Sharpen Your Risk Management Skills

When we coach customers on how they can help to mitigate their own risk, we always give practical advice that customers can use with each project and every day. As risk management professionals, we do everything we can to make sure that our clients are protected from risk and that they understand the ways that risk is created. But we can only do so much, and we find it convenient to have clients that are willing to do their part to make their business operations safer and more profitable.

Start Risk Assessment Before The Job Is Even Won

If there is one thing we have learned in our years of helping construction companies handle risk it is that handling risk is rarely calculated into the final bid number for each project. When you are bidding a project, it is important to remember that every project offers its own unique type of risk that must be accounted for in your bid. If you do not start assessing risk prior to bidding a project, then your final bid will not include the funds you need to make sure the project is done properly and that your workers are safe.

Make Risk Assessment Ongoing For Each Project

We always tell customers that risk is very dynamic, especially with construction projects. Prior to the start of a project, we encourage our clients create a prioritized list of risks that could affect workers and the project itself. Once that list is created, it is not complete. As the risks change throughout the course of a project, the priorities need to be revisited and altered to reflect the real status of the project.

Keep All Channels Of Communication Open At All Times

One of the best ways to handle risk management is to maintain a strong network of communication in the field, and between the office and the field. When a supervisor forgets to take his phone into the field, there is a break in communication that could prove critical later on. It is extremely important that a construction company develop comprehensive policies regarding communication and that those policies are enforced at all times.

Make Risk Everyone’s Problem

The “that’s not my job” culture is one of the most dangerous work cultures in the construction industry. If anyone sees an obvious safety issue, then it is up to that person to report the issue to management immediately. Safety training must hammer home the idea that safety is everyone’s job and that reporting something that violates safety policies could save a friend’s life.

Practice Risk Responses

Identifying risk is critical to making a workplace safe, but it is not the only part of training for workers. Construction companies need to set aside time during each project to run drills and practice how the crew will respond if an accident happens. A crew that is prepared to handle a crisis is going to significantly reduce risk on your jobsite.

Your risk management professionals take quick action to protect your construction company from financial issues, but you have responsibilities as well. A proactive construction company that takes risk and safety seriously will develop the right methods for training workers and reducing the chances of accidents occurring on every jobsite.