It is a legal requirement that all businesses follow the health and safety legislation. This is especially important for high-risk organisations, such as the construction industry.
Having the correct health and safety procedures in place minimises the risk of any accidents occurring and saves the company time and hassle.
When an accident happens within the workplace, say an employee or employer injures themselves, you will then have to fill out a health and safety risk assessment form, which can take a while to complete.
Throughout this blog, we will be exploring tips to help reduce occupational health and safety risks, specifically in the construction industry.
Carry Out Regular Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are crucial in any workplace, especially in high-risk environments such as construction sites.
138 workers have been killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24. The construction industry has the highest number of work-related deaths, the most common being falls from a height. Conducting a risk assessment allows you to identify any potential hazards and risks within your workplace so you can prevent them from happening.
In the construction industry, it is important that you carry out a risk assessment at the beginning of any project. It is equally important to review your risk assessment regularly. The reason behind this is that construction sites are always changing, meaning that new hazards can occur at any time. If you are unsure of how to complete a risk assessment, continue reading on to find out.
The first step of a risk assessment is to identify any potential risks and hazards within the workplace by looking at the health and safety at work regulations. Once you have done this, you will then need to determine who the potential hazard could harm, for example, workers or pedestrians and how this could occur.
This is so that you can identify any potential hazards to come up with solutions on how to avoid them.Next, you will need to assess the likelihood and severity of potential injuries before acting upon them in order to remove the hazard or put certain measures in place to avoid it.
Once you have completed these steps, you will then need to complete a written record of the hazards you have identified, along with the controls and measures put in place to prevent them.
Provide Regular Safety Training
By providing regular management of relevant health and safety training, you are constantly keeping employees up to date with the latest health and safety regulations in construction.
Once you have carried out risk assessments and have a thorough understanding of the potential risks and hazards on the sites, it is important that you communicate this information with the rest of the team.
This is to ensure that they are aware of the potential safety hazards and how they can avoid them. Informing employees of the health and safety law they have to follow allows them to stay safe and protects their well-being.
Make sure that all employees are wearing the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) at all times to make sure they are safe at work at all times.
Workers are more likely to come to work if they feel they are in a safe working environment and are aware of all the health and safety procedures put in place to protect them. This allows for a more positive atmosphere and everyone can feel more comfortable at work.
Understand The Risks And Their Causes
Understanding the potential hazards and risks on a construction site is important, as it helps you identify what control measures need to be in place to mitigate them.
The most common causes of injuries on construction sites (according to HSE) are:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Electric shock
- Vehicle handling
- Falls from height
- Defective equipment
- Improper manual handling
- Excessive noise and vibration
Now that you are familiar with the most common causes of injuries, you can think of ways in which you can prevent them through risk management.
For example, injuries from excessive noise and vibration can be mitigated/prevented by making it a mandatory rule for all workers to wear ear protection. Likewise, the manual handling risk can be lowered by sufficient training. Falls from heights can be prevented by ensuring that all construction workers are protected with safety harnesses. This is to make sure that they are safe when working at height.
How Can Poor Health and Safety Impact the Construction Industry?
Poor health and safety processes in the construction industry can have severe impacts that can affect you and your business in many ways.
For example, construction sites can be very dangerous and hazardous, which means that poor safety measures can lead to fatal accidents or serious injuries. Injuries can cause employees to take time off work, which means that your business will be short-staffed, and this can impact your business.
Poor health and safety practices can also have negative financial impacts. For example, if an employer is injured in the workplace, then they may be liable for compensation. If workers file compensation claims, then this could lead to financial burdens on the company.
Moreover, accidents in the construction industry can lead to project delays and loss of productivity. Poor health and safety in the workplace can also lead to a loss of customers due to a bad reputation in the company.
Clients may also be less likely to trust your business if you have a negative reputation and a history of health and safety issues. If the HSE believe that there is a significant risk to the health and safety of employers, then they have the power to shut your business down for good.
What is the Role of the HSE in Construction?
The Health and Safety Executive, also known as the HSE, is responsible for enforcing all health and safety legislation across Great Britain. The role of the HSE is to ensure that everyone feels safe where they work at all times to avoid any accidents or injuries.
It is the health and safety executives' role to enforce health and safety laws to make sure all businesses comply with the HSE regulations. Moreover, they have to conduct workplace inspections to identify hazards and provide advice to employers on how to maintain a safe workplace.
Health and Safety Training with Beaconrisk
If you are unsure where you can find health and safety training at a cost-effective price, you are in the right place. Here at Beaconrisk, we provide a range of services, from online health and safety training, and support with accreditations to quality health and safety advice.
Our health and safety e-learning course covers a wide range of industries and topics. Each course is either IIRSM or CPD-approved and has helped protect the client's workplace, business and reputation since 2009.
From working at height courses to fire safety awareness, CDM awareness, electrical safety and emergency first aid courses, we have all the courses you need to help your business remain safe.
For more information on the services we offer or if you would like any advice, don’t hesitate to contact us at 0151 647 8658; we are more than happy to help!