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In construction, safety protocols are sometimes overlooked due to time constraints or a lack of resources and personnel. For example, 23 percent of construction professionals work with machines without the required authorisation, according to the Boels Rental Construction Index*, a Dutch survey of construction professionals. Despite these risks, two-thirds of professionals (67%) believe that there are sufficient measures being taken at construction sites.
How can we balance meeting deadlines with upholding safety? Funs Hermans, Training Manager at Boels Rental, shares three key considerations.
1. Prevent accidents with anti-fall protection
Safety is high on the agenda of every construction company, especially when working at height. The emergence of smart safety equipment such as helmets and harnesses with sensors, enables risk to be identified in real time. These sensors monitor the environment such as movement and location, and immediately send an alert to the wearer if a dangerous situation arises. This technology is helpful in reducing the risk of falling at height, which concerns one in four construction professionals (25%) in particular.
2. Coordinate safety management
More than two out of three construction professionals (68%) say the risk of accidents increases when multiple parties are present at a construction site. Collaboration between contractors, subcontractors and suppliers can make operations more complex, as they are all responsible for their own tasks. Appointing a safety coordinator helps align all safety plans and improve coordination.
More education and training
Offering more education and training on safety highlights its importance. This will then hopefully lead to construction professionals working more safely. Education and training not only help people work more safely, but according to those working in construction, it also helps them work more efficiently (34%) and become more innovative (26%).
Government involvement is essential
Almost two out of five construction professionals (37%) call for stricter government measures on construction safety. But at the same time, 41 percent actually want less regulation in order to promote efficiency. Finding a balance between safety and efficiency requires a careful consideration of the needs of workers and employers. That is the only way to ensure that there are no accidents at construction sites.
*The survey was conducted by Markteffect among 404 Dutch people working in the construction industry.