Construction Safety: Why It’s Important

When you work in construction, there are often many things that require your consideration as you complete project after project, including your costs, equipment, logistics, etc. 

Of course, paying an adequate amount of attention to each of these factors is quite important and will help your projects to stay on track and ultimately succeed. 

However, one of the factors that should always be at the top of your list of priorities when it comes to construction projects is construction site safety. 

Keeping your job sites safe for yourself, your workers, and the public is absolutely essential. Even the slightest lapse in safety measures or protocol could lead to catastrophic results, putting your project on hold and, more importantly, affecting the lives of those involved in the incident. 

Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid such scenarios, and as long as you and your team of construction workers consistently respect the importance of safety, you can keep things on track.

Why Safety On Construction Sites is Essential

In any workplace setting, safety plays a big part. It is rarely acceptable for people to work under unsafe conditions. 

However, when it comes to construction, safety plays an even larger role than it does in most professional fields because with bigger and more dangerous equipment comes higher safety risks. 

Here are a few of the main reasons why safety is essential on construction sites:

Protecting the Public

When safety measures are followed on construction sites, not only does it protect the workers, but it also maintains public safety. This is crucial since construction sites are often located in busy areas where there may be many people coming and going on a regular basis.

If proper safety protocols are not followed, objects can fall on people walking by, potentially leading to serious injuries or worse, not to mention the extremely expensive lawsuits that would likely be part of the aftermath.

Reducing Work-Related Accidents

Construction workers statistically have a much higher chance of being injured or even killed on the job than most other professionals due to the nature of the work involved.

The most common incidents resulting in either death or injury on construction sites include falls, being struck by an object, electrocution, and being caught in between equipment. 

However, the likelihood of these types of incidents, or others with similar outcomes, can be significantly decreased when proper safety measures are enforced and followed.

Reducing Lost Time and Money 

Any time that a serious injury or death occurs on a construction site, work on that site must halt so that the accident can be investigated. 

The lengths of these types of investigations may vary, but having to temporarily suspend your project can be quite costly for various reasons. 

If equipment or supplies are damaged during the incident, that can also increase your overhead, and if the injured worker files for worker’s compensation, your operating costs will inflate as well. 

Failing to adhere to safety regulations can also result in fines and penalties. Therefore, keeping your construction sites safe is a crucial part of ensuring that your projects finish on time and within the planned budget.

How to Keep a Construction Site Safe

Keeping your construction sites safe means making safety requirements a condition of employment for all of your workers.

After all, just one person’s ignorant actions can lead to problems involving safety. 

It is thus wise to host regular safety training to ensure that everyone working on your job sites is completely aware of what your safety requirements are and how to best meet them. 

Beyond wearing hard hats and safety vests, there are many other safety measures that should be taken at all times on active construction sites. 

It is also crucial to ensure that everyone who is operating any kind of equipment, no matter how big or small, is properly trained on how to use it in a safe and effective manner.

Ensuring that your heavy equipment is also properly maintained and fixed right away if it ever has any issues is important since malfunctioning equipment can be a significant safety hazard. Implementing proper machine guarding measures is crucial for ensuring the safety of workers on construction sites, and preventing accidents and injuries associated with equipment operation. 

It is equally vital to ensure that job sites remain clean and well-lit at all times since accidents are more likely to take place at messy or poorly lit sites.

Ensuring that there are an adequate amount of workers on a job site is also essential. Risks of accidents and injuries are always higher when an inadequate number of workers are attempting to complete a job on time because such scenarios often lead to rushing and cutting corners.

Additionally, rewarding workers that consistently prioritize safety will set a good example for everyone else and encourage everyone to stay on the same page with regard to maintaining a safe environment.

How HITE Engineering Can Help With Construction Site Safety Consulting

HITE Engineering fully understands the utmost importance of construction site safety, and we believe that such safety requires careful planning as well as the designing of safe systems and procedures. 

Our team of experienced, professional engineers and construction project managers puts together carefully thought-out policies, procedures, and work instructions to ensure that construction site safety is maintained consistently and effectively. That is why we are the most reliable construction safety consultant in Ontario. 

We can help you develop detailed work procedures and instructions that comply with OHSA safety protocols, especially when it comes to repairing and safe welding procedures and practices. We also offer site inspection services and construction site safety administration, including structural analysis inspection of steel, aluminum, and concrete structures to ensure their compliance with Canadian codes. 

In addition, we can assist with designing and inspecting temporary structures on your job sites, such as mechanical access equipment, shoring and reshoring, scaffolding, and concrete formwork and falsework.  

We can ensure that your employees are all adequately trained with regard to motor vehicle operation and awareness, including focuses on worker-vehicle interaction, increased “people” awareness, rigging and hoisting practices, slings and rigging inspection, and lift equipment inspection. 

We are well aware that every construction site is unique, so we can also provide site-specific training to ensure that your workers are prepared to handle the risks associated with the site itself.

Certifying your equipment is one of the best ways to demonstrate your compliance with safety measures, and we can help with that too. We can provide certification for truck-mounted aerial devices, elevating work platforms, tower, mobile, and overhead cranes, forklifts, and mast climbers. We can also help you design and certify fall arrest, rigging systems, anchorage connections, and static lines.

For more information about our construction site safety consulting services or to get a quote, call HITE Engineering at 289-724-0522 or contact us here.