Establishing a safety culture is the responsibility of everyone working in a certain industry or company. However, when it comes to construction, things get more serious than before, as creating the safest possible environment for everyone becomes a top priority to curb work-related injuries.
While it is the responsibility of the owners and managers of the constructions sites to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding safety measurements, it is also the responsibility of construction workers to ensure that they are following the rules, wearing their safety equipment, and paying attention to potential hazards; else, they might need to contact one of the best construction injuries lawyer to deal with the consequences.
Nonetheless, if you are a manager wondering how to incorporate a perfectly safe work culture, here are a few things you can do to help you build a safety net for everyone.
Define Clear Responsibilities
At the very basis of a safety culture is a set of clearly defined responsibilities. It doesn’t matter whether you work at a construction site or a warehouse; you will need to define responsibilities within the workspace. Everyone must be clear about goals, policies, and the organizational vision for safety.
It is impossible to ensure 100% safety if not all organization stakeholders are on the same page regarding the accumulative safety vision. It is important to understand here that safety affects everyone and isn’t limited to one section of the organization alone. That said, ensure everyone is on the same page regarding safety responsibilities and goals.
Integrate Open Communication
Companies with a great safety culture invest in a high-quality communication system. Open and clear communication should exist on all levels of the organization so that everyone is on the same page regarding company safety policies. Weekly and monthly safety talks and discussions are an excellent way to ensure that no questions from your employees are unattended and that all employees can clear their confusion about the safety of their workspace.
Involve All Employees
All employees need to be involved in safety planning. As a manager, you must understand that a safety culture starts from the bottom and works itself up to the top. This aspect is especially true when it comes to integrating new safety measures.
You might want to start with taking surveys and taking feedback about how your employees feel about safety and what can be improved as the employees will be working in different sections of the organization.
Encourage Reporting
This is very important – when it comes to safety, you must encourage everyone to report everything so that you can take swift actions and eliminate potential threats to employee safety. During the weekly or monthly toolbox talks, you must convey the importance of reporting to all employees. Your employees should feel free and safe to report all their safety concerns without any fear that they will be reprimanded. You might as well go to the extent of rewarding your employees for reporting issues.