One of the most exciting things in life is starting a new project: moving to a new city, starting a new job, getting married, traveling to a place we’ve never been to before… And of course, building or renovating a property.
Possibility’s in the air. It’s the start of something new and of good times and profits to come. But in addition to getting your permits, surveying the property, reviewing your business lease to see if you can get stuff done, and hiring contractors, there is one specific item on your To Do list that should always be a priority: Keeping your workers safe.
Now, depending on whom you’re speaking with, you’ll get different reasons. A humanitarian will talk about how sensible it is to ensure safety and about how employees have families who love them.
A jaded attorney will tell you all about workers’ compensation claims, personal injury and wrongful death suits, and all the fun stuff that comes along with getting sued.
Either way, just make sure your bases are covered. The following are basic things you can do so that your project will go along smoothly.
- Are the excavation sites safe? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established standards to ensure that contractors keep their job sites safe. This means paying attention to soil components, water content in the soil, and weather changes. It also provides guidelines for depth and width of excavations.
- Is your scaffolding properly installed? This one may seem like a no brainer, yet we still hear stories of construction workers falling to their death. This is why you need to, once again, follow OSHA’s directives on the subject. Are the footings leveled? Are they restrained against tipping over if they’re too tall? When was the last time that specific scaffold was inspected to make sure it’s still safe to use?
- Do you have personal fall protection systems? Nobody’s perfect; and even in the most secure job sites, an accident could still happen. So what’s your Plan B? Are lanyards and lifelines in place? Have you tested them to make sure they work properly?
I won’t even bother detailing the importance of protective gear, because if you don’t know about that by this point, you shouldn’t be involved in any construction project.
As a business owner, anything that happens on your property may expose you to legal liability; whether from customers, or from workers. So make sure to cover yourself by only doing business with responsible contractors. Eclipse Building Corp. is a leading example of doing things by the book. Contact us, and let us help you with your project.