The workplace has become a lot safer in the past 40 years. Annual injury and illness rates have fallen from an average of about 1 incident for every 10 workers in 1972 to 3 incidents for every 100 workers in 2015, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
But there is still more to be done, especially in the construction industry, which possesses one of the highest rates of workplace fatalities. The incorporation of safety management software into construction workflows around the country has the potential to deliver incredible oversight to site supervisors and protect workers as they go about their daily duties, all without interrupting their busy schedules.
Let's list off three innovative tools and how they resolve risks once integrated into the construction workday.
What do supervisors and workers look for when determining whether their worksites are safe? That changes day to day and varies from company to company. In such an intricate industry, every business risks leaving something important off their observational checklists - or worse, finding something new that threatens safety.
But when supervisors compile all their valuable safety metrics onto a single safety dashboard, complete with charts and graphs, they have the power to assess the current safety status at a glance without getting lost in the weeds. Better still, these visualizations bring immediacy and accuracy for proper safety analysis.
Traditional hazard reports are not conducive to resolution for several reasons. First, workers who observe hazards in the field may forget information once they get around to filing a report. And that's if they get around to it at all. Additionally, many in construction worry that identifying workplace hazards exposes them to job-related retaliation. Unfortunately, failure to address the complexity of feelings around hazard reports means trouble goes unrecognized until it's too late.
On the other hand, electronic hazard reporting simplifies the process and encourages workers to submit reports right when hazards present themselves. Mobile-optimized forms may include the option to include pictures taken from a smartphone or tablet or disclose hazards anonymously.
If something does go wrong on a worksite, the issues must be resolved. But it's so easy for corrective actions to get tangled in red tape or fall by the wayside, then amount to nothing, leaving the possibility for hazardous conditions and practices to recur.
Monitoring corrective actions through safety software ensures remedies to dangerous working environments receive the attention they deserve, especially when unfinished resolution efforts trigger automatic notification to site stakeholders.
Vector EHS Management Software offers these features and more, all contained in a single package. Request a demo to learn more.
