When you’re a construction company owner, safety is among your top priorities. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on a small project or a multiple-story building. If you don’t take the necessary steps to improve the site’s safety and ensure that the necessary processes and procedures are taken into account, it can put your business in danger. Your employees can get hurt, the quality of your construction will be poor, and your brand’s reputation will suffer.
To avoid such costly consequences, avoid neglecting the necessary construction safety measures. Below are some of the mistakes that you need to avoid making at all costs:
Failure to implement a strict safety plan
One big no-no is the failure to craft a safety plan for every construction project that you work on. Take note that no project has the same safety risks. One should start by determining all safety risks and hazards, craft a safety plan, and ensure strict implementation. If not, this can lead to employee injuries, costly lawsuits, and even poor workmanship.
Taking SWPPP for granted
Every project requires an erosion and sediment control plan that one has to follow during the construction. In the U.S., all construction sites that have an area of more than one acre is required to have a reliable stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) in place. Failure to have a reliable SWPPP for your construction projects in Utah can lead to costly EPA fines.
A lack of or improper use of personal protective equipment
Everyone who works inside the construction site needs to wear the right personal protective equipment (PPE). Your failure to provide your workers with the right PPE can result in serious injuries that can even lead to death. The same consequence can happen if your employees are not compliant with construction site rules about proper PPE use. Make sure that you constantly remind your workers to wear the right PPE to reduce the risk of serious injuries while at work.
Overworking your employees
Tired, distracted, and disengaged workers are a high safety risk. If you keep on overworking your workers just to meet a tight deadline, you are not only hurting employee morale. You’re also putting their safety and health at risk. Make sure that you let them have regular breaks. Remind them to have enough rest and sleep so that they won’t feel tired when it’s time to work.
A lack of workplace housekeeping
If you don’t implement proper workplace housekeeping, your worksite will look messy and unsafe. So make sure that your workers are mindful of where they place the construction tools and materials. All passageways, stairways, and hallways should be free from any obstruction. Keep them dry and clean. By enforcing workplace housekeeping, you’re adding an extra layer of protection for your workers.
A construction company’s reputation does not only lie in your quality of work and number of satisfied clients. If you fail to prioritize workplace safety, you will put your business at risk. You can lose some of your best talent and taint the business name you’ve worked so hard to build. Mitigate business risks by making sure that you avoid these five hasty mistakes.
