How To Protect Workers In Construction – Every industry has its hazards, but there are few industries that have as many hazards as construction. Building sites can be dangerous places and there are many accents and injuries each year, plus there are also mental hazards that are not talked about as much. Workplace bullying, burnout and depression can also be issues in this industry and business owners need to do all that they can to protect workers. You also need to protect the business and builder’s insurance is key for covering against losses and compensation claims.
So, what can you do to protect workers in construction?
How To Protect Workers In Construction
Safety Policies & Procedures
To protect your workers (and your business), you need to have clear safety policies and procedures in place. These will inform and instruct your workers on how they can carry out their roles safely and what action they need to ensure the safety of everyone onsite.
PPE
PPE is essential for protecting workers in this industry. Construction workers need to have easy access to high-quality PPE from trusted suppliers. This will include hard hats, goggles, dust masks, high-vis clothing, protective gloves, steel-toed shoes and anything else that they need to carry out their work safely. You should also have policies in place for wearing PPE as this can sometimes be a problem.
Adequate Training
Often, accidents and injuries occur on a construction site because people are not carrying out work properly and safely. This is why everyone must have sufficient training before working on your construction site. This should also include health and safety training and basic first aid.
Safety Culture
You also want to create a culture of safety in your construction company. You can do this by talking about health and safety, carrying out refresher training, getting people to talk about health and safety and having clear systems in place for reporting.
Encourage Open Discussions About Mental Health
As mentioned in the intro, it is not just the physical hazards that are an issue in construction. Mental health issues are becoming increasingly prevalent and there can be issues surrounding bullying and discrimination, burnout and depression. These are serious issues that you want to avoid at all costs. You should encourage open discussions about mental health, provide resources for those that need it, check in on a regular basis and find ways to improve employee wellbeing.
READ: 7 Common Types of Accident At Work
Hopefully, the advice in this post will help you to protect your workers against the many hazards faced in the construction industry. You should insurance in place for protection, but you must also make health and safety a priority and take action to prevent hazards from causing an issue. It is also not just the physical hazards that you need to be aware of and find ways to protect the mental health of your team.
