Accidents on building sites, where workers are often operating at height, can result in injury, property damage, project delays, or much, much worse. Falls from roofs, scaffolds or ladders are the leading cause of death in the Irish construction industry, accounting for 40% of all construction fatalities.
Critical risks: CIF Construction Safety Month 2023
Every building site presents its own safety risks. No two construction projects are the same, which means every building site is different, with its own set of unique risks to be assessed and mitigated.
Apart from working at height, there are numerous other potential hazards to be mindful of, with mobile plant handling heavy loads and the operation of dangerous machinery close to foot traffic. There are hot work hazards to be considered such as welding, cutting, soldering, and any activities that involve using heat or open flames.
Then there are underground and overhead power cables and water and gas mains pipes to take precautions around.
When it comes to the refurbishment or retrofitting of older buildings, there is the potential of working around hazardous materials such as asbestos and the risk of collapsing structures.
Each of these are amongst what we call critical risks and are the focus of CIF Construction Safety Month this October.
Every month is Construction Safety Month at Built Interiors
At Built Interiors, we continuously communicate a clear vision for safety to every member of our team, setting clear goals and standards for safety, and monitoring safety behaviours and trends. The safety, health and welfare of all our employees, contractors and neighbours is always at the forefront of all of our planning, actions and behaviours on site.
Accidents are preventable
Our effective health and safety management is the result of making education, training and awareness a key part of our culture. For every work task on site, we perform systematic identification of hazards and manage identified hazards with appropriate risk assessments and subsequent actions to eliminate or reduce danger.
Hazard Identification
As part of our Construction Stage Health & Safety Plan, we take an analytical approach to assessing control and mitigating the hazards we identify on site. We will then establish control measures to reduce the risk involved for each identified hazard.
Induction Training
We provide site-specific induction training to all people entering the site including contractors, subcontractors, and visitors. Nobody starts work on any of our projects until they have received induction training.
Site induction is usually the first point of contact between the site management and workforce on site. Information is provided on the project, the project objectives including safety, welfare, environmental and quality of workmanship expectations, current site activities, site rules and restrictions, site information and specific hazards. The safety induction promotes our cultures of Health & Safety by actively inviting everyone to voice their opinions and contribute.
Toolbox Talks
Toolbox Talks usually relate to a particular topic or activity. Details of upcoming risks are discussed, and the methods and precautions required are discussed with all workers. Toolbox Talks invite comments from the workforce and take account of feedback by reviewing method statements and making amendments as necessary. Weekly Safety Meetings are held every Tuesday at 10am on all Built Interiors sites, and we insist on all contractors having representation at these meetings. This is the art of coordinating trades on site.
