Construction site managers and employers have a duty of care to ensure effective health and safety across their sites. SHP hears from Dakota Murphey on worker safety and welfare…
The sheer amount of injuries, illnesses and long-term health issues that can affect employees are massive, and they are all made inherently more likely if managers are negligent when implementing proper safety measures. It’s widely believed that the construction industry is the UK’s deadliest, according to Building Magazine, with 30 deaths in 2021/22.
When considering the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) guidance on construction worker safety – which is an effective starting point when assessing the risk of your sites – it’s also important to note that the volume and severity of risks will vary from site to site. Some sites will involve contractors working at height, while others will involve a broader use of machinery or equipment, each of which presents its share of unique risks.
Therefore, it’s difficult to summarise exactly how many risks will be present, but as a loose guide, consider the below advice to help you ensure optimum health and safety for your workers.
The construction industry comprised 25% of fatal worker injuries in 2022 alone, suggesting a serious injury rate of 1.63 per 100,000 workers, almost double that of other sectors like transport and manufacturing.
The average construction site presents a plethora of risks for employees and contractors, including:
As a construction site manager, it can be tempting to cut corners to preserve valuable budgets, but workplace injuries cannot be overlooked. You cannot put a price on personal safety and welfare. It’s in your best interests to make construction site safety a priority.
As your construction business grows and can accommodate more customer project requests, perhaps due to optimised marketing activity, you’ll need to ensure that you have sufficient people power on hand to complete jobs by the required deadlines. As the customer base grows, usually, so does the project size.
However, even if you still opt for subcontracting certain construction jobs out, that doesn’t mean you should allow site safety to take a backseat.
You can contribute to promoting a healthier and safer construction site by implementing a few basic safety rules that your team must abide by. Taking these tips on board will help to minimise hazards and risks, and avoid injuries, accidents and health problems, all while posing no risk to the structural integrity of your building.
Provide clear instructions and signage. Every contractor or employee should undergo a site induction, ensuring that they are familiar with the layout, operations, and current risks. All safety rules and procedures should be explained during the induction process, with all personnel indicating that they have read and understood the signs and risk control measures. Safety signs should be appropriately placed around the site, to promote safety awareness for all employees and visitors.
Wear PPE (personal protective equipment) at all times. PPE is – and should be – mandatory on all construction sites. This may merely be a high-vis jacket and a hard hat, but depending on the scale of the project, PPE may extend to include safety goggles, face masks, earplugs, protective gloves and hard-wearing boots. All workers should wear the required PPE to reduce risks and exposure to chemicals or harmful substances, loud noises, or excessive dust, sparks or smoke.Construction site managers and supervisors have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure a safe workforce, as well as to ensure all jobs are correctly planned and monitored.
Their responsibilities include:
