Industry

How a Builder Can Prevent Accidental Injuries to Members of the General Public

Whether you’re a builder working on a large-scale construction project or you’re implementing scaffolding at a residential home or commercial business, it’s important that you’re vigilant in ensuring the safety of the general public and preventing accidental injuries from occurring.

This article will examine ways in which builders can help to reduce the possibilities of injuries to the general public while on a job.

Complete risk assessments on-site for machinery, structures and vehicles

Before starting a project, it’s vital that you carry out stringent risk assessments to ensure the public’s safety. This can mean anything from having scaffolding constructed correctly to removing the risk of debris or brickwork falling onto the street below. Additionally, risk assessments should cover any potential hazards that could arise through misuse of machinery or heavy vehicles.

A good way of combatting this would be ensuring that the workforce you hire is fully trained in using its tools safely. Completing these vigilant checks allows you to spot any safety issues that could affect the public and so prevent any potential injuries that could occur. if you wish your workforce to stay safe then it is necessary to check that all the ladders and scaffolds meet safety standards and have a proper size for the project. Taking these precautionary measures would prevent you from any possible legal claim if one gets injured on the project site.

Plan infrastructure and any potential risks across the surrounding area

If you’re a site foreman or a council worker planning a big build in your community, you must be diligent when it comes to planning your site and considering the disturbances that it could create in your local community. We are suppose to take actions that are environment friendly and make a company fulfilling the core points of corporate social responsibility.

Big projects often mean that roads may need to be closed and water mains have to be turned off, leaving local businesses and schools affected. Hence, it’s imperative to ensure that the areas surrounding your site are safe for the general public, whether they are walking nearby or accessing nearby roads in vehicles.

One of the most dangerous threats to the public can be heavy vehicles and machinery entering the site or operating around residential streets. The machinery should be parked under a shed so that if anything falls down from a height, it does not damage the expensive machinery that is being used. When considering how you should safeguard this situation against potential injury to the public, it’d be a good idea for you to ensure that your roadways are well lit in times of darkness and safety barricades are installed to protect pedestrians.

Ensure the security of your site and ensure it’s well lit

Even when your workforce has gone home for the day, a building site or construction project can remain a dangerous place when in darkness or in the face of adverse weather conditions. Precautions should be taken to ensure that your site is safely secured and that any skips and scaffolding are well lit using headlamps.

Adverse weather conditions can sometimes cause resources like bricks and mortar to fall from a height, so it’s important to scan the area for any loose objects that could create an injury if they fall or if a pedestrian trips. Well, using safety net systems or personal fall systems is an effective solution to keep workforce safe if they are working at a height. It is preferable to pause the construction process when the weather conditions are not favourable as this is beneficial for the workforce and the builder.

It’s vital that, before you even get down to work, authorised risk assessments and safety guidelines are carried out by staff to increase the safety of the public. However, we are only human – so, even on the safest of projects, accidents can occur. This is why it is valuable to yourself as a trader or business to possess public liability insurance.

The broker Tradesman Saver provides valuable public liability insurance policies that are perfect for builders and tradesman looking to ensure that their businesses are financially cushioned if they still ultimately cause injuries to members of the general public.

If you have any questions, please ask below!