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According to the HSE, construction is ranked as one of the most dangerous industries to work in. In fact, the rate of fatal injury in construction is around four times as high as the average rate across all industries.
It’s not hard to see why. Working at height, lifting heavy equipment, operating machinery – construction sites are hazardous environments. Add to this time pressures, and the use of contractors, and the health & safety risks are high. Each year, several thousand construction workers are injured following a trip or slip whilst at work on a building site.
The cost and long-term reputational damage of even a minor work-related accident can be damaging for a small business. As an employer, it is your responsibility to protect the health of your workers and make safety a top priority. Taking action to keep your employees safe is not only in your business’ best interest but is also a legal requirement.
How can you manage and minimise risks?
It’s no surprise that there will always be risks in construction work but minimising them is important to protect your employees and your business. There are proactive steps you can take to minimise the risk of site injuries.
Be aware of the risks
Training is an important part of health & safety. Your workers must be aware of the potential hazards and how to avoid them. Ensuring all your employees are aware of and engaged with your health & safety policy is vital. Conducting ongoing safety training and refresher courses can help prevent construction accidents. Providing your workers with up-to-date training in risk assessments and best practice will help them to identify risks and mitigate them.
Maintain a safety culture
Wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when on-site can be the difference between life and death. Providing your employees with the right equipment and PPE will help to protect your employees and reduce the risk of injury. Demonstrating you care about health and safety on-site will also encourage your employees to become more engaged in best practice and promote a safety culture.
Comply with safety regulations
Having so many requirements to comply with means it can be easy to overlook something, which is why we recommend implementing a management system to keep track of compliance and streamline your operations. Having procedures in place to manage and minimise risks reduces the likelihood of on-site accidents and breaches in legislation.
ISO 45001 is the global Standard that provides organisations with a solution to better manage physical health & safety risks, through an occupational health and safety management system.
Gaining ISO 45001 certification demonstrates your business operates best practice. ISO compliance can help you improve your health and safety performance and your organisation’s overall performance.
What benefits can ISO 45001 certification bring to your business?
- Reduce the risks of work-related injuries and ill-health
- Improve your reputation, showing your employees and clients that you put health & safety first
- Increase health & safety awareness and compliance which reduces claim costs
- Reduce absenteeism through better management of health & safety risks, a major factor in small businesses with fewer employees
- Can reduce insurance premiums by demonstrating you have an effective health & safety system in place
Are you doing enough to keep your workers safe?
Want to find out more about how ISO 45001 certification can help you? At QMS we tailor an occupational health & safety management system to your business and help you achieve certification in as little as 30 days. Helping you keep on top of your health & safety risks and create a safer workplace whilst adding value across your business.
