Construction requires constant and meticulous attention to safety—which also means constantly looking for ways to improve and innovate. That’s where being part of a large organization with a diversity of geographies, practices, and perspectives comes in. Read more.
Many of STO Building Group’s builders have had a 100% glove policy as part of their PPE for years. But in some geographies, it wasn’t a regulatory mandate, and teams didn’t necessarily see a need to require them for all tasks. But, says Keith Haselman, STOBG senior VP of corporate safety, the data was showing they may want to reconsider.
“We saw the overall number of safety incidents going down in our companies that mandated gloves,” he says. “We took that information back to the rest of the organization, and everyone agreed it was worth making a change to improve.”
This spring, STOBG’s safety team rolled out a new glove policy which states that protective gloves are mandatory on all new project jobsites. The mandatory glove policy requires that all personnel, including visitors and staff, wear protective gloves with a cut level of 4 or higher when they are on the construction site. Exemptions to this policy can only be applied if the workers are placed in situations that are deemed unsafe or their quality of work could be impaired by the gloves.
According to Haselman, the policy has already gained a large amount of support and traction among STOBG builders and their subcontractors—and it’s continuing to set STOBG above the rest as a leader in safety protocols and culture.
“It’s very important that STO Building Group and all of our builders walk the talk and take leadership of safety in this industry,” says Haselman. “It’s our responsibility to share the lessons we learn with our partners and help this industry continue to progress. This 100% glove policy does just that.”