Construction projects come in all different sizes, from residential buildings to massive factories and distribution centers covering hundreds of acres. Each of these projects have one very important aspect, the potential for serious injury to workers. Nobody wants to see members of their crew get hurt on the job, but in the thick of arduous work, employees focused on completing a task can become complacent to some of the hazards they create in the normal process of their work. These mistakes can not only cause injuries to themselves or other workers but may result in expensive fines for a business. The best ways to prevent injuries will always be instilling a culture of safety within your company and to ensure workers are properly trained in safe work practices, but even the best-intentioned make mistakes while focused on getting the job done. So what other tools are available to construction businesses to keep these mistakes from turning into costly injuries and fines? Site Safety Audits Large construction sites with dozens or even hundreds of workers will require on-site safety professionals to constantly monitor hazardous conditions and ensure hazards are quickly identified and corrected. However, for smaller sites like a new build or renovation of apartment complexes, this may not be a practical approach. For these projects it may be more beneficial to have trained safety professionals provide site safety audits on a recurring schedule. Site safety audits are walk through inspections of your projects by trained safety professionals who specialize in identifying the hazards common to construction sites. During an audit the inspector will thoroughly inspect all the areas of the project and look for any manner of hazardous condition, such as slip/trip/fall hazards, electrical hazards, fire hazards, and more. Once the inspection is complete, the company will receive detailed reports on what hazards were identified, providing them with a clear path forward to improve the safety on their worksite. But….Why??? Site safety audits seem like simple tasks to complete, so why shouldn’t companies just designate one of their current workers to simply do a walkthrough of the site themselves? There are many reasons why hiring third-party site safety inspectors versus having workers from the project complete these tasks, here are 5. 1. Unbiased Inspectors. A new person coming to the site will provide “fresh eyes” to the conditions of the worksite. Workers on a project may become simply numb to their surroundings because they are looking at them all day, every day. They may overlook things like simple trip hazards that they have become accustomed to stepping over throughout the day. 2. Training & Experience. Safety professionals are trained in not only safe work practices, but to OSHA standards, and they come with the experience to understand what is, and isn’t, acceptable on construction sites. Through this experience your auditor can ensure that things like flammable materials are stored properly, fall protection measures are adequate, and signage appropriately identifies hazards per OSHA regulations. 3. Attention to Detail. The workers completing the project are already inundated with tasks and duties to support the completion of the project and adding additional tasks to them will either take away from their current duties or add extra time to their workdays. Walking through sites requires taking the time to inspect the site thoroughly and complete a report of things to be fixed once the inspection is over. Site safety auditors have one task, which allows them to focus on that task. 4. Worker Morale. Bringing in a third-party safety auditor speaks volumes to your employees. Workers will see that your company is more concerned about ensuring they have a safe work environment than simply profit. Improving worker morale will foster the safety culture that is truly necessary for injury prevention. 5. Learning. Once your company receives your report, not only can you fix the problems identified, you can also teach your workers to be more aware of them in the future. The idea of the site safety audit is not to place blame on workers, it is to increase awareness of hazards and prevent them from reoccurring. Summary Site safety audits can be an extremely valuable tool on your construction projects to improve safety culture, identify hazardous environments, and prevent costly injuries or fines. Proficient Training & Consulting’s Safety Professionals always consider worker safety to be the most important aspect of their duties and strive to end avoidable workplace injuries. Our number 1 priority is, and always will be, ensuring all of your workers go home in one piece at the end of each shift. Contact us today to receive more information about how we can help you and receive a quote for this, and all of our other important safety services.