While there are risks associated with any job, those working within the construction industry are statistically more likely to sustain an injury at work than other workers.
Not only can these injuries have long-term, negative effects on your team, but they can also cause irreparable damage to your business, both in terms of reputation and overall productivity.
Photo by Scott Blake on Unsplash
With that in mind, here are some steps you can follow to take care of your employees at your construction company.
Ensure they wear the appropriate PPE. While this may seem like a no-brainer, ensuring your team has access to the appropriate PPE, such as face masks, safety goggles, and high-vis jackets, is one of the easiest ways to improve health and safety in the workplace. As an employer, it is your responsibility to provide your employees with access to these items, and you should replace them when necessary.
Invest in safety-boost equipment. No matter how small your budget may be, you should always be willing to invest heavily in health and safety, especially when working on construction. For example, if you’re managing a factory or warehouse site, you should purchase a Reverse Pulse Dust Extractor, which can improve air quality and prevent the development of respiratory conditions among employees.
In addition to this, you should also ensure that the relevant safety signage is installed throughout all workspace and environments. This helps to maintain standards across different, external work-sites, as employees are provided with visual guidance on the steps they should be taking to keep themselves and others safe.
Provide them with regular health and safety training. Whether a new hire is just starting out in the construction industry or has been working for several years, they should receive the same level of robust training when joining your team. This ensures that your high standards for health and safety are maintained throughout the workplace and everyone is up to speed on how things should be run. However, this kind of training should not be delivered once and never again. You should refresh your employee’s knowledge at least once annually or whenever you introduce new tools and equipment.
Encourage them to take time off when they need it. Employees who work within the construction industry are known for being particularly driven and hard-working, which often means they’ll attempt to come to work when feeling unwell. While this is commendable from an outside perspective, it isn’t ideal when working in a high-risk environment. After all, when sick, they are more prone to making mistakes that put themselves and others at risk. As such, you should encourage your team to take time off when they need it, as opposed to feeling as though this is out of the question.
If an employee appears visibly exhausted or overworked, you should also encourage them to take a break and return when they are feeling well-rested. You should also remind them of the fact that coming into work when feeling unwell means they could also be exposing their colleagues to sickness, resulting in further issues.
