One of the most ignored aspects of a construction project is construction site safety. Accidents are tragic for workers and a hassle for HR in most businesses. Moreover, injuries on construction sites have the potential to be serious. Working at construction sites becomes less desirable with each new news report about natural disasters, earth-shattering explosions, and trapped workers — even as the population rises and the demand for new, upgraded buildings grows.
As a result, managers in the construction industry must have a plan to protect their employees, if not for ethical reasons, then for financial ones. Here are five best strategies on how construction companies can prevent worker accidents and increase construction site safety.
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Awareness
Understanding the dangers at construction sites and maintaining a state of constant attention and awareness is possibly the most effective approach to avoid accidents. OSHA Safety Checklists can help you become more aware of potential hazards and how to avoid them. Every person who enters a construction site should be aware of the hazards that come with the job and how to avoid them using their construction site safety knowledge.
Any manager who fails to inform their workers and personnel about how to stay safe and prevent injuries is failing as a manager. Any construction manager’s primary concern should be to ensure the safety of the construction workers and everyone else on the job site. Workers who have no understanding of construction site safety should not be allowed on the job.
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Training
Though the majority of a construction worker’s expertise can be acquired on the job, safety is one skill set that should be learned before any work begins. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other companies design brochures, worksheets, training videos, and even on-site training opportunities to help firms train their new laborers on proper construction safety and security standards.
Skilled workers should be obliged to attend frequent training sessions throughout the year to update their understanding of standard construction safety measures. Simple topics like fall prevention and ladder safety can be covered in these training sessions, but the goal is to ensure that everyone is properly trained. Workers should leave these training sessions knowing what safety precautions to take in the case of an emergency.
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Communication
When workers are unaware of what to expect, accidents are more likely to occur. Direct discussion about the day’s goals and activities will reduce the number of unexpected events that could result in bodily damage.
Workers will be uncertain of what to expect unless everyone on the construction site communicates effectively. Simple and straightforward communication with everyone not only accelerates the project but also keeps everyone informed. Informing the workers and ensuring that everyone is doing their job is an appropriate technique to communicate and ensure that they understand construction site safety.
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Documentation
You must have proper documentation of everything that will be done on-site in order to uphold construction site safety. Most Construction companies must jump through a few legal hoops before they can start working, and it is important that the necessary registrations and permits be obtained before work begins.
Supervisors and contractors who will be responsible for immensely challenging operations, such as blasting, should show proof of their qualifications well before starting work on the operation. This not only prevents accidents caused by insufficient training, but it also shields the construction company from legal action and public scrutiny.
In addition, integrating cloud and mobile technology to document all field activity makes it easier than ever to avoid future lawsuits.
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Proper Equipment
To develop a culture of construction site safety, you must provide workers with the necessary tools and a safe working environment. You can’t establish construction site safety without the right equipment since there’s always the risk of getting hurt if you use the wrong equipment or if the right equipment is used improperly.Â
Construction workers who are not properly equipped are sure to make deadly mistakes. Not only should all equipment on the work site be perfectly matched to the task at hand, but construction companies must also ensure that all machinery and materials are used properly.
Such basic things can be easily neglected, and if they are, the risk of on-site accidents increases. Proper construction equipment and maintenance guarantees that the construction firm ensures at least a certain level of construction site safety.
Conclusion
The construction industry’s primary aim is to reduce all workplace accidents, injuries, and deaths. The best method to reduce the frequency of injuries in construction sites is to keep workers informed about safety issues, provide training with proper knowledge about these issues, communicate and discuss ideas to enhance construction site safety programs, and document these issues for future reference.
To maintain the above strategies as well as reducing construction site injuries, it is essential to leverage a smart and innovative solution like CloudApper Safety. This simple mobile app is a perfect solution for OSHA recordkeeping and reporting workplace injuries, and allows your workers to log incidents, accidents, and near misses, whenever and wherever they occur. It has never been easier to comply with safety requirements in order to avoid penalties and reduce operational costs!
