CONSTRUCTION Accounting ARTICLE - Get Your Employees Involved In Accident Prevention
Target Audience: Construction Industry Professionals, General Contractors, Construction Accountants
Accidents and injuries lead not only to detrimental medical and morale consequences, but also to financial and, often, legal ones. Naturally, there are a variety of ways to encourage safety. But few of them are likely to be effective without one key ingredient: the participation of your employees.
Train and supervise
Preventing accidents begins with knowledge. So, first and foremost, you need to provide safety training to your workers. One way to incentivize participants to view these sessions as more than just time off from the job site is to award bonuses to those who reach measurable safety goals.
For example, designated teams could receive a free lunch or small amount of cash for going a specified number of days accident-free. You may be able to further engage them by inviting suggestions about how to make job sites safer.
When a project gets underway, hold an initial safety meeting to address the specific dangers of that location. Thereafter, schedule additional “safety update” meetings or, at minimum, do so if an accident occurs — or almost occurs.
As the job goes on, instruct your foremen or project managers to perform routine walkthroughs to see whether workers are following safety guidelines. (If financially feasible, you may even hire a dedicated safety manager to conduct walkthroughs and otherwise oversee your program.)
Is the job site relatively clean and orderly in terms of construction waste and equipment/materials storage? Is everyone wearing protective gear? Require supervisors to shut down work if workers don’t comply with the safety program.
If an accident does occur, require employees to report it immediately. A failure or hesitation to report mishaps can be one downside to offering safety-related bonuses, so levy stiff consequences on anyone who doesn’t follow the immediate-notification rule.
Don’t forget subs
If you’re a general contractor, subcontractors play key roles in your projects and can do just as much as your own workers in preventing accidents. Be sure subcontractors are well aware, on arrival, of your safety policies and procedures.
In addition, insert clauses into your subcontracts requiring subs to comply with your safety program. Along with safeguarding your construction business against financial loss, such clauses give you enforcement leverage — especially if subs know they’ll be fined for violations.
Maximize your efforts
Few, if any, construction companies are able to avoid accidents entirely. But you can maximize your efforts to prevent them and, when they do occur, manage their outcomes for the best possible results. A big part of winning this battle is making sure your employees are just as passionate and committed to safety as you are.
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