When on a job site, safety is one of the most important aspects of a job is to go well. But how do you promote a safe work environment? Here are a few tips:
Set a Good Example
Quite often, the ethos and work ethic of employees are influenced by those in charge. If you’re in charge of a job site, you need to set a good example. If you pay close attention to safety, you can be sure that employees will follow in your footsteps. Always prioritize safety, consider the safety components of a job site, and talk to workers about this topic frequently.
Use White Card Courses
Next, knowledge and training are essential if you want to promote a safe work environment. Sometimes, a lack of knowledge is the biggest obstacle to a safe environment. It could be that people make poor decisions just because they don’t have the right experience. With white card courses employees suddenly have the skills that they need to not only keep themselves safe but all others safe too (this includes colleagues and even members of the public!). Nothing replaces training on a job site because it leads to better decision-making in your construction team. Suddenly, everybody on the site appreciates the potential hazards while understanding how to use all equipment and machinery.
Use Signage
Although it might sound simple, signage is very effective when used on a job site. Don’t worry, and most construction workers don’t get offended by little reminders. As well as signs around the site, you can also put labels on machinery and other small notices. In some cases, workers will appreciate the small reminders. For example, somebody might forget their hard hat after lunch. After seeing the small sign, they realize that they aren’t wearing it before operating the machinery.
Encourage Good Practices
Furthermore, you can also encourage good practices; quite often, this comes with an advanced induction and onboarding process. When hiring staff, but the new team members through an onboarding process so that they know what you expect of them. In terms of good practices, this includes:
- Reporting problems with machinery as soon as they are spotted
- Clearing up spillages immediately
- Always following the training
- Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (even if only using machinery for a couple of seconds!)
- Not being afraid to ask for help when required
Arrange Social Occasions
Another step that you can take is to arrange social events for the team – the more workers come to appreciate and respect each other, the more likely they are to go out of their way to protect each other. Too often, workers only see a job title in their colleagues rather than the human behind the job title. When arranging social events, ensure that those higher in the business also attend. As everybody becomes friends, it leads to a better work environment for all.
Offer Anonymity
Finally, it’s also wise to offer anonymity to all employees so that they aren’t afraid to talk about potentially sensitive issues. A basic example is something like a suggestion box – with this, employees can write ideas or problems and post them into the box. Without giving away their identity, you learn about potential problems and work on fixes. Without this anonymous system, you might never discover issues or ideas. Additionally, you can also promote a safe work environment by:
- Learning lessons from mistakes and accidents
- Trusting your team
- Always updating training
- Celebrating all team wins and making people feel valued in the business
