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Safety should be built into every aspect of a project, from initial planning to completion. But I’ve worked in the trenches. I know when you’re dealing with day-to-day issues caused by everything from material delays to the weather. It’s challenging to keep safety at the top of your priority list. Leaders who fail to integrate safety into the actual work process may expose workers to falls and/or last-minute risky decisions that could cause a fall, serious injury or even a fatality. Here are three ways to help ensure your job site is as safe as possible:
Stay on Top of Your Safety Education
Hold yourself and your team accountable for knowing the current laws, regulations, procedures and best practices, and how to implement them. Understand the most frequently violated standards and most common dangers related to your job. Participate in safety training and voluntary safety programs. Make time to review the safety precautions related to each task prior to performing them. Always use the safety gear provided, and don’t be shy about asking for additional safety gear you believe you need.
Incorporate Your Safety Program Into Every Task and Process
Set expectations for safety at the beginning of the job. Risk increases when sufficient planning time is not applied on the front-end of the work. It’s about selecting and collecting the right type and amount of protections for the job with consideration to location, environment and probable hazards that will allow workers to complete the job without injury. Create a plan to communicate procedures and checkpoints to ensure field workers are integrating the safety plan.
“Leaders who fail to integrate safety into the actual work process may expose workers to falls and/or last-minute risky decisions that could cause a fall, serious injury or even a fatality.”
