Construction sites are one of the most dangerous work environments, primarily because of the various health and safety hazards. Some of the top construction job-related risks include heights, falls, slips, and trips, vibration, noise, collapses, asbestos, airborne dust, electricity, moving equipment, and more. The best general contractors understand these risks and continuously work to eliminate them throughout the project.
Project owners expect commercial contractors to implement the necessary protective systems to ensure worker safety throughout the process. Depending on the nature of work in the construction industry, specific preventive measures need to be taken to protect operators and the general public surrounding your job site. We will now discuss how, as a general contractor, you can ensure your construction sites safety.
Provide Safety Training
Educating your managers, technicians, laborers, and others involved in construction on the necessary protective practices is the best way to enhance your company’s safety culture. This will help you bring everyone on board regarding workplace safety. It also leaves a positive impression on your employees’ minds that you care about their health and safety.
Train your workers on different workplace hazards, provide them with the right personal protective equipment PPE, and educate them on using them on the job site. Develop adequate safety and health policies for each job type and make them available to your staff members. Finally, instruct your workers on using heavy equipment on a particular construction site for their and others’ safety.
Mandatory Use Of PPE
When it comes to a construction site, there are various PPE types your workers must use. These may include eye and face protection gear like safety glasses and face shields, hard hats, gloves, high-visibility vests, hearing protection devices, safety boots, and more. For increased worker safety, you should make it compulsory for each employee to wear what is required to operate safely at your construction site.
Install Hazard Signs
You can also make your construction site safer by displaying relevant signs to let workers and other personnel know about possible workplace hazards. For instance, for a place where loud equipment is usually used, you can display signs instructing people to wear ear-protection gear when entering the site.
In a construction location where there’s usually heavy traffic from heavy machinery, you should install speed limit signs to inform pedestrians to stay alert. Above all, the signages you place at your work site should be easy to read and distinguish from a distance. It’s also helpful to use both picture-based and text-only signages to help emphasize mandatory safety procedures.
Conduct Regular Safety Meetings
To prevent physical injuries in a high-risk work environment, employers must conduct frequent meetings with their workers about workplace safety. When it comes to operating under high-risk conditions, you must remind everyone to stay vigilant and deal with various work-related risks as per the standard operating procedures regularly.
Other Safety Practices
Some of the other things you can do to make your construction site safer can include:
- Keeping the area clear of unnecessary obstructions
- Maintaining equipment and tools
- Conducting daily site inspections to distinguish and reduce danger
- Updating workplace safety procedures
- Following OSHA guidelines
- Remaining mindful of weather conditions
- Reporting faulty equipment on time
- Implementing the right practices for secure site visits
- Holding everyone accountable for their actions
About Taurus Projects
Taurus Projects is a construction contractor based in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. We provide efficient commercial and industrial construction services to various businesses across Alberta. Visit our website to learn more about our dedicated construction and other professional services, or contact us for personalized service.