Construction Safety Management is one of the most sensitive and most talked-about issues in the Australian construction industry. Current OHS legislation stipulates that companies or contractors which do not implement adequate safety measures on a construction site can face harsh financial penalties as well as prosecution. As a consequence, the cost of not complying with the law is much greater than otherwise.
What Safety Management Entails
Construction site safety is typically the responsibility of one party, and this most often than not, the primary contractor of the worksite. It is the responsibility of this party to establish, coordinate, monitor and generally manage the overall basic safety of all persons on the worksite. Hence, communication plays a vital role between the main contractor and the others when it comes to Construction Safety Management.
Below are some issues that must be effectively dealt with by the primary contractor:
- Identification of hazards and controlling the risks associated with those hazards
- How to effectively report new hazards as they arise during the project
- How to effectively manage incidents as they arise, in particular, the procedure used for this
- Establishing and enforcing site safety rules on the worksite
- The correct and adequate implementation of Safety Signage all around the worksite to remind workers and assure safety
- Safety issues regarding the use of chemicals or electrical equipment on the site
The points above are only a couple of Construction Safety issues that will require the prompt attention from the main contractor before work commences.
Improving Construction Safety
While it is ultimately the responsibility of the primary contractor to manage safety on the worksite, they cannot do it alone. They have to adequately pass on their knowledge to the workers so that can actively contribute to creating a safe work environment.
The best way to communicate this type of knowledge is through Construction Safety Training. Sometimes this may also be known by the name induction training. This involves training all workers on the safety measures and procedures on the worksite so that they are all aware of how they can contribute to creating safe workplace as well as giving them peace of mind as they work. Training works best if it is carried out before any type of work begins on a construction project.
It is important to never underestimate the importance of Construction Safety Management in today’s work environment.
