5 Elements for a Safe to Healthy Job Site

LEADERSHIP 

Leading from the front at the highest echelon of the company is important and funnels all the way down to the field. When management cares about safety and makes it a priority then their team will care. 

EMPOWERMENT

When managers empower their associates to make good decisions regarding their own safety on a jobsite it not only helps reduce risk in the field but also provides a morale boost among the team members. It makes them feel important and part of the team when they know they have the power to stop work when a dangerous situation materializes and receive a pat on the back for it instead of fearing being in trouble for it.   

COMMUNICATION

This is one of the easiest yet underused tools in construction. By team managers taking the time to explain the daily tasking, discussing the hazards that exist around the jobsite (like other trades working close by, overhead power lines, underground utilities, etc.) and communicating the plan they have made to work safely around those items it can help reduce accidents and injuries exponentially. This is why completing a Job Hazard Analysis is the first things we do of a morning. 

CREATE A SAFETY CULTURE

By creating a solid Safety Program that clearly lays out the expectation of every associate and is not only presented but enforced among the workers is of paramount importance to working safely on a jobsite. By setting goals and establishing a reward system it can give workers something to strive for and help companies reach their goal of a Zero Accident workplace.

TRAINING! TRAINING! TRAINING!

Did I mention training? Training your team to be safe is as important as training them to perform any array of other daily job functions. Keeping team members engaged in safety and getting them certified in OSHA 10/30, Competent Person training, Excavation training, ladder training, Basic First Aid/CPR/AED training, Confined Space Training, pick your topic, not only teaches associates about the hazards of the work they may be performing but also the proper steps to keep themselves and everyone around them safe; AND in many cases it's the law.   

Working safely is simply a mindset from top to bottom.