5 Tips to Increase Your Construction Safety

Why is construction safety important?

Construction safety is extremely important for several reasons. Because construction sites are filled with potential hazards, without proper safety measures put in place, accidents can happen all too easily. In fact, according to OSHA, in the United States alone, 1 in 5 workers deaths in 2020 occurred in construction. Being aware of the dangers and taking precautions can help more easily manage these hazards.

Additionally, putting in place safety measures on your jobsite can save time and money. Staying safe allows companies to help preserve their project timelines and budgets. When accidents occur, work comes to a standstill, leading to costly delays that no one wants. In fact, the National Safety Council reported that workplace injuries and fatalities cost the United States’ economy around $170.8 billion in 2018. And this isn’t only costly for the employers and customers, but also for the worker and their families.

Construction safety is also important as it fosters better productivity and morale among workers. Feeling safe and secure can help them be more focused, efficient, and satisfied with their jobs, leading to better-quality work and a more positive overall atmosphere on the construction site!

So, with this in mind, what are 5 tips you can use to help increase your construction safety?

One of the most important aspects of staying safe while on the construction site is to maintain constant communication. Ensure that everyone working on the job site is aware of each other and knows where everyone is working. This ensures that everyone knows what is going on, and they don’t enter areas where others are working, giving those people the space they need to perform their job safely without distractions.

Try holding daily briefing meetings before starting work to go over what is happening that day, or create a policy that encourages all workers to let each other know when they’ve completed a task and are moving on to the next one. Additionally, implementing something as simple as warning one another of hazards, such as saying “behind you” when walking behind another worker, is a great place to start.

Fall protection is extremely important in helping ensure workers stay safe while working at heights. Depending on the fall system you use, it can help make sure you aren’t able to reach the fall hazard, or if you do, be able to catch you if you fall. With falls being a leading cause of injuries and death in construction, it’s definitely a top priority to have working fall protection systems while on the job. One way to help ensure this is to provide each team member with their own personal fall arrest system. Shop fall protection at Ritz Safety today and find the gear you need to keep your team safe!

While ladders can be extremely helpful, they can also be dangerous. If a ladder is not properly set up or placed on a stable surface, it may easy become unstable or tip over, leading to falls. There are also risks of slipping or tripping while trying to climb up or down a ladder, among other ladder hazards. To help prevent these accidents and increase your ladder safety, create clear instructions and protocols for using ladders, including how to set them up properly, what to do when on a ladder, and what to do when taking a ladder down after use. Shop ladders at Ritz Safety!

While on a construction site, it’s important to avoid walking through areas where other team members are working. Doing so can distract the construction workers working in the area, leading to accidents when they are unfocussed on their work. On the other hand, if the worker is too focused on their job, they may not be paying attention to others who they don’t know are in the area, and potentially put them in danger. With this in mind, it is better to stay out of busy or hazardous areas by establishing clear paths for individuals to take that go around these areas. Try providing each team member with a map or blueprint of the worksite so they can navigate it safely and find additional routes that keep them out of harm’s way. To help ensure others don’t enter busy or hazardous areas, you can also use barriers, fences, and safeguards. Shop barriers today at Ritz Safety!

One of the final tips we have for you today to help you increase the safety on your construction site is to be sure to report issues immediately. Make sure all employees know that when they spot a defect or there is a near miss on site, they should report them immediately. The sooner these issues get reported, the quicker they can be resolved ensuring they don’t have a chance to cause any further damage or accidents.

Talk to our experts today for more safety tips and help finding the gear you need to keep your team safe!