If you’re not careful on a construction site, it could cost you in more ways than one. By investing in proper health and safety for contractors, you will save on average between $4-6 on the cost of work-related injuries.

It doesn’t make sense monetarily and professionally to cut corners, does it? Establishing the right tone for any job is the way to go.

To learn five of the best safety tips for contractors, strap on your hard hat and get to work. Read our guide below to become a model contractor.

1. Safety Plan

Before we get started on the construction safety tips, you’ll want to develop a safety plan for your team. This will diminish the chances of accidents and injuries when on the job at a construction site.

You want some commonalities when thinking about worker safety, but it does pay to have it specific to your environment’s needs. You want to allow some wiggle room here as well since contractor jobs are ever-evolving.

With worker safety on your mind, it bodes well to talk to the employees on a construction site too. You will gain the insight you may have otherwise missed.

With multiple companies on a job, to ensure the health and safety of everyone, there ought to be one unified safety plan.

2. Lifting

The second one of our safety tips is how to lift the right way. It is a simple thing to remember, you’ll want everyone on staff to lift with their knees and not their backs. For those who don’t follow this proper lifting technique, chronic back pain may be the result.

Establish good habits from the get-go and you’ll have a team under your belt for years to come. Make worker safety the norm and everyone will win in the end.

3. Awareness

Having awareness on any construction site is one of the best safety tips we can provide. Things like tools present, what equipment and machinery will be available, and weather are all things you’ll want to pay attention to. Keep in mind, things will change throughout the day so you always want to have an adaptive awareness on the job.

Be sure to do your due diligence on business insurance as well.

Aside from general awareness, as a contractor, you’ll want to develop a spatial awareness too. Same-level slips and falls from heights are two of the most common injuries when on a construction site. This will happen when you lose your footing on slick floors.

4. Training

To ensure contractor safety, you need to be properly trained. If you use any tool or machinery without training, you put yourself and your co-workers at risk.

If you don’t have the proper training, let a supervisor know first and foremost.

Take advantage of state-specific safety courses provided by OSHA. Whether a rookie or seasoned veteran, the right training will create the right culture you want.

5. Prevention/Hazard

Perhaps the most important one of our safety tips is to prevent anything from happening in the first place. It is the employees’ and management’s job to ensure this is followed through.

A solid hazard plan consists of solutions, wearing protective gear, and an informative administration.

There needs to be an assistance program for those without PPE (personal protective equipment). You could have the equipment deducted from their pay over time.

Implement Our Contractor Safety Tips

If you follow these five safety tips, you will be setting your team up for success. A construction site works best when it is a tight ship with everyone on the same page.

To further protect the employees on the job, get a quote today on business insurance. Do not hesitate as it will save you the headache in the end.