It is your duty as a business owner to encourage a secure work environment and make sure your employees avoid avoidable mishaps and injuries. Employees enjoy working in an environment free of accidents and injuries since it increases their output and morale. But regrettably, accidents at work happen often these days, regardless of the type of organization.
In fact, according to the BLS, businesses reported more than 2.8 million non-fatal injuries and occupational illnesses in 2017. This suggests that there are three occupational injuries for every 100 employees.
That said, these accidents and injuries happen when workers disregard safety guidelines. Although each industry has its own safety regulations that employees must abide by, accidents seem to occur more frequently in the construction sector.
A simple Google search reveals that more than 40,000 workers are hurt yearly because of falling in Canada. As dynamic as the country is, as more and more construction projects are initiated, the percentage of workers getting injured, feeling pain, or suffering from substance-related illnesses increases.
Knowing how strict labor laws are in Canada, it would be ideal if you carefully safeguard on-site employees. With that in mind, here are a few tips.
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Provide Safety Gear to Workers
Unexpected incidents and unknown safety risks are common at construction sites. Therefore, giving your construction site workers the most recent safety gear and equipment makes sense to guarantee they remain as safe and secure as possible.
Ultimately, something as simple as searching online for prescription safety glasses Canada on any popular search engine will help provide the best eye safety gear for your workers to avoid unwanted eye damage.
Hard hats, eye protection, three-point harnesses, and hearing protection are some of the necessary safety equipment workers need. Moreover, things like heavy-duty gloves, gas masks, slip-resistant steel-toe boots, and clothing for workers should also be provided to ensure their safety.
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Communicate with On-Site Workers
Your construction employees’ safety and security depend on effective communication. Workers at a building site must be constantly alert to potential health concerns and other external dangers. Therefore, it is essential to encourage employees to share information with management regarding areas of the safety plan that need to be changed. Additionally, they must be urged to report any prospective places that pose a health risk.
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Inspect Tools and Equipment Regularly
Heavy machinery and equipment are necessary for construction workers to do their work quickly and successfully. It is extremely dangerous if construction equipment breaks down during operation as it can cause limb loss or, in extreme situations, death.
According to OSHA, failing machinery and equipment are to blame for around 75% of construction site accidents.
Construction organizations can prevent failure and malfunction by doing routine inspections and maintenance on their heavy machinery and construction equipment. Additionally, routinely maintained equipment will operate more effectively and guarantee that your building project is completed ahead of schedule.
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Inspect the Construction Site Thoroughly
A construction company’s responsibility is to assess a construction site thoroughly to find any potential dangers or hazards before beginning any project. When creating your safety plan, you may consider all factors by identifying these safety risks and hazards and the possible accidents they might cause.
Therefore, this will prevent occupational risks and accidents from happening when you least expect them. Plus, doing so will also allow you to devise an emergency response plan if a worker suffers from a life-threatening construction-related injury.
Once you’ve done that, give this plan to your workers and instruct them to carry it with them at all times. They will be able to deal with problems as they come up while keeping an eye out for dangers in certain parts of the construction site.
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Use Signage to Warn Workers of Potential Dangers and Hazards
Construction site engineers should direct project managers to place warning signs near high-voltage cables and other places where electrocution could occur. On the other hand, power must be turned off in certain areas until personnel finishes any task that requires them to be in a location with a greater risk of electrocution.
Project managers, contractors, and owners must fence off these regions using pylons, ropes, and obstacles to prevent workers from entering high-risk zones unnecessarily. When attempting to keep the building site as safe as possible for your workers, posting signs stating “Risk of Fall” or “Danger” is an excellent idea to ensure workers know what they’re getting into.
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Give Regular Breaks to On-Site Workers
Working on a construction site requires a lot of physical effort. Sadly, construction workers are not superhumans and are susceptible to stress and exhaustion like everyone else. As a result, project managers and contractors should provide their on-site employees with frequent breaks, whether it be a 15-minute rest period to stretch or an hour-long lunch break to relax and fuel up.
Nevertheless, some on-site employees might desire to use their break to generate extra income. Therefore, it is your duty as the owner to encourage them to take a break and rest their bodies. The probability of dangers and mishaps will significantly decrease by doing something like this!
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Evaluate Construction Site Workers Before Hiring Them
When trying to prevent accidents and injuries, knowing if your on-site staff has the professional expertise and physical capability to do construction-related jobs safely and effectively will go a long way. For example, work on a construction site is typically more physically demanding than other types of work. Therefore, you must assess candidates before hiring them.
You must ensure your on-site workers are in top mental and physical shape if the job description calls for them to undertake demanding jobs, operate large machinery, or be exposed to hazardous substances and chemicals. This is probably the best construction site safety advice anyone can give you!
The Final Words
Unfortunately, accidents and injuries in the construction industry will always occur, either due to your negligence or a worker’s. Nevertheless, you must take the necessary precautions to keep your on-site workers as far away from these accident-prone places as possible.
Furthermore, you must also be prepared to provide workers with the treatment they need to get back on their feet if they suffer an injury. After all, happy employees will work more productively and guarantee that your construction project remains on schedule.
