National Safety Month is a good time to reassess jobsite safety
Ensuring your workers always have jobsite safety top of mind is one of the most effective ways to keep your workers safe, retain your valuable employees and bring new hires into your company. While jobsite safety takes a year-round effort, National Safety Month in June is a great time to reassess how your company is doing in this critical area.
Overall, worker safety is improving in the construction industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics still reported over 1,000 fatal work injuries in construction in 2022, the most recent year where data is available. That means we still need to do all we can to increase jobsite safety. Where can you concentrate your efforts? In 2023, the most common OSHA citations were for violations related to fall protection, hazard communication, and use of ladders and scaffolding.
It’s clear that construction companies with a culture of project safety have a competitive advantage when it comes to worker retention and hiring. In fact, a survey by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) revealed that company culture was the No. 1 reason candidates chose one job over another. And showing that safety is a key part of your company culture is imperative when it comes to enticing skilled tradespeople to work for — and stay with — your company.
PeopleReady Skilled Trades puts safety front and center in all we do. During National Safety Month, we offer these four steps you can take to build a company culture of safety that can lead to an increase in new hires and worker retention.
4 simple steps to show your commitment to worker safety
#1: Provide construction PPE
When used correctly in the workplace, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been proven to reduce injuries, accidents and other occupational risks. It’s important to not only provide PPE but to make sure your workers are using it — and using it properly. It’s key to demonstrating to workers you’re committed to keeping them safe on the jobsite. PeopleReady Skilled Trades provides PPE for all of our tradespeople.
#2: Review safety programs and policies
National Safety Month is a great time to review your programs and policies to see if there are any gaps — or any processes or procedures you can implement to ensure construction safety year-round. For example, at PeopleReady Skilled Trades, we have what we call a Right Match Dispatch philosophy. What that means is, when you partner with us, we’ll only dispatch workers who have the skills, experience and tools to get your job done right. This approach helps ensure project safety — for our tradespeople and for our partner companies.
#3: Invest in safety training
High turnover rates are a common occurrence in the construction industry. One way to keep workers from leaving your company is to show you value them by investing in them, specifically in the area of safety training. By completing OSHA certifications, for example, tradespeople will feel more confident on the job, which can in turn boost worker retention. PeopleReady Skilled Trades offers free OSHA 10 certification training to all of our skilled tradespeople. It’s another way to demonstrate we value our workers and their safety.
#4: Communicate your commitment to safety
Take this time during National Safety Month to reevaluate how your company shares its commitment to worker safety. Talk about how much your company values worker safety in your job postings. Talk about it on social media. Talk about it in team meetings and on your jobsites. Then make sure you go beyond talking about it to showing — through programs, policies and trainings — that you truly do value construction safety. The result could be an increase in new hires and overall tradesperson retention.
Partner with PeopleReady Skilled Trades for construction staffing solutions
Need safety-focused workers for your upcoming projects? PeopleReady Skilled Trades can help. Since 1987, PeopleReady Skilled Trades has provided skilled tradespeople — including electricians, plumbers, carpenters and more — for a variety of construction contractors and subcontractors. PeopleReady Skilled Trades welcomes the opportunity to connect your company with the tradespeople you need to complete your skilled jobs on time and on budget.
