Why is health and safety important in construction?
It is vital to keep the health and safety of your workforce at the top of your agenda, and to keep vigilant standards in all areas of construction and the built environment. There are many health, safety and wellbeing risks that professionals need to manage, from designing out health and safety risks, to dealing with legionella and other environmental risks, to the complexity of supply chains working together. Then there’s managing compliance and meeting local regulations.
Your health and safety management will impact all organizations you interact with, from those who visit construction sites, carry out operations during the design, build and operate phases, to those who are responsible for decommissioning or recycling building or infrastructure projects
What are the 5 core elements of a successful health and safety management plan?
Health and safety monitoring systems and policies in the built environment need to be created and managed. The five core elements to effectively managing health and safety are:
- Leadership and management commitment – the management team must lead by example, creating a safe and positive culture for all employees
- A trained and skilled workforce – all employees must be trained on the health and safety policy and plan
- Clear communication – ensure messages are shared through all communication channels to keep employees informed and safe
- An environment where people are trusted and involved for continuous improvement
- Formal frameworks to enable companies to manage their health and safety requirements more effectively
