Waiward pulled deteriorated and bent Hickey bars from service, added cautionary stickers to the tools that remained and, with its supervision team, built an instructor-led training program with a hands-on competency component covering hand positioning, load limits and stanchion setup, a tool-specific approach we outlined in our feature on [job hazard analyses that cut repeat workplace injuries]. The job hazard analysis is reviewed annually, and new hires complete the training during onboarding. “I look back at the last two-plus years, and we haven’t had an incident with a Hickey bar, whether it’s steel rolling off, an ergonomic soft-tissue injury, or a recordable with the hands,” Wolkowycki said.
