Stringent on-site health and safety measures can protect your workers first and foremost, but also care for your business by reducing absence, protecting your reputation, retaining staff and maintaining productivity.

Best practices around training, the right equipment and signage are all a given when working on a construction site, but what of the overlooked risks which could be contributing to an accident waiting to happen?

Here are three things to consider on top of the obvious health and safety measures:

1. Don’t get complacent
When we become familiar with processes and used to surroundings, we can let our guard down. 

As a result, activities which should be safe with the right level of attentiveness, like operating an excavator, can become dangerous for the driver and those around them. Arrange morning or weekly meetings to remind workers of the importance of vigilance and look into more attention-grabbing signs which focus on complacency in particular.

2. Offer support
Working away from home for weeks at a time away from their close network, depression has been found to be high amongst construction workers. 

The Centre of Mental Health estimates that suicides are 10 times higher than other work-related fatalities.If one of your workers is repeatedly operating in a lax manner which is conducive to an accident, it’s important to understand why. Take them aside for a private chat to make sure they’re ok.

Tiredness or stress could be affecting their work performance, so see if there’s a lower risk role they could be doing until they’re feeling capable of taking on more demanding work.

 3. Be transparent
Hold yourself accountable for any accidents which do take place on your site by publishing statistics. 

Attempting to hide the number of incidents on your site won’t do your reputation any good and knowing that you’re sharing this information is an incentive to avoid furnishing it with new figures. On top of all the other benefits that come with an excellent track record, you could see a more attractive premium rate on your construction insurance.

4. How we can help
Gravity Risk Services is collaborating with HELPGB (helpgb.com) to work with your business to provide pragmatic and ‘real-world’ solutions to your health and safety needs.

HELPGB offers tailor-made support with creating, implementing, and maintaining robust health and safety management systems. They provide your business with continuous advice to make improvements to your health and safety in the workplace and work as an extension to your team with a dedicated point of contact.

By using HELPGB, you will demonstrate strong H&S practices to insurers which in turn will help to ensure compliance with your policy conditions and help to contain premiums by allowing us to highlight these favourable features to your existing and alternative insurers.

Want to find out more? Get in touch with one of our expert Account Executives on 0121 270 5809 today and we will be happy to talk through your options.