Basics of Construction Management

About Safety in Construction Field

Not only does the construction industry add jobs to the economy, but it is also one of the most dangerous professions when rating accidents per worker in the United States. As such, through the years, there have been many regulations created to prevent accidents, both on and around active construction sites. According to several independent studies taken during the last decade, many construction site accidents or fatalities are completely preventable. As a chief executive officer, Mr. Dwan Andre Brown of Concrete Constructors of a construction company gives the highest priority for safety.

Worksite safety should be a part of any construction company's culture. This is the case for many companies. With the current climate in the job market though, some workers may feel pressured to work with companies whose safety track record or company culture is not what it should be in order to put food on the table. Being willing to take a dangerous job during difficult times and to make ends meet is not a new phenomenon, but in today's day and age, one should not need to put their lives in jeopardy in order to make a living wage.

Unfortunately, many of these situations involve workers who do not speak English as a first language. After some investigation, sources have found that day laborers (often from other countries) are far more likely to be injured or killed in construction site accidents than those who are citizens of the United States. Many of these accidents go unreported due to fears about deportation. Additionally, effective health and safety performance come from the top - CEO, members of the board have collective and individual responsibility for well being and safety.

When evaluating your company's culture, take a look at the following list to see how many of the statements below are true for your company to see how safety minded your company actually is.

Safety-minded companies don't believe in cutting corners

This is not a case of workers leaving out rivets in the Titanic type of accident. Companies who are safety minded make sure that the job is done, done right, and done completely. While coming in under budget is an incentive, the time and man-hours lost in an accident far outweigh the time or money saved in a shortcut.

Safety-minded companies maintain their equipment

Since accidents around heavy equipment are one of the major causes of construction site safety failures, companies with regularly maintained equipment are more likely to have accidents than others.

Safety-minded companies train, train, and train again

One of the other leading causes of construction site accidents is human error. Sometimes, this happens because a worker is tired, untrained for the particular task which they have been assigned or just because workers are human and make mistakes. Looking out for employees by training often and completely can help prevent accidents.