Construction Safety Manual

OSHA requires that all construction companies develop and implement a construction safety manual. Such a program should describe the whole of the company’s safety and health activities. Think of it as an ongoing process. Organized leadership with the proper application of the program is essential to attaining good safety and health performance.

Construction is a high-hazard industry that comprises a wide range of activities involving construction, alteration, and/or repair. Having and implementing a construction safety manual is required by OSHA. Examples include residential construction, bridge erection, roadway paving, excavations, demolitions, and large-scale painting jobs.

Construction workers engage in many activities that may expose them to serious hazards, such as falling from rooftops, unguarded machinery, being struck by heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, silica dust, and asbestos. Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this category for all industries.

Elements of a Construction Safety Manual May Include:

Benefits of an Effetive Construction Safety Plan

A proactive construction safety plan is an effective way to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses and reduce the costs of doing business. In such a program employers and employees work together where safety and health are always a priority.

The benefits of an effective, proactive construction safety plan include:

• Higher productivity and employee morale
• Higher quality of work and products produced
• Fewer worker injuries
• Lower compensation insurance cost and absenteeism
• Lower employee turnover

Remember, the effectiveness of all your construction safety plan depend on how well you actually implement and maintain it. You must regularly review and update your safety programs in order to keep them effective.

Employers and employees must also remember that OSHA regulations only set minimum requirements and they should strive to exceed the standards at all times. With such improvements, employers will see:

• Improved production;
• Increased employee efficiency;
• Enhanced employee morale;
• Lower workers’ compensation costs;
• Decreased OSHA citations and fines.