By Sean Dooner, Project Manager

Caution! Not following construction safety guidelines not only puts your project into question but more importantly it undermines construction site safety and puts your workers at risk. Building safety must become part of the way you do business; it must turn into culture for your organization. It must be a solid process that you follow every single time, and a team effort that everyone onsite embraces. Here are some steps that your construction company needs to follow to keep your workers safe and to keep projects on track.

Build a Safety Team  
As said above, construction site safety must become a company mentality, a mindset that everyone adopts. From upper management to worksite personnel, safety must be communicated and backed by everyone. Establish and maintain a permanent safety board that consists of high level management, safety managers and onsite workers whose responsibility it is to promote and safeguard construction job safety for every project your company is involved in. Their objective must be to review safety performance and implement safety procedures across the board.

Introduce Accountability
If you expect to achieve construction site safety without accountability then you are doomed to fail. It is important that your workers understand how seriously you take construction safety and that you are determined to implement it. Only then do you increase your chances of success. Set clear expectations and hold accountable anyone who fails to comply. In addition, reward those who obey the rules and conduct follow up to see what steps you need to take to improve construction job safety.

Build the Puzzle
A great way to increase construction site safety is to break down the project into phases and determine what safety guidelines need to be followed during each phase. Demolition is not the same with foundation or superstructure, and each phase has its own challenges that change as construction takes place. The more you prepare, the better you lay out a construction safety plan for your workers. Keep in mind that when you break down a project you have a better chance of identifying hazards and putting together back up plans to address failures.

Get Everybody on Board
Chances are that at some point you are going to work with subcontractors. It is important that before you go ahead and partner with them, you make sure that they have the same construction safety culture as you. How is their safety performance and history? Are they following safety requirements and procedures in their business practices? Have a plan in place to get them on the same page with your company’s safety guidelines before you engage them in your project. It is crucial that they understand what is expected from them.

Train Everyone  
Keep in mind that construction site safety is better achieved when workers are trained on how to do their job while protecting themselves. With that said, provide orientation for new employees to educate them on OSHA regulations, safety requirements and expectations, recovery plans and steps to follow in case of setbacks. Orientation must include all of the personnel every time a new project starts, and not only the new hires. Have weekly or monthly construction job safety meetings where you lay out the safety guidelines and make sure that everyone involved is present.

Key Takeaways to Construction Safety Guidelines (Part 1):
1.  Build a safety team for better communication and planning on safety
2.  Hold accountable whoever does not comply with safety
3.  Break down projects into phases to better address hazards and dangers
4.  Be sure that subcontractors adhere to your safety guidelines
5.  Have in place job safety meetings for your worksite personnel

About TradeSource
Founded in 1993, TradeSource is a construction labor solutions firm focused on delivering labor solutions to contractors throughout the United States. By supplying skilled tradespeople – where and when they’re needed – we help contractors grow their companies, without the associated costs and hassles of full-time hires. Likewise, we match qualified employees with rewarding and well-paying job opportunities in the construction industry. www.tradesource.com