Everyone knows that OSHA can be a real nightmare for construction site managers. Nobody wants to get hit by an audit, and if you’re in violation of their regulations, you can even lose your license to practice and your ability to get bonded. In truth, however, all of this is designed to protect both your employees and you from injury, lawsuits and even death in a very dangerous field.
You should never ignore any safety regulations from OSHA. It’s vital that, when establishing your site and company safety plan, to account for all potential hazards and pay attention to every relevant issue raised by OSHA regulations. Discover a number of health and construction safety rules from OSHA that you really cannot afford to ignore if you want to avoid audits and stay licensed.
Construction Safety Rules
OSHA Construction safety rules are in place to protect people from the dangers of a very hazardous occupation. Construction work has been cited as one of the most dangerous and deadly careers there are, and 2015 was the worst year in history for fatal injuries on the job. Many of the accidents and deaths suffered in construction accidents could be avoided if people take the time to follow proper regulations.
Developing a Quality Health and Safety Strategy
The best way to avoid visits by OSHA, and to survive audits when they do happen, as well as the more important goal of keeping your workers healthy and safe, is to craft a solid safety policy both at the company and on every job site.
The first thing you need to do is protect against the most common injuries, which in this case are falls. Make sure you provide proper equipment in terms of harnesses, scaffolding and the like, train everyone to properly use the equipment, and make sure that your policies are enforced. Modern technology and the philosophy of a culture of safety have both made this easier than ever.
Benefits of a Culture of Safety
When you create a culture of safety on site, you gain a number of measurable benefits that will work to protect you, your business and your staff. When people believe in what they’re doing, when they feel like you are making their well-being a priority, they are more likely to help you be proactive about correcting safety issues.
In addition, you’ll be able to better track performance issues, your staff will be more likely to speak up about issues that need to be addressed, and you’ll have a much more open culture of communication when it comes to tracking injuries and safety incidents. When everyone plays a willing role, the entire process becomes easier and more efficient. Of course, the most obvious benefit is that the chances of incidents will decrease.
Maintain Proper Bonding
Safety incidents can seriously impact your ability to complete jobs on schedule. When accidents do happen, it’s important that you maintain proper surety bonding to cover such losses. Bonding is also essential to keeping you licensed and properly operating. If you need help or advice with any bonding issues, contact National Surety Services, Inc. for help today.