Unveiling The Most Common Construction Safety Myths

Safety is a priority for every construction company. Just how much they prioritize safety depends on a case-to-case basis.

For a lot of construction companies, they have firm beliefs in misconceptions and myths that, more often than not, cost them more money and put them, as well as their workers, in tremendous risk for workplace-related accidents.

Below, you’ll learn how to conduct a more effective construction training session by learning the truth behind the most common construction safety myths.

1. If you’re following safety standards, then you’re good to go

Contrary to popular belief, government-mandated safety standards are a bare minimum. To fully protect workers from workplace-related injuries, it’s important to adopt stricter and more comprehensive safety requirements within the construction site.

Remember, government-mandated safety standards are merely a foundation for which you should build upon your own specific safety program.

A safety-first workplace culture doesn’t end by following the standards. It doesn’t even stop with a Bizsafe level 2 certification. In fact, it doesn’t really end. Instead, it’s a constant effort to continuously improve workplace safety.

2. Accidents are not preventable

It’s impossible to prevent ALL accidents. However, you can minimize them to the point that only “freak” accidents happen, and even then, you should still actively try to prevent something like a rare occurrence from happening ever again.

The truth is, more than half of all workplace-related injuries and accidents happen because of improper usage or handling of equipment, or the lack of planning, proper training, and more.

By addressing those deficiencies, you can minimize accidents to the point that you’ve nearly totally prevented them.

3. Safety should not be the top priority

Or, rather, it should be the priority of only a single or a few people, namely, the safety managers.

But, the truth is, safety should be everyone’s responsibility. It cannot be emphasized enough that it especially starts from the top, including the upper management. Those who are at the top set the precedent for which the others will follow. If they mandate safety, the rest will naturally follow suit and practice safety. Though it is much easier than done, it is still doable with time and effort.

Holding everyone on the job site accountable and making sure that they are following rules, as well as safe working practices, while also giving them the proper training as well as orientation, can all go a long way in establishing a culture where everyone’s top priority is everybody else’s safety.

4. Workers don’t need regular training

Most people think that each worker will undoubtedly remember every single detail in their workplace but in reality, it is impossible for them to remember everything as they are not robots, after all.

Holding daily meetings, as well as regular training, all can make sure that safety practices are drilling into every worker’s head. This means that a single or a couple of training sessions every year or so is not enough. There should be constant reinforcement of safety on a near-daily basis.

While in some cases, myths can indeed be true. But in this case, it is time that you stop believing these myths and start minimizing workplace-related injuries, as well as accidents. Your workplace and your workers will be thankful for you implementing a shift in company culture.

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