Of the
worker fatalities in 2017, 21 percent occurred in construction according to the
Occupational Safety and
Health Administration. OSHA says the key to saving more lives is to
eliminate what it calls the “Fatal Four.” These comprise almost 60
percent of fatalities in 2017.
Fortunately,
the industry can reduce that with education and the right tools. Here are the
four best ways to increase safety and reduce construction site injuries.
1.
Make Safety the No. 1 Priority
Management can incorporate safety on the work site
to create a safety-first culture. Start simply by posting safety rules in high
traffic areas. Work toward holding an informal safety talk and discussion at
the start of each workday. During this talk, managers cover different safety
rules and share information about safer processes, equipment, and tools.
A helpful resource for these talks is OSHA’s
10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in 2018. Each one
contains a link to a related topic page for more information on how to protect
workers.
Companies that have year-long streaks without a
workplace incident regularly hold safety training. They also post a dedicated
safety manager on site. If this isn’t possible, assign someone on site to
oversee health and safety.
2.
Encourage Speaking Up
Workers
are one of the best resources for preventing construction site injuries. They
are the ones in the field who can see potential problems. According to Crucial Conversations, authors Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny conducted a survey on workplace threats. The survey reveals that 93 percent of the respondents say their workplace is at risk from a safety issue that no one will talk about.
Management
can avert this by encouraging employees to speak up when they see something.
Give them a way to report problems without fear of retaliation. Moreover, OSHA
reports that managers sidestep providing feedback to avoid confrontations.
Feedback on performance is crucial to improving safety. Training is available
to help managers do it in a constructive, positive way.
3.
Invest in High-quality Safety Gear
Safety
as a No. 1 priority requires supplying employees with high-quality personal
protective equipment (PPE). Yes, it tends to cost more., but proper gear leads
to fewer construction
site injuries, which saves money. Part of the savings can go into
PPE.
The
companies with the lowest rate of safety incidents have two other things in
common besides providing regular safety training. They emphasize the importance
of high-quality PPE and educating employees on which PPE is required for each
task.
4.
Add Construction Site Security
One
option for construction
site security to help reduce theft is remote video surveillance. Not
only can it help deter thrift, remote video surveillance can also spot
potential safety problems.
Live
video monitoring technology eliminates the need for on-site security
guards patrolling at night. Taking security guards out of the
equation helps decrease construction site injuries. What’s more, the technology
costs a fraction of what it would cost to hire security guards.
If you would like more information about proactive security
solutions and how they can help reduce construction site injuries, please contact us.
