[BLOG]Why material handling and safety needs to be your priority onsite

SuperDecks the leader of safety; The benefits of high-quality equipment:

A construction site can become quite chaotic and busy, with equipment turbulence, workers and members of the public constantly passing by. For that reason, high safety standards for your equipment, workers and environment is an Important factor to consider when starting up your construction project. Project Manager, Site Manager Work health and Safety person or worker, it’s your job to be looking out for the safety of yourself and others.

Consequently, workplace health and safety should never be underestimated, allow us to explain:

What is worksite safety, and how is it important:

The purpose of having safety onsite is to protect the people around you. Workers, sub-contractors, customers, and members of the public, who are or are not involved in your business, are people who all deserve to live freely knowing they are in safe hands. Without safety precisions in place, these people can be at risk of an injury or considerable damage on site or for bystanders.

The construction industry is noisy and busy place that have numerous risks. The dangerous equipment and physically taxing tasks can certainly cause strains and hazards throughout projects, but majority of these risks can be avoided with the proper measurements and procedures in place.

At Preston Hire, we believe safety is the greatest way to maintain security of yourself and peers. Not only is it a wonderful way to attract investors and partnerships, as your reputation can be built on the safety of your site and workers, but also enables the prevention of injury, reducing downtime and create an efficiency workplace.

For this reason, our equipment has been constructed and designed with the highest possible quality to ensure safety to all. Allow us to explain:

Intrust in high-quality equipment; The SuperDeck Retractable Loading Platform System:

Productivity and high-quality equipment must both go hand in hand, when ensuring safety of all people, workers, and bystanders onsite.

The SuperDeck Retractable Loading Platform System was specifically designed for the safe handling and operation of materials for construction projects and tasks, for this exact purpose.

These platforms can be stacked vertically above one another and rolled in and out as required as opposed to traditional fixed or static platforms that must be staggered throughout the building.

The long-term understanding of safety and technology has led to the innovative SuperDeck we have achieved today, which we why we pride ourselves on providing the best possible equipment and machinery for our customers.

SuperDecks have and will continue to be the preferred system in multi-storey construction around the world, thanks to the technology and safety components.

With this all being said, how do you implement safety onsite? Thus, allow us to share the many factors that you need to consider when obtaining safety at your site

Safety Management plan

Implementing a safety management plan with a WHS personnel is the perfect start to ensuring safety to all. A safety management plan is the process of planning documents that identify the evaluation and foreseeable risks, whilst eliminating the impacts and creating responses. By identifying the processes, you can easy monitor, evaluate and manage the problems onsite, ensuring all safety protocols are treated correctly.

Written Policy & Documentation

Developing a written safety policy for all workers to see and maintain is important for your company and stakeholders. Not only is it mandatory, but it enables all workers to understand the risks and measures you have put in place to protect ensure safety.

Detailed documents enable all workers to understand the utmost importance of safety and the implications that are set each day. These documents should outline who is responsible for health and safety each day onsite, how you intend to manage the issues that arise and a risk assessment of the possible injuries that could occur.  All workers must understand how to manage an incident or risk and who is their first contact when a concern, near miss or accident has occurred.

Having an incident reporting system, is a wonderful way to file and report accidents that happened or near misses, to help resolve issues further down the track.

A Risk assessment is a document that identifies the possible risks and hazards and the likelihood or consequences of such events occurring or reoccurring. The 4 main principles of a risk assessment can include: identifying the hazards, assessing the risks that could occur, outlining control measures for the said risks and recording/documenting the findings.

Signage is also important to reduce recurring risks.

Training & safety courses

All staff working onsite must be trained in health and safety. Completing occupational health and safety courses, is a wonderful way to make sure workers are aware of the priority safety holds on your site. Refreshers and induction training allows everyone to be on the same page for incidents and accidents that occur and may occur onsite, with the possibilities of needing to know when and how to treat or handle an injury.

Preston Hire regularly conduct work, health and safety refresher courses and workshops to ensure the safety of workers when working in a construction environment or operating equipment.

Equipment

Getting the right equipment for your construction site, allows for the job you are completing to be carried our correctly and safely. Therefore, purchasing or hiring the correct and highest standard of equipment is the best possible outcome for your site.

Workers should also be aware of the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Which can include the correct clothing, hearing protection, eye safety wear, hard hats, high vis vest for visibility, and boots.

With this said, it is not just morally right to ensure the safety of yourself and your workers, but you also have an obligation and duty of care to the workers under The Work Health and Safety Act, as well as codes of practices. Australia’s health and safety legislation outlines various requirements that PCBUS (A person conducting a business or undertaking primary duty of care) and employees must meet. Failure to meet this legislation can result in financial penalties, even without an incident.

Work related injury can not only impact the people around you and yourself but can also financially and reputably damage your business. Therefore, staying safe is always the first way to go.

For more information on safety or the benefits of our equipment, contact us today on 1800 440 550 or visit our website at www.prestonhire.com.au