4 Business Practices That Reduce Your Risk

Construction companies deal with a lot of schedules and obstacles throughout the course of the day that can affect how a project is run. The well-prepared contractor knows that delays happen, and the worst thing they can do is ignore their safety policies to try and make up lost time. Another place where contractors try to cut corners is in the common business practices that can enhance safety. Whenever we talk to our customers, we always recommend that they keep track of the most common good business practices that can reduce risk, and help to keep projects on schedule.

Routine Equipment Maintenance

Every contractor knows that doing routine maintenance on their vehicles and equipment is much cheaper than paying for big repairs or paying to buy new equipment, yet too many contractors do not invest in routine maintenance. We always tell our customers to get their machines maintained regularly, and have their vehicles looked at by mechanics on a regular schedule.

When you try to save a few dollars by ignoring routine maintenance, you are putting your equipment and workers at risk. A vehicle that fails because it has not had its oil changed in months could set your project back and cost you the services of valuable employees. Routine maintenance on equipment should be something every contractor invests in on a regular basis.

Regularly Scheduled Safety Inspections

The sad truth is that many contractors do not do inspections on their own, and that practice is just an accident waiting to happen. We insist that our clients do their own site safety inspections as often as possible, and take action on the areas that need improvement. If you wait until the government or local union inspects your site, then you could wind up paying fines or even having the job shut down. If you want to reduce your risk, then be smart and do regular safety inspections for each job site.

Employee Training

If you read our blog, you will see a lot of mentions about the value of employee training. When we talk about training, we mean more than just basic safety training. We insist our clients conduct trainings on how to operate equipment properly, how to recognize dangerous situations, and the process for reporting possible danger to supervisors. The small investment your company makes in employee training will pay for itself in reduced risk, reduced accidents, and increased production.

Background Checks

Each employee you hire plays an integral role in the success of your organization. If you hire an employee that has a history of being a job site risk, then you have no one to blame but yourself. When you put incompetent or dangerous employees on your job sites, you are putting the safety of your other employees at risk and you are inviting a long list of problems. You should do the smart thing and invest in a background check for every employment candidate before making a hiring decision.

Good business practices should become second nature to a company, and save that company money. As a company of risk specialists, we see what cutting corners and sloppy business practices can do. To help you save more money and improve productivity, we will always recommend that you engage in the best business practices and take the time to do everything the right way.