Construction sites can be dangerous places. There are many potential things that could go wrong and this could put your workforce at risk. However there are a number of health and safety measures that you can take to prevent accidents.
You may be surprised at just how effective health and safety regulations have been at reducing accidents in the workplace. Since these regulations were introduced incidences of serious injuries and fatalities at work have decreased dramatically. This shows that just a few simple changes to the working environment and working practices can make a big difference.
The Cost of Accidents
Accidents can not only affect workers but can also represent some big losses for project managers and construction contractor such as:
- Loss of man hours and delays to projects
- Sick leave pay and overtime
- Personal injury compensation claims
Health and safety regulations can also improve onsite management. This can increase organisational levels and productivity across the board and keep projects running on schedule and to budget.
What is Construction Site Safety?
Construction sites have some unique health and safety requirements. These sites can pose a number of risks to workers including:
- Working at heights from ladders or scaffolding
- Lifting and moving heavy equipment or supplies
- Working in areas with moving vehicles and plant machinery
- Working in confined space
- Working with hazardous materials
It is important that each construction site is overseen by a trained health and safety officer. Health and safety training is widely available these days. You can also outsource health and safety issues to specialist companies so there is no excuse for leaving your workers without this valuable protection.
Protecting Visitors
As well as protecting your workforce you will need to think about any other groups that may come into contact with the construction site. This may include both authorised and unauthorised visitors. Taking measures to protect the general public is essential to help prevent accidents as many construction sites operate in built up areas such as housing estates or town centres.
- Ensure adequate security is in place to help prevent any unauthorised access to the site.
- Restrict access to high risk areas such as excavation works or pits with additional barriers/covers.
- Immobilise all plant machinery when not in use.
- Store all hazardous materials securely and out of reach.
- Ensure any building materials such as stone, timber or piping are secured in place so that they cannot topple over or fall down.
What is construction site safety? This is an important question that you cannot afford to overlook if you want to ensure you are protecting your workforce and any visitor to your construction site.