Here at Equity Construction we have recently updated our company Health & Safety Policy therefore we thought that we would include some handy tips for improving construction site safety in this week's blog.
Did you know that construction is one of the most dangerous land-based sectors in Europe?
With this in mind we’re going to look at 4 ways to improve safety measures on your construction site so that you can secure employees and increase profits.
Morning meetings:
Many businesses prefer their staff to turn up and get straight to work, but to ensure complete safety on site I recommend holding morning meetings. In these morning ‘scrums’ you can discuss the hazards on site, how to best protect against these hazards and the jobs that need to be done that day.
It’s also a great time for your employees to bring up any issues that they may have in terms of safety. Perhaps they don’t feel like they’ve been provided with the correct safety equipment.
A morning meeting is the perfect time of the day to address new hazards at work.
Cleaning rota:
‘Hold on. I work in construction, not cleaning!’
I know, but site housekeeping is vital if you want safety on site. It’s very common for tools, waste, and other manual construction equipment to be left strewn around the site.
This poses a number of risks – primarily trip and fire hazards. If one person is delegated each day to walk round the site clearing these hazards it’s lessening the risk of one of your employees becoming injured.
Inspections:
Safety inspections should be carried out on every construction site, regardless of size. If you bring in a professional they’ll be able to assess the area, pick out each hazard and offer a safety solution. If you’re a smaller business and a professional inspection doesn’t fit into your budget, you can perform the inspection yourself. There’s no excuse!
Training:
It doesn’t matter which industry you’re in, providing the correct training is probably the most important way to ensure safety at work. If you haven’t trained your staff on how to correctly use a piece of equipment or perform a task you’re the one putting them at risk.
If there are any new employees on the site, they’re much more likely to harm themselves than more experienced workers. It’s always a good idea to ask your experienced staff members to train the newer ones.
So, the next time you head out to work on a construction site, consider these 4 things. Are your employees protected? Do you take the necessary measures to guarantee employee safety? If not, then try putting these four tips into practice!
