Reducing Health & Safety Risks in Construction: An Introduction

Health and safety should be a priority for employers within any industry; however, some industries do have a higher rate of accidents and injuries in construction. It is within these industries that health and safety efforts should be taken especially seriously. Taking the necessary steps to safeguard your employees on a job site should be second nature to you, although sometimes things do get overlooked or safety measures become lax. Keep reading to learn more.

Responsibilities

Realistically, everyone on a construction site is responsible for taking their own safety seriously. That being said, some members of the team have more legal responsibilities than others to take the necessary steps to safeguard those on-site. Governing bodies set the standards which must be adhered to. Business owners and foremen are then responsible for the occupational safety of those on-site and making sure that standards and practices set out by the governing bodies are met. 

Planning

When looking for ways to manage health and safety, one of the first things that need to be done is planning. What are the aims? What are you trying to achieve? Planning is important because it helps to put the metrics in place for success. It acts as a record of compliance. The proactive approach is the best way to get ahead and ensure that hazards are identified and dealt with. The other people on-site should also be consulted because they have more experience down on the ground.

Risk Control 

You cannot reduce risks without first identifying them. You need to be the one in control. Fill out risk assessments and combine them with practical measures. Start by implementing the use of protective workwear in whatever capacity makes the most sense for your workers. It could be hi-vis vests, safety boots, hardhats or goggles. 

Next, you ought to think about the training level of those on-site. Insisting on keeping everyone’s training up to date makes sense because techniques and tools are constantly adapting and evolving, and current health and safety advice can quickly become outdated. Site managers should arguably be the most trained, followed by team leaders, et cetera. 

While there is often a deadline to work towards, it is still important to ensure that everyone on-site is taking breaks regularly. Tired and fatigued workers tend to be more likely to make mistakes which lead to accidents or injuries either to themselves or other members of the team. Therefore, breaks should be taken regularly to allow the workers to recharge a little before going back to work. 

Using the right equipment and following the right processes also helps mitigate the risks faced by employees and visitors to the site. All workers should be trained correctly so that they know how to carry out the tasks that they have been given. The equipment should be right for the job, as should the process set out. These might be small things, but they can have a big impact on the safety of everyone on-site; for example, scaffolding tags like the ones from Tagtec are used to indicate when scaffolding is and isn’t safe. 

Regular Reviews

‍It is also necessary to conduct regular reviews of your processes to see them in action; you can then adjust them as necessary. The review process should start with worker supervision. Have they all understood the risks posed by certain jobs and followed the processes put in place to keep them safe? Next, you might want to think about setting up a maintenance schedule with reminders so that nothing is forgotten or missed out. Also, what processes are in place for staff to report faulty or damaged equipment and how it is dealt with afterwards. 

All safety measures should be continually reviewed to check their efficacy. The monitoring allows you to gain a better idea of how far the processes have gone in removing risk and safeguarding the workers. Performance audits, spot checks, feedback and site stats can all go a long way in helping you to work out which processes have been the most helpful. Take action as soon as a hazard or issue emerges. 

The Bottom Line

Health and safety are incredibly important for all industries, but especially those that present workers with so many hazards like the construction industry. While the above can only be called an introduction that is in no way a comprehensive view, it does offer a great jumping-off point which can then be used to learn more about the processes that you can put in place and the risks that you can expect to encounter. Without having the proper risk mitigation strategies in place, the worksite is likely to experience far more accidents and injuries, which at the least could set the project back and mean a missed deadline or, in the worst case, could severely affect the standing of the construction company who then gains a reputation as a business that doesn’t do enough to protect their employees.