Is The Construction Industry Turning The Corner On Health And Safety?

For years, the construction industry was famous for having the highest accident rate among practically any industry workers, except for mining. Employees on construction sites are at risk of tripping, falling, or being injured by equipment.

Now, though, there’s a strong case to be made that the industry is turning a corner. Workers don’t face the same risks that they used to. And things are continuing to improve, even in the COVID-19 era.

Health And Safety Training

Following the flurry of lawyers representing victims of mining accidents, the construction industry is keen to avoid a similar fate. For that reason, it is doing all it can to train workers so that they know how to go about their jobs safely.

The purpose of most health and safety training is to make sure that workers know how to work safely at height, or use machinery in a confined space. There’s also been a significant investment in training for first-aid and basic life-saving techniques, just in case somebody becomes seriously injured.

More Employers Are Ensuring That People Are Wearing Protective Gear

Construction companies now realize that there is a big difference between different types of personal protective equipment. The issue was well-known before the coronavirus pandemic, but the infection is spreading awareness even faster.

Simple masks are great for keeping out dust, but they don’t, for instance, protect against paint fumes and other hazards. At the same time, regular covers for sanding won’t keep out virus particles. Thus, like other industries, construction is going to have to adapt to changes in the public health situation.

Regular Equipment And Tools Inspections

The industry is also getting much better at equipment and tools inspections. The majority of firms now have robust procedures in place to ensure that broken or dysfunctional tools don’t affect the safety of people working on site. Equipment is often checked every day or before each use to make sure that it doesn’t pose a risk.

Better Communication Protocols

Getting staff to work together and communicate with each other is a challenge, but one that the construction industry is now addressing. Instead of just leaving the matter of communication to workers and managers to figure out by themselves, firms are putting protocols in place. The idea is to provide a structure for addressing safety issues to reduce the risk of an adverse event. Employees should regularly concern themselves with what might make their work safer so that they can protect against injury,

Stay Safe Apps

Stay safe apps have been a part of industrial working practices for some time, but they’re increasingly being used in the construction sector – and to great effect. Stay safe apps are essentially a communication tool that makes it easier for workers to signal their distress. There’s a panic button, non-movement warnings, and central monitoring tools. The system works by keeping track of workers in real-time and then sending information to supervisors in the event of an injury.

Construction, therefore, is cleaning up its act and embracing new techniques to improve safety across the board.