Reducing Construction Hazards Onsite

Construction companies have a lot of details to attend to with every job they do, and safety is one of the most important details any company can deal with. As risk management professionals, we understand the need for safety on a job site because a safe job site keeps insurance premiums down. When it comes to reducing hazards on job sites, there are a lot of things companies can do that do not cost a lot of money, but can get big results.

Post Safety Signs

When we say that construction companies should post safety signs on job sites, we mean safety signs that can be read clearly from across the street. When you put big signs up to indicate where hard hat areas are and where workers should be watchful for large vehicles at work, then there is less excuse for workers to miss those signs. Sometimes all it takes are little reminders to keep workers safe.

Organize The Job Site

Organizing a construction job site means letting all workers know when there will be dangerous crane work done and keeping everyone away from that part of the job site who does not need to be there. It also means designating a single area where deliveries can be made so that delivery trucks do not cause accidents. A construction job site should be clearly marked so that everyone knows what is going on at all times.

Hire A Safety Officer

Smaller construction companies might dismiss the idea of hiring a safety officer as an unnecessary expense, but a safety officer can help generate a profit by keeping insurance premiums down and helping the company to avoid fines. We find that any construction company that invests in an experienced and proactive safety officer suddenly finds more money on their bottom line, even after paying that safety officer’s salary. The idea of generating revenue by focusing on safety cannot be overstated.

Improve The Hiring Process

You can have all of the safety officers working for your company that you want, but unsafe employees will make a safety officer’s life miserable. Too many of our construction clients do not spend the time required to find out a little bit about the background of a worker before hiring that worker. Does that worker have a clean driver’s license? Have they ever been involved in a legal incident that came from a construction accident? If you want to cut down on construction hazards, then you need to make sure you are hiring the best possible people to do the work.

Maintain The Equipment

We are always surprised when we take on a new client and they do not keep a meticulous maintenance log for all of their equipment. Any size construction company can reduce work site hazards simply by taking good care of their equipment.

A construction job site is a dynamic and dangerous place, and that is why the costs of risk management can be so high. But when you work with a risk professional and reduce the hazards found on a job site, you can keep your workers safe and put money back on the company’s bottom line.