Construction executives have a vested interest in jobsite safety. Not only is protecting workers the right thing to do, but ignoring safety issues can mean a one-way trip to litigation, fines and insolvency.
Unfortunately, construction is a dangerous occupation. One in five worker deaths in the private sector occurred in the construction industry in 2016, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The most common causes for worker deaths in the construction industry are falls, electrocution, being struck by objects and being trapped or crushed by equipment.
The consistent use of construction safety checklists and safety reports to manage jobsite conditions and safety procedures is the first step towards keeping workers safe.
A construction safety checklist is a list of questions that construction supervisors or superintendents answer daily to assess jobsite safety. Lists usually consist of standard questions, but they are customizable for all types of contractors.
Questions that can be included in a daily safety checklist include:
- Are workers wearing work shoes or boots with slip-resistant and puncture-resistant soles?
- Are safety glasses or face shields being worn when workers are exposed to any electrical hazards?
- Is scaffolding set on sound footing?
- Are scaffolds more than 10 feet away from power lines?
- Are scaffolds free of slippery materials such as snow and ice?
PROTECTING WORKERS AND COMPANIES
Safety checklists are ineffective if not used consistently. Managers forced to use old-fashioned pen-and-paper recordkeeping struggle to find the time for reporting, which could lead to oversights and mistakes.
Cloud-based construction reporting technology provides an easy-to-use means of improving safety reporting. It eliminates the learning curve for long-time workers, who may be resistant to adopting new technology. It also lowers the investment barrier to purchasing and implementing new technology.
Running on common smartphones and mobile devices, cloud-based construction monitoring software can be used from the field, keeping project managers informed about safety conditions and facilitating easy and fast filing of daily reports.
Using a daily survey feature to quickly create a safety checklist makes it easy to enter the pertinent data from the field. The data can be used in the generation of comprehensive construction safety reports. By consistently using safety reports, construction safety checklists and other management tools, contractors can help keep workers safe.
Subcontractor compliance can be easily tracked using cloud-based construction monitoring apps. Summaries of reports sent to construction supervisors by subs can provide evidence if they are dealing with safety issues.
The information from safety checklists can help protect contractors from litigation. The best defense against litigation is thorough documentation of compliance reports, inspections, injuries, weather conditions, safety issues and jobsite conditions. By filing it in a cloud-based centralized database, appropriate safety data can be quickly summarized and retrieved, providing the evidence to refute accusations made in a potential lawsuit.
USING TECHNOLOGY FOR CONSISTENT SAFETY REPORTING
Project managers can use reports created by construction monitoring software to get a high-level view of safety issues, see project trends and improve processes and workflow on the jobsite. The software can produce graphs and visuals to summarize all the information needed by project managers. Contractors can identify dangers, keep sites safe and make sure all injuries are reported.
Construction doesn’t have to be the most dangerous occupation for laborers. By providing supervisors with the right management and reporting tools, contractors can help ensure that safety practices are followed. Old-fashioned pen-and-paper reporting methods no longer meet the needs of the modern jobsite. Investing in economical construction monitoring software will pay dividends in safety and efficiency.
Original Article: https://www.constructionexec.com/article/safety-checklists-using-technology-to-protect-workers-on-the-jobsite
