In 2019, Safe Work Australia reported the deaths of 26 construction workers, with 14,280 others suffering work-related ill health. Construction workers are exposed to a range of hazards that can increase their risk of injury or death. Risks to construction staff include falls from height, machinery malfunctions, electrocution, falling objects, and structural collapses – to name a few.
As an employer, it may be tempting to cut corners to save money; but over AUS$28 billion is lost annually due to workplace-related injuries, so it’s in everybody’s best interest to prioritise construction site safety.
There are several ways to improve health and safety in your workplace, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. We’ve put together 7 essential questions that need to be asked to make sure construction workers are safe at work.
Wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) could mean the difference between a minor injury and a long-term injury or even a fatality.
It’s important to provide your employees with the appropriate PPE relative to the type of work being carried out. This can include helmets, ear protection, safety goggles, knee pads and hi-vis jackets. If they become worn or unfit for purpose, they need to be replaced immediately. Make sure they wear them, too!
When erecting scaffolding, there should be no shortcuts or improvisations. It should be built on stable ground with solid footing to eradicate the risk of it collapsing. Be sure to maintain and repair any damage or inconsistencies in the structure, as well as ensure that all employees using the scaffolding have an adequate level of scaffolding safety training; falls from height account for 11% of construction worker injuries.
Construction workers operating in high and medium-risk environments are required to have sufficient construction health and safety training. They should be fully competent and aware of the risks associated with their actions, especially when working at height, with machinery or in confined spaces. It is also advised that they have an appropriate awareness of first aid and can administer basic life-saving techniques if necessary.
Construction sites are full of potential dangers, not just for workers but for the public too. It’s important to highlight any hazards with signs and posters, warning everyone nearby to take precautions. Signs are a cost-effective way of reducing accidents, which could indicate dangers such as falling objects, turning large vehicles or the presence of gas/chemicals.
In today’s technological world, 9 in 10 adults in Australia own a smartphone.
A lone worker safety device is a discreet tool, which allows employers to locate employees quickly and easily in an emergency and send immediate help. The Lone Worker App offers life-saving features including a panic button, check-in, low signal mode and low battery reminders.
EcoOnline's Lone Worker App gives employers visibility of the location and safety status of lone workers during a period of lone work or travel and allows them to check in safely once they have finished this session.
If an employee fails to check in safely during a session or raises a panic alert in the app, monitoring agents, either within the organisation or at an external monitoring service, will be immediately alerted. They will quickly verify the alert and dispatch the appropriate assistance to the employee.
The app also features a man down alarm that will send an alert through the hub if a lone worker has not moved for a prolonged period of time and may have had an accident and be unable to call for help. Lone working devices are an excellent way to enhance construction site safety and protect staff that may be working in potentially high-risk sites.
Construction workers rely on their tools to work efficiently and get jobs done. If their tools are unsafe or broken, there are higher risks of serious accidents including the loss of limbs. Around 21% of workers in the construction sector suffered from an injury in 2017/18 – statistically, this is significantly higher than the all-industry injury rate.
Equipment should regularly be inspected to ensure there are no equipment malfunctions or defects. It is both the responsibility of the worker and the employer to highlight issues with defective equipment.
Communication is a major factor in keeping employees safe. Staff should communicate with each other and with any alternative party if they identify potential risks. Those working onsite should be aware of existing potential hazards but also have a conscious awareness of other dangers.
Employers should check in with lone workers and keep in touch. Make sure staff clearly understand any systems and procedures used which can include:
– when supervisors should visit and observe lone workers
– knowing where lone workers are, with pre-agreed intervals of regular contact, using phones, radios, email etc
– other devices for raising the alarm, operated manually or automatically
– a reliable system to ensure a lone worker has returned to their base once they have completed their task
All systems and emergency procedures should be regularly tested to ensure lone workers can be contacted if a problem or emergency is identified.
Ensuring safe practices not only protects employees on site but also facilitates reliable construction processes and successful project completion. Make the following questions part of your regular project planning to manage health and safety hazards on your construction site.
WorkSafe regulations state that workers must:
– take reasonable care of your health and safety in the workplace
– take reasonable care for the health and safety of others who may be affected by what you do or don’t do
– follow any reasonable health and safety instructions from your employer. For example, use equipment properly, follow safe work policies and procedures and attend training
– ask for help if you are not sure how to safely perform your work
– follow instructions and work safely
– report hazards, unsafe situations, and injuries to your employer
Construction site supervisors or managers have the moral and legal responsibility to monitor the safety of their workforce. They are responsible for ensuring that all jobs are correctly planned and monitored and that everything possible is done to ensure that no one is hurt on the job. Legal responsibilities include:
– thorough risk assessments
– working practice guidelines for work undertaken such as working from height guidelines
– the correct tools, safety gear, and training to complete the job
– undertaking CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training
Employees should be regularly asked about what they think could make their job safer and have the opportunity to report any accidents or near-misses. Staff do not always feel comfortable reporting an accident at work – so it is important that you create a positive safety culture in your workplace. To ensure that you comply with health and safety legislation, you should also ensure that you have completed thorough risk assessments for all your places of work.
As part of your risk assessment, you may find you need to provide a better way for your construction workers to communicate with you and be located quickly in an emergency.
Technology is the simplest way to ensure construction worker safety, with options including a mobile app, integrated wearable tech, and satellite tracking, the StaySafe Lone Worker app is trusted by construction companies worldwide to keep their employees safe.
Site safety is easily monitored through the lone worker hub, which provides you with real-time updates on the safety status of your lone workers. Construction workers can easily raise distress signals using the mobile app on their phones, and the app can also be paired with a range of discrete panic alarms which can also be worn or carried by staff.
The app also provides 16% more signal coverage than any other app via our low signal mode, which comes as standard for all app users. When low signal mode is active, the app only needs a 2G connection to maintain communications with the monitoring hub. In addition, missed check-in alerts still signal in the Hub even if the employee has lost signal coverage completely.
Monitoring and escalation of alerts can be done in-house by the trust at a team level or outsourced to our 24/7 professional monitoring partners. Ensuring a smooth rollout and high usage levels of the app is also taken care of by our dedicated Customer Success Team.
The EcoOnline Lone Worker App and cloud-based monitoring hub is used by hundreds of clients and tens of thousands of users worldwide who testify to its ease of use, reliability, and flexibility.