Running a construction site is such a risky business. There is a plethora of things that can go wrong on a daily basis when you have contractors operating heavy machinery, scaffolding reaching for the skies and materials being lifted onto roofs. We've all seen it before where contractors fall from scaffolding or injure themselves while lifting materials to move to another location on site; accidents are bound to happen, but there are ways to reduce them.
What Necessary Steps Have You Taken?
Before commencing work on any new project there are steps that should be taken. Inspecting the new sites is the first thing that you should do as this helps you to determine the risks.
Risk Assessment
By performing a risk assessment you are able to ensure that you comply with the necessary health and safety regulations. Of course we all want to prevent accidents in the workplace; this means that your insurance company won't need to be called and that you won't have any claims against you. The thing many people don't realise is that an accident on site which leads to a claim can leave you in serious financial difficulty.
Did you know you are legally responsible for any claims against you? If your insurance isn't adequate your assets may be seized to pay the balance.
Site Security
Have you secured the site? This is so important with theft being so rife. While you probably have the materials insured, materials being stolen from site can cause unnecessary delays, a nightmare when you are working to a set time frame.
Before Commencement of the Project
It's so important to go through the health and safety regulations and compare them to your risk assessment to ensure that you have taken the necessary steps to reduce any accidents on site. While this may sound obvious, you'd be surprised how many contractors don't do this and this is when accidents happen.
You need to know and understand the health and safety regulations yourself, ensure you are meeting the requirements and then ensure that your contractors are also away of them. Before you commence any job you should sit down with any workers and go through the health and safety regulations. Help them if they don't understand them and when they fully understand the regulations and are happy with them, get them to sign that they have read and understood them.
Safe Working Environment
Now being on a construction site can hardly be called a safe working environment when there are so many risks on a daily basis, but you can do everything you can to ensure the area is as safe as possible.
Accidents are going to happen, there is nothing you can do to stop them, but you can reduce the risk of them happening. Less accidents means you can get on with your work, meet your deadline and collect your money. As a foreman or business owner it is your responsibility to ensure that every reasonable step has been taken to make the site as safe as possible.
Warning signs, hard hats and health and safety regulations taught to your workers are some of the steps you can take to reduce the risk of accident. If any accidents do occur you can revisit your risk assessment and make the necessary changes, the risk assessment you carry out is one of the most important documents you can have, the one that helps you turn your site into a safer working environment.
Health and safety regulations should be followed on all construction sites to reduce the risk of accident, injury and even death.
Related Courses
- Construction and engineering courses
- NEBOSH courses
- Construction NVQ
- NVQ Health and Safety
- Contractor Management course
- Asbestos courses
- Abrasive wheel courses
- CDM courses
Related Content
- Health and safety for managers is essential
- The HSE target smaller building sites
- Fire safety on construction sites
- Is your construction site hazardous to health?
- Planning and managing construction sites safely
- Measures for safe construction site traffic control
- The dangers of scaffolding have to be managed
- Play a bigger role in managing H&S in construction