Successful construction establishments are built on robust construction health and safety cultures. Besides, safety attitudes and practices are crucial to making sure workers feel safe from what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration illustrates as the ‘fatal four’: struck by an object, falls, caught-between or caught in, and electrocution. This is also integrated into practice to avoid prolonged work delays, hefty fines, and high insurance costs for the company. Construction professionals understand their responsibility to keep sites secure and safe to ensure worker retention, guarantee project quality, and improve ROI simultaneously.
To garner positive influence, a construction organization must look for multiple ways to ensure that a worker’s security goes beyond the regular on-site inspection and required PPE. Speaking of which, successful companies are constantly on the lookout for things they can enhance, improve, and perform better. And, when it concerns this, such firms need not look adrift. Consider starting by ameliorating their safety culture. Safety policies, procedures, and training need frequent updates and upgrades to keep up with transforming times and accommodate various WorkSafe construction site requirements.
If you have been wondering what else can be reinforced into your construction safety culture, consider picking some from the enhancements mentioned in the rundown.
1. Leverage Safety Management System
A potent safety management system is integral to understanding the overview of all aspects of construction health and safety policy on a site. At its core, an SMS is a systematic way to oversee all safety-specific activity on a site. That begins with hazard identification and comprises plans, objective setting, safety policy, meeting schedules, safety training schedules, reporting procedures, assigning responsibilities, committee and management structures, and many more.
One such application is ZARDOX. It’s not just an application but a comprehensive computer-based Safety Management System. This health and safety software is designed for establishments that take accountability for their staff’s security. Besides, it’s one of the tools that enables businesses to set up robust safety systems. Having said that, the system ensures there are no damages and injuries. And, if there’s one, how to proceed.
2. Use Safety Gear and Tools
While personal safety gear and tools are quintessential in such an industry, innovative protective equipment can further enhance your firm’s safety values. Tools like hand wheels make certain machine operators can effectively control their equipment. Smartwatches, wearable devices in colored uniforms, and glasses enable managers to monitor site workers. Moreover, through such unprecedented ways, they can keep track of respective locations and alert managers in case of injuries or damages for immediate response dispatch.
3. Reiterate Safety as Core Value
The most standard improvement lies in reiterating safety. Construction professionals must refocus their attention on security as a guiding principle for every individual from top to bottom. Besides, management can communicate and liaise the significance of this core value by utilizing new methods, such as emails, text messages, and even mobile applications.
4. Personalize Safety Training
Health and safety in construction help individual workers avoid construction incidents and injuries. While new hires undergo safety training as part of your firm’s onboarding and apprenticeships is pivotal, pairing them with exemplary veterans could assist them in learning first-hand safety practices about your company. This is one of the effective and practical ways to fulfill health and safety requirements for builders as a work attitude for new workers.
Besides new hires, consider offering your seasoned employees refresher courses to refresh their memory of basic protocols. You can even provide them updates on site-specific regulations. While you’re at it, make these mandatory instead of optional course offerings. Offer engaging training and link-safety implementations, coupled with personal experience. Emphasize how safety practices make certain they can enjoy being with their respective families after a tough day’s work. Such a procedure can make you realize how safety attitudes go beyond the construction site.
5. Incorporate Toolbox Talks
According to the CCRT or Center for Construction Research and Training, toolbox talks are one of the best safety measures conveyed to Jobsite workers. As an employer or manager, consider utilizing it as a weekly or bi-weekly opportunity to educate workers on safety issues and general health. Encourage your workers to reciprocate the understanding of the subject through questions and feedback for the organization to develop effective and efficient policies. These can reflect their requirements and address on-the-job demands.
6. Make Safety Everyone’s Priority
Boosting and improving the construction safety culture needs the fluent participation of workers and staff. Besides offering them regular training, consider providing them with responsibilities to keep their health first and everyone safe and secure. It’s imperative to design a safety committee that brings in individuals from all company levels and departments.
Meanwhile, one can also choose to assemble a team designated to address quick incidence responses in case first-aid needs occur. Remember, these first-aid actions are provided in the fatal four situations:
• Slips
• Struck by objects
• Caught in/between
• Electrocution
Gathering workers and making them feel accountable can assist them in realizing the safety value of daily routines. This emotion encourages them to follow specific regulations and later compel fellow workers to abide by similar guidelines to ensure everyone’s security.
7. Reinforce Positive Behavior
Acknowledge and understand employee commitment to construction site health and safety practices by offering them straightforward treats like candies, hats, chocolate bars, or gift cards to grocery stores and other areas. Rewarding employees motivates them to perform better and sustain flawless performances on the job. Ideal practices will indeed pave the way to good safety habits eventually.
8. Have Incident Reporting in Place
Since safety needs training and time, construction organizations must also place incident reporting measures. Try and encourage workers to notify their respective supervisors and managers of unsafe conditions and report violations of safety codes committed by fellow workers. To lead a healthy environment, keep reporting anonymous and constructive feedback to invigorate compliance.
Additionally, you must ensure that supervisors submit their missed reports for an organization to utilize the data to design more efficient strategies to avoid any future accidents.
In the end
Improving construction safety culture entails connecting a twist to make safety practices and policies job-site and worker specific. Innovative wearable technologies and tools tend to upgrade safety procedures, whereas improved worker involvement offers them more significant accountability for the organization’s success and safety.
Safetyworx is the official supplier of Zardox Software, an easy, efficient, and affordable health & safety software that can help you manage and streamline systems, procedures, and documentation so your team can focus on getting the job done safely.
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