away.
  
  

• Trucco Construction Co., Inc. – for fabricating a portable fall restraint system for use in manholes. The system consists of two 50-inch long, 1.5-inch square, steel-tubing section welded together in a plus sign. During the process, a 5/8-inch diameter oval master link is placed in the center where the two sections intersect and are welded together forming a permanent tie-off point for retractable lanyard attachment. Without the device, employees had been exposed to fall hazards from six to more than 32 feet.

2006/07

• Adena Corp.

• Anderson Concrete Corp.

• Bruner Corp.

• Continental Building Systems

• Corna/Kokosing Construction Co.

• Custom Air Conditioning and Heating Co.

• Echo 24, Inc.

• G Force Automatic Doors, LLC

• Gilbane Building Company

• Gutknecht Construction Co.

• Limbach Co., LLC

• Lincoln Construction Inc.

• MAC Construction, Inc.

• Martin Painting & Coating Co.

• Mid-City Electric Co.

• Oberfield’s, Inc.

• Performance Site Environmental

• Rocky Fork Co.

• Royal Electric Construction Corp.

• Sauer, Inc.

• Speer Mechanical

• Suburban Steel Supply Co., LP

• The Superior Group

• Thomas Glass Co., Inc.

• TP Mechanical Contractors

• Turner Construction Co.

• Bruner Corporation – for redesigning the method in which medical gas lines are installed. For a single pipe cut, several repetitive motions are required which create significant ergonomic concerns and exposure to puncture wounds. More than 125,000 repetitive motions would be required to complete 2,000 feet of medical gas piping. Using a specific cutting wheel, cleaning tool and deburring/reaming tool, now known as the “Copper Chopper”, Bruner was able to streamline the steps in pipe preparation and construction installation, significantly reducing the exposure to ergonomic injuries and puncture wounds.
  
  

• Continental Building Systems – for a fall protection anchorage device for doors and windows. During the initial phases of a multi-story project, traditional guardrail systems were in place, but as the project neared finishing stages, there was no longer an edge to clamp to and screwing into the finished project was not an option. Working with a fabrication shop and CTL Engineering, Inc., Continental created Safeway 5000. The device is made out of stainless steel tubing with a D-ring welded in place, and each end has an anchor plate welded to the tubing with 16 holes, used to screw the device into any structural member, such as the window or door frames. Adjustable from 36 to 48 inches, the device uses a square tube inside another tube to increase or decrease the span. The tubes are held together with a spring pin which serves as a secondary locking system. The system provides a safe tie-off point for all phases of construction.
  
  

• Continental Building Systems – for developing a concrete blanket roller to reduce ergonomic injuries. Traditionally rolled by hand, a laborer would lean over and physically roll the blanket as he walks, lifting the roll to place a wire underneath and then tie around the blanket before carrying into a storage shed or truck. Continental designed a concrete blanket roller that enables a person to quickly roll up, tie and store concrete blankets without back strain. One end of the blanket is inserted into a roller. Using a hand crank at waist level, the blanket is rolled up and tied using wire from a reel attached to the roller. One end is fixed, but the other end quickly opens and allows the operator to slide the blanket off the roller and place directly into the storage unit.
  
  

• Corna/Kokosing Construction Co. – for developing a process for dumping trash hoppers. In the past, employees used a forklift to carry a full trash hopper into a dumpster before reaching an elevation of about eight feet to activate the gravity-operated locking handle of the hopper. To do this, many workers use the tire or fender of the forklift, grabbing anything nearby to reach the handle and release the hopper. Corna/Kokosing developed a new safety process to keep hands and fingers clear of the moving parts and pinch points. After welding a hook, chains and handle, an employee unhooks the chain that holds the two main parts of the hopper together letting the pipe handle lay on the ground. Once the hopper is raised into placed and positioned for dumping, the extension handle is lifted off the ground. Then the employee grabs the handle, places it on the bottom of the hopper lock and pushes “up.” The hopper dumps and is lowered to the ground, so employees re-hook the chain and pipe handle for the next use.
  
  

• HydroMaster Seeding & Tree Service – for creating a safety bar for the loading shoot of a hydroseeder. In loading materials into a hydroseeder shoot, HydroMaster recognized that the mouth of the shoot was large enough for an employee to fall into without a guard. By fabricating a safety bar, HydroMaster reduced the shoot area by 25%, and 39% respectively, on the two different hydroseeders. Easy to engage, it is an inexpensive, permanent structure that helps to protect employees while completing their job duties.
  
  

• Trucco Construction Co., Inc. – for developing a ladder support bracket for trench boxes. Ladder security in trench boxes has traditionally been achieved by either tying the ladder to the box spreaders or building a bracket that slips over the top of the box; however, Trucco recognized the limitations of this system when they designed a ladder support bracket that clamps to the trench box to prevent slipping and also a safety chain for added security. One bracket can be used on 4, 6, and 8-inch boxes, and additional brackets can be adjusted to different sizes in seconds. The bracket is made of square tubing for strength and weight.

2005/06

• Anderson Concrete Corp.

• Bruner Corporation

• Capital City Electric, LLC

• Capital Fire Protection Co.

• Chet Baker and Company

• Continental Building Systems

• Danis

• Elford, Inc.

• G Force Automatic Doors, LLC

• Gilbane Building Company

• Limbach Company, LLC

• Lincoln Construction Co.

• Mid-City Electric Co.

• Performance Site Co.

• The Righter Company, Inc.

• Sauer Incorporated

• Speer Mechanical

• Suburban Steel Erectors

• The Superior Group, 
  A Division of Electrical Specialists, Inc.

• TP Mechanical Contractors

• Bruner Corporation – for the simple use of warning labels on ladders to prevent accidents caused from misjudging how many rungs are left before reaching the floor. Often, employees will believe they have reached the ground when, in fact, they have 24 inches, creating a loss of balance, sprained ankles and other fall injuries. The warning label is placed on the side rail of a ladder between the sixth and seventh rungs to alert the worker that six rungs remain before the exit step, thus eliminating judgment errors.
  
  
• Continental Building Systems – for a scissors lift cord guide. When using a power tool or anything requiring an extension cord in a scissors lift, the cord often gets caught in the scissors part of the lift or gets run over, causing damage to the cord and creating the potential for a shock hazard. The guide is a removable steel bracket that attaches to the rails of the lift’s basket and has an eyelet at the end. The cord runs from the power source through the eyelet to the tool being used, keeping it away from damage.
  
  
• Continental Building Systems – for the use of an alarm that sounds when the chain for a scissors lift is not closed. With the help of a security company, Continental created a metal box that houses the alarm system, with a chain coming from the box that can run through or be attached to the scissors lift chain. At the end of the alarm chain is a device that hooks into the alarm connection, located right by the hook for the lift chain. When the connection is not in place, the alarm sounds, reminding the worker to close the chain.
  
  
• Corna/Kokosing Construction Co. – for the development of a wall pick, wall bracket for the support of work platforms. Tubular scaffolding and aluminum picks or wood plants are often used to serve as work platforms when installing roof trusses, exterior trim and soffits. However, their use introduces additional hazards like uneven ground and strain and sprain injuries caused from platforms developed at the wrong height. Made from recycled scaffold frames, the bracket is hung on any four to six inch wall, a scaffold outrigger is installed on the bracket and an aluminum pick is used as the work platform.
  
  
• GreenScapes Landscape Architects and Contractors – for devising a safe method to secure loads on trucks. For this system, each corner of a tarp is attached to a carabineer that connects to a spring. The springs attach to lines that run through a pulley system that is attached to the pole building while the pull rope is attached to a tall post. The driver simply idles through as the rope slowly lowers the tarp over the loaded truck bed. When the top edge of the tarp is lowered over the rear gate, it is detached from the carabineers. Permanent nylon lines are run through the tie-downs in the truck bed.
  
  
• Performance Site Co. – for developing a job trailer platform with fold-up stairs. The platform includes standard guard railing and metal stairs. A winch hoist system raises the platform up for storage when not in use and for movement of the trailer. In a revised design of the system, the once manually attached stairs can be secured to the platform with hinges. Then, when the platform is winced for storage, the stairs now fold under and secure to the platform, providing additional security for the trailer.