The construction industry is infamous for its dangers. Without proper precaution, it’s easy for accidents to occur. If you’re in charge of a construction site, there are actions you can take to lessen the danger and protect yourself from liability. Here’s what you can do to ensure safety on the job.
Contractors are in charge of the daily operations of a job site. If you’re a contractor, you must obtain your contractor’s license. If you’re hiring a contractor, you must ensure they are licensed. Here are just a few of the dangers of being, or hiring, an unlicensed contractor.
- Work being done improperly or in an unsafe manner.
- Unlicensed contractors can’t carry the kinds of insurance that are required. That means there won’t be liability insurance to protect anyone on the job.
- If an employee is hurt while working on a site, and a contractor doesn’t have liability insurance, there can be costly legal and medical bills.
- In some states, it is illegal to work as or hire an unlicensed contractor. You could have your project shut down, be fined, or face other legal consequences.
Keep your employees and construction site safe by ensuring that everyone has the necessary licenses and insurance.
Create A Risk Management System
Risk management is identifying, controlling, and creating ways to prevent dangers on a job site. An effective risk management system:
- Identifies areas of high-risk and makes lowering or eliminating that risk a priority.
- Breaks jobs down into steps so a safe way of doing them can be developed.
- Determines what risks can’t be eliminated and has a plan for what to do if something goes wrong.
- Establishes the known risks and dangers and makes all employees aware of what they can do to keep themselves safe.
- Addresses new safety concerns immediately regardless of what else is going on. It’s better to get behind schedule than to have an accident.
The best way to keep workers safe is to stop accidents before they happen. A well-planned risk management system will do just that.
Proper training is one of the most important steps to achieving safety on the job. You can ensure safety through training by:
- Giving all new employees health and safety training.
- Providing step-by-step instructions on how to work with dangerous machines.
- Having a “see something, say something” policy that allows workers to report unsafe conditions without fear of backlash.
Plan to have training updates and refreshers regularly to keep everyone on the same page regarding safety. Training can’t completely eliminate accidents, but it can lower them.
Provide Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
Personal protection equipment is equipment worn to reduce exposure to danger. Having the right PPE on a job site is crucial for maintaining safety. You should always require that the following items be worn at a construction site.
- Hard hats and other head protection to prevent head trauma from occurring.
- Slip-resistant, steel-toed boots to prevent a crushing injury.
- Cut-resistant gloves to protect the hands from sharp instruments.
- Eye goggles or masks to prevent debris from getting into the eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Weather and work-appropriate clothing. For example, shorts shouldn’t be worn on a construction site because it exposes skin to potential injury unnecessarily.
PPE protects workers from injury and protects you from the legal consequences of an injury occurring at your site. Let your employees know what they need to bring or wear and what you’ll be providing.
These simple actions can help protect you, your workers, and everyone else on the construction site. Do your part to ensure safety on the job by putting these suggestions into place today.
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