A hot topic in the construction and rental industry is how safety can be supported and enforced in this sector. From using machinery incorrectly to a lack of safety training and instructions, many of the accidents and fatalities we tragically see year-on-year are actually preventable.
With the construction industry being undoubtedly a higher risk of danger than some other industries, naturally you can expect more complex and hazardous situations to arise that require more time and training to tackle.
So what are some of the common risks being addressed in the construction industry?
- Working at height
- Misuse of equipment
- Moving vehicles
- Faulty plant and tools
Preventing accidents and promoting safety is critical in order to change the upward trend of workplace fatalities in this sector. Whilst the obvious benefit is to the workers using equipment and working on-site, construction companies themselves are also affected. With a lack of health and safety enforcements, workers are becoming less productive and less profitable with more and more days being lost due to work-related illness or injury.
What can you do?
There are many quick and simple ways to take an extra step to promoting better safety in the workplace. From scheduling regular work breaks throughout the day to battle fatigue and thus dangerous usage of equipment, to making PPE mandatory and ensuring workers wear correct safety equipment such as hard hats, eye protection and ear defenders.
Have you heard of PSI Guides from the Swedish Rental Association?
The Swedish Rental Association has been working to tackle the safety crisis in the construction industry with its news PSI Guides created to provide correct and specific safety instructions for all construction plant, tools and equipment.
With a registry of SRA codes that link to the relevant safety PSI guide specific to a machine make and model, your workers can gain quick and simple access to safety information for equipment they’re about to use. By making this information easily accessible, you can reduce the risk of equipment being used without adhering to correct usage.
MCS Rental Software has taken one step further and created QR codes that can be placed directly onto machines in order to make the PSI Guides readily accessible on their mobile device exactly when workers need them.
Read more about PSI Guides and how MCS could help your business put safety first with our useful guide to ‘Working to make safety a priority in the rental industry’.
Click here to read the guide