Health & Safety - The importance of a strong H&S culture at work
Having great health and safety is part of having a great business however accidents on site can be unavoidable. Did you know that between 2019 and 2020 there were nearly 4000 injuries resulting in a week or more away from work in the construction industry alone? And sadly, last year there were a total of eight fatalities on the job.
Our highest areas reporting incidents in the workplace are construction and trades as well as agriculture. There are a number of signs your H&S protocols may not be quite up to scratch. Read on for our top areas of concern that are the first signs of a poor H&S culture within your business as well as tips to turn that around and get your team 100% on board.
Are all incidents being reported? Noting incidents should not just be for serious cases. It's equally as important that near misses are also recorded. Your crew may feel their injuries are not worth the hassle but the next time it happens, the consequences could be a lot more serious. If they’re not recorded correctly, you cannot prevent them from happening in the future.
Do your team feel comfortable making reports? Or is there a culture of fear around this? Blaming your team for incidents only promotes negativity around health and safety. If your crew feel scared or embarrassed to make reports due to fear of getting in trouble you’ve got yourself into a lose-lose situation. Instead, set a tone that reporting incidents isn’t something anyone should feel uncomfortable about. It is simply a means to assess what caused an incident to ensure it won’t happen again in the future.
Communication is key! Without it any efforts to increase the culture within the company will certainly be hindered. Having honest and open communication with your crew about why you’re making changes is the best way to help them understand the importance. It seems like an obvious one but the more open and transparent you are the more likely your team will be to take the new initiatives seriously.
Ensure regular training on correct H&S practices so you are confident they know how to safely perform their tasks and make sure your crew have easy access legislation so they can stay in the know with any changes on the horizon. We have some pretty big ones coming up later this year in fact!
Make it a team effort! Site safety impacts everyone, so it makes sense that your crew should have a hand in shaping their site’s culture. The more input they have, the more likely they are to follow precautions. Foster regular team H&S talks, giving team members the opportunity to openly voice any safety concerns. By having open conversations and allowing input from your crew you’re giving them the ability to implement safety measures that affect their own jobs, ultimately making them more likely to follow processes and encourage others to do the same.
Need H&S Support? This isn’t something you need to tackle alone. We individually tailor our services to provide practical and cost effective solutions to solve your problems and enhance the health and safety of your workers.
We offer a wide range of health and safety consultancy, advisory and support services designed to comply with current health and safety legislation. These include risk assessments, policies, manuals and audits across a range of industries and sectors. Ready to come on board? Get the 5 Star Kowhai Welcome here