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6 Safety Tips on Job Sites

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So many things can happen on a job site and while you need to be aware of them, preventing them whenever possible is even more important. You want to make sure your employees are as safe as possible at all times.

Here are 6 safety tips for your jobsite:

Fall Protection

Statistics show that falls are the leading cause of worker deaths in construction. As an employer, be sure to assess job sites and implement systems to protect your workers.  You are required to provide a fall protection system when your workers are walking or working on surfaces with unprotected edges or sides that are six feet above a lower level. Protection systems can include guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems.

Workers also need to be responsible in this areas and familiarize themselves with all potential hazards on the job that a fall could occur from. Any system in place to prevent a fall should be inspected by the workers prior to using them to make sure they are working properly and free of damage.

Safe Scaffolding

Approximately 65% of all construction workers perform work on scaffolds. Due to this, they are exposed to falls, electrocutions, and falling object hazards.

Be sure your employees are wearing hard hats when working on, under, or around a scaffold. They should also wear sturdy, non-skid work boots and use tool lanyards when working on scaffolds to prevent slips and falls and to protect workers below. Another step they should be taking is making sure the scaffolding is clean and dry before getting on.

Make sure any scaffolding is professionally erected with guardrails, midrails and toeboards put up, and that it is at least 10 feet away from power lines.

Ladder Use

Improper ladder use is one of the leading causes of falls for constructions workers resulting in injury or death. Reasons for ladder falls include using the wrong ladder for the job, failing to secure the ladder, and attempting to carry tools and materials while climbing. Be sure the foreman at the job inspects all ladders before use each day. Any that are deemed unsafe should be removed immediately and repaired.

Safety Training

Your employees should be able to recognize safety hazards and know procedures to follow to minimize these hazards.

Make sure your training is done by someone competent to teach employees what to look out for. Topics of the training program should include the nature of fall hazards present on the construction site, how to ensure scaffolding and ladders are safe, use of fall protection systems and personal fall arrest systems and the role of the employee in safety monitoring and the fall protection plan.

Keep a certification record of any trainings as well as a list of when retraining is required.

Face and Eye Protection

OSHA requires that workers be provided with and wear face and eye protection when there are eye or face hazards present on a job site. When flying object hazards are present, eye protection must be equipped with side protection or be fitted with detachable side protectors.

Head Protection

Hard hats are second nature on a job site. They protect workers from a number of safety hazards. Hard hats should fit snugly and not come loose during normal movements or work activities. They should be kept in good condition and be replaced immediately if they suffer a heavy blow or electric shock.

Be safe out there and if Contractors Insurance can help you in any way to be sure you
have the coverage you should for your business, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

8 Tips to Growing Your Construction Business

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Are you ready to ramp up your business? Are you looking for the best ways to grow?  Having a plan in place is key to growth and that plan needs to have strategic ways to increase your operations effectively and ensure you have the resources for the growth you are looking for. 

Here are 8 tips to help you successfully grow your construction business

1.) Your Team: In construction, your team is one of your most important assets. Be sure to take your time hiring and put team members in place that are dependable, knowledgeable and skilled in their areas. Then once you have them you want to keep them so be sure to always promote and reward them for jobs well done. 

2.) Be a Leader: You don’t need to manage your team, you need to lead them.  You brought each person on for their unique talents so let them do what they are good at.  You oversee that and lead them and you will have a team that is happy and wants to expand your business just as much as you do. 

3.) Invest: To make money you also need to spend money. Invest not only time but money into your company’s growth. Invest in new equipment and technology when needed, train your employees and actively market your business.

4.) Word of mouth: The number one method to growth is having people refer you to others. Let your customers know you appreciate their referrals and will do right by them. 

5.) Network: One of the best ways to grow is to have the resources and people around you that can help you do that.  Networking is a great way to accomplish this.  You want to go into this process by not just thinking of how others can benefit you but how you can serve others as well. Being active in your community and giving back when you can is a great way to build repo ire. 

6.) Quality Work: Don’t sacrifice the quality of your work.  When it comes down to it, your company will be remembered for how well the job held up in the long term, not how cheap you could do it for. Cutting corners to reduce costs can be detrimental. Your company’s reputation is key to growth. Never compromise your high standards.

7.) Customer Service: Ensuring your customers are happy is extremely important to building your business and your brand.  This doesn’t mean they are always right or that you need to cave in on everything they want. You are the expert. It is about actively communicating with your client on the project and making decisions together on the progress. Happy customers will send you referrals and choose to work with you again. 

8.) Be Proactive: Proactively seek new opportunities to retain and grow your business. Reach out to the owners, architects and general contractors you know and have worked with to find out what projects they have on the horizon.

Here at Contactors Insurance Agency we want to support you in your growth and make sure that you have the best insurance coverage in place.  Call us today to review your policy and make sure you are ready for the growth that will be coming your way!

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