Page 77 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2017

lower back strains. The heavy and repetitive lifting that caused the strains was replaced with a lightweight remote control box to oper- ate the robotic equipment. In addition, the group reduced diamond blade costs by limiting diamond saw use to scoring concrete before breaking it with the machines. Before the new equipment, Coring & Cutting Group tried to cut back on wear on their employees by focusing on cutting and not breaking. The safety and lack of physi- cal strain from remote-controlled demolition machines allowed the group to add breaking back in, reducing the amount of dia- mond blades they needed to use for cutting.
Another concrete contractor, Mike Iiams, owner of Precision Cutting & Coring in Kansas City, Kansas, has seen much of the same. He bought the first of his company’s three remote-controlled demolition machines six years ago and estimates they’ve helped him reduce pneumatic tool use by 60 to 70 percent.
He said the improved safety offered by the new machines has also helped reduce the company’s workers’ compensation claims, as well as its experience modification rate, or EMR, every year. Insur- ance companies calculate the EMR by looking at a company’s safety record and using it to gauge future chances of risk. The higher the EMR, the costlier the insurance premiums.
In addition, Iiams said, profits have increased and productivity on the job is at least 50 percent higher than it was before he bought the remote-controlled equipment. The high-tech tools also reduce diamond blade costs and increase wall saw lifespans by reducing the amount of cutting needed. Iiams said Precision Cutting & Cor- ing completes 20 percent of its work with the machines, and it’s work they either would have done another way or couldn’t have done without the equipment.
Drawing a Younger, Savvier, Crowd
In addition to improving safety, this new technology is pivotal to enticing a younger workforce. The new generations have been raised on advanced technology and have a strong desire to avoid manual labor. Cutting-edge robotics that appeal to the sense of technology and reduce or nearly eliminate manual labor will be much more successful in attracting younger workers. The Coring & Cutting Group used robotic demolition and sawing equipment to adapt their group of 25 companies to millennials and, as a re- sult, the average age of their team of about 300 workers is just 25 years old. The group cut their turnover rate from 33 percent before the new equipment to 23 percent today. Productivity, including the speed with which the group completes jobs and the amount of new work coming in, increased 17 percent over the past three years. Carl Jones said they keep the young workers excited and eager to work by holding regular training sessions and spending money on new technology. Jones said the group made the choice to invest in the machines after realizing insurance costs were getting too high and that it would be difficult to attract new employees to eventu- ally replace their older crew if they continued their traditional ap- proaches to strenuous work.
Iiams explained turnover is low for him as well, and about half of his 45 employees are 25 or younger. The contractor said his younger workers are drawn to the high-tech equipment and are naturals at using it, while his older workers generally prefer not to run the units. But, as a result of using the machines for a portion of the project, the workers don’t need to use handheld tools, and expe-
From a safe distance, contractors can operate the remote-controlled demolition Brokk machine’s three-part arm with attachments for breaking, cutting, and a number of other applications.
rience the associated wear, as often. He also noted that the robotic equipment helps extend the careers of his older workers as they can limit the more physically demanding aspects of their work. The result is that the company benefits from keeping experienced workers around longer.
Solutions from Unique Tech
The new, fresh-faced workers are demanding safe and efficient methods instead of unnecessary hard labor in their daily tasks. By choosing new technology, such as remote-controlled demolition machines as well as cutting equipment, contractors, foundries, and operations in other tough industries can reduce workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims. They can then use the ROI to pay for the new equipment. Iiams estimated that, with the savings in injury, EMR, and diamond blade costs along with the increase in productivity, it took about one year for him to pay off his small- est demolition robot, and two years for his medium-sized unit. In addition, the investment can improve morale, lower turnover rates, and attract a young generation of workers eager to learn to do their work in a unique, new way.
Peter Bigwood is the vice president of sales and marketing for Brokk’s North American subsidiary. He has more than 25 years of industry and leadership experience. Bigwood is a member of the National Demolition Association, is on the board of the Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association, and is on the safety committee for the Steel Manufacturers Association. Brokk (www.brokk.com) has been a leading manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition machines and attachments for 40 years. The Coring & Cutting Group (www.saw- concrete.com) has provided commercial, industrial and residential concrete sawing and drilling services since 1979. The collective of- fers services from residential work to selective demolition in highly regulated markets such as hospitals, food processing, and nuclear power plants. Kansas City, Kansas-based Precision Cutting & Cor- ing (www.wecutkc.com) has provided a full range of concrete cutting and demolition-related services since 2005.
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