In high-risk industries like construction and manufacturing, ensuring a safe working environment is paramount. But what exactly constitutes an unsafe working condition? Typically, these are hazards that jeopardize the safety or health of on-site employees. It’s also crucial to distinguish between human error and violations, where the former is unintentional while the latter involves breaking rules knowingly.
It’s well-known the influence human behavior has on any environment’s safety – according to W.H. Heinrich’s Domino Theory, nearly 88% of all accidents are caused by unsafe acts, while 10% are caused by unsafe conditions. If you think about it, both factors can play a role in causing each other – continuous unsafe, careless acts could create an unsafe situation, like unsecured tools and materials cluttering a high-traffic walkway. Tackling both risk factors can lead to increased safety across the board, but knowing what to look for in the first place is essential for any workplace.
Understanding risk factors leading to unsafe working conditions can shed light on the source of accidents and injuries. While it’s ultimately on the employers and safety managers to prevent hazards, employees hold responsibility in recognizing and reporting them. Safety isn’t just one person’s responsibility – maintaining a safe workplace is a team effort.
OSHA Safety Requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that employers adhere to stringent safety standards. These requirements include regular worksite inspections, maintaining incident and injury records, and providing the safety training and equipment your employees need to do their job. If safety standards aren’t upheld, organizations can expect OSHA to enforce their expectations with on-site inspections, fines, and other corrective actions. By upholding these guidelines, companies can significantly reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries on the job.
Safety isn’t a metric that should be taken lightly – it directly leads to improved performance and profits. On top of improved morale and less downtime on the jobsite, adhering to safety standards and reducing risk on the job site improves productivity. In the long run, companies can expect up to 333% return on investment for their efforts building up a solid safety program. The bottom line – if you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of you.
With the great potential payoff for a strong safety culture in mind, here’s what you need to know about the states of mind that lead to dangerous acts, and how to prevent them.
Dangerous States of Mind
If your frontline crew isn’t operating with safety in mind, the fact of the matter is there will be accidents on a project. Understanding and knowing how to recognize the top four dangerous states of mind will make it easier to reduce risk and accidents. If you don’t take care of these issues, it can lead to a negative psychological state for everyone on the project. If one person doesn’t feel safe, it’s likely they’re not alone.
Rushing is often driven by tight deadlines or pressure to meet production targets and can lead to errors in judgment (not to mention sloppy work). You can combat rushing by easing back on deadlines if possible. Spreading out workloads evenly and encouraging subcontractors to do their best work – not necessarily their fastest – can also make sure nobody injures themselves moving at the speed of light.
Frustration can be caused by plenty of issues. Faulty equipment, unsafe situations or communication breakdowns are just a few things that can contribute to your crew feeling unhappy at work. Low morale causes frustration and may impair decision-making abilities on the frontline. You can usually fix this problem by treating your workers with respect, making sure they aren’t overwhelmed, and providing opportunities for them to be heard. The list of ways to combat frustration goes on – don’t limit yourself to these three suggestions.
Fatigue is usually a symptom of more serious issues. These can include insufficient sleep, demanding work, poor mental health, or environmental hazards. Think of it like drunk driving. Similar to alcohol, fatigue impairs mental function and reaction times. These significantly increase the likelihood of accidents and injuries. By giving your frontline the time they need to rest and recuperate, you can improve the odds that they’ll be awake and alert on the job site.
Complacency can be the most dangerous state of mind if it’s not addressed quickly. It usually occurs when workers become too confident or accustomed to routine tasks. Complacency can lead to careless actions, relaxed safety, and a crew that thinks they know best. You don’t want your front line to turn into these guys – make sure you’re drilling safety processes and mindfulness so they don’t make careless mistakes.
Recognizing and correcting dangerous states of mind can help prevent accidents caused by human error. These problems can compound in the long run and lead to an inefficient, hazardous workplace. Alternatively, catching issues at the source and treating your employees with respect can do wonders for your safety culture.
In addition to the human element, other major physical factors can lead to unsafe acts and incidents becoming commonplace.
Lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can be a lifesaver. If you don’t provide the right gear (or any PPE for that matter), it can pose a significant risk to workers’ safety. Required PPE can differ based on the industry, but includes gear like hard hats, gloves, goggles, and safety harnesses. If you’re not sure what PPE your employees need, check out OSHA’s primer on meeting PPE standards.
A major thing to keep in mind when acquiring PPE for your employees is how they’ll fit. If gloves, safety glasses and hard hats are too small, they’ll be unusable at the worst, and uncomfortable in any other case. If safety gear is too big, it can take a toll on efficiency and comfort. You want your front line to work safely and efficiently, not fiddling with their gear. Take the time to get the correct size for each worker so they can feel confident doing their job.
In addition to making correctly fitting PPE available, safety managers need to make sure people are using their gear correctly. Imagine if a chainsaw operator doesn’t have the proper chaps for protection. One accident could lead to significant changes in a person’s life. While most defective PPE won’t lead to loss of limbs, your crew could end up with lacerations, concussions, and other serious injuries.
Safety managers and executives should also help employees feel heard when it comes to PPE. Frontline workers will be the first to know if their gear isn’t cutting it. They should feel encouraged to report issues. In turn, those concerns should be addressed quickly and accurately. This will lead to improved trust at all levels, not to mention fewer injuries on the job.
Not Using Equipment, Tools, or Machinery Properly
Appropriate equipment, tools, and machinery usage is essential for a safe work environment. In 2022, 738 workers were killed in incidents involving equipment – most tools, whether they’re stationary or handheld, need to be treated with respect. Make sure the right tool is being used for the job. Whether you’re bumping up against dangerous machinery or using a forklift as a souped-up stepstool, using gear for jobs they’re not intended for can lead to incidents and accidents.
Equipment and tools also need to be regularly inspected for wear and tear before they’re used. Always do a walkaround and look for leaks, missing components, or signs of electrical failure. Properly train your workers too, so they know what to look for and how to report damage to essential equipment.
Finally, equipment that causes vibrations or loud noises needs to be approached with caution. Make sure your frontline has proper protection to avoid lasting hearing loss or nerve damage. These can include ear protection and special anti-vibration gloves, which will help reduce vibration transmission.
By taking care of your equipment and tools, they’ll take care of you. Proper upkeep and training will lead to less injuries and an overall safer project site.
Poor Training
Even the most experienced frontline workers need daily guidance due to human error. If expectations and training aren’t clear, then your most reliable workers will start to slip. If someone didn’t know how to drive a car, you wouldn’t want them behind the wheel, right? You also probably don’t want someone operating a forklift, table saw or impact drill if they haven’t been properly trained.
A great place to start is by implementing accredited training programs into your processes and procedures. OSHA offers training courses and certifications that will provide the bare minimum for safety. The National Safety Council also offer information and resources for workplace safety training and safety management courses.
To make the most of your workplace training, we’d recommend building training courses customized for your organization’s needs. OSHA recommends these elements for proper training courses:
- Leadership and Participation
- Hazard Identification and Assessment
- Hazard Prevention and Control
- Educational Information
- Regular Evaluation and Improvement Plans
- Proper Communication Procedures
You should also consider specialized training for equipment and tasks that are performed regularly. By keeping the frontline informed and engaged through in-depth training, you’re fighting half the battle in preventing incidents and keeping workers safe.
Slips, Trips and Falls
We’re going to get straight to the point here – slips, trips and falls are one of the most common hazards in almost any industry. In 2022, 865 workers died in falls, while hundreds of thousands were severely injured and had to take time off work. And what happens if people are hurt? You can expect higher risk, slower progress, and more Worker’s Compensation payouts.
That said, falls are 100% preventable with proper training and oversight. Here’s a few tips we’d recommend for keeping workers from landing on their asses.
- Make sure ladders are being used safely and correctly.
- Regularly inspect surfaces and walkways and keep them uncluttered and hazard-free.
- Be aware of the weather on outdoor jobs – rain and snow can lead to slick surfaces.
- Use proper fall protection while working at heights.
- Never stand on unstable surfaces. The last thing you need after falling is for heavy materials to land on you.
By keeping your project sites clean and your crew properly trained on fall prevention, you’ll be able to cut down on the most common source of workplace injuries.
Chemical Hazards
Not every workplace will have hazardous chemicals on-site, but improper handling and exposure could lead to long-term illness or death. According to OSHA, over 190,000 workers suffer from illnesses caused by chemical exposure. Even if you’re not killed, exposures can lead to cancer and other serious diseases in the long term. With proper training and procedures, you can reduce the likelihood of an incident.
Here are our suggestions for reducing hazardous contact with chemicals on the job:
- Wear proper PPE to reduce contact with chemical agents.
- Remove any contaminated clothes and wash them separately.
- Read and understand instructions for using chemicals properly.
- Keep chemicals labeled and safely stored in a secure location.
- Keep work areas well-ventilated.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling chemicals.
In addition to regular training and safety procedures, it’s also essential to be prepared for the worst.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans
Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans are vital components of ensuring the safety and well-being of workers in high-risk industries. These plans go beyond mere compliance with regulatory requirements; they serve as proactive measures to mitigate potential risks and minimize the impact of emergencies.
A solid emergency response plan should be prepared for any relevant scenario, including natural disasters, fires, chemical spills, and medical emergencies. Your plan should also outline clear protocols for emergency response and evacuation. Regular drills and training sessions should be conducted to make sure everyone knows what to do during an emergency.
Establishing strong communication channels will also let you keep everyone informed in an emergency. You can’t expect your entire workforce to stick together, so establishing leadership and communication lines to keep everyone organized will help maintain order and safety during a major incident.
Safety Data Analysis and Risk Assessment
Safety Data Analysis and Risk Assessment play pivotal roles in identifying and addressing unsafe conditions in the workplace. Through rigorous data collection, analysis, and interpretation, safety managers can uncover underlying trends, patterns, and root causes of accidents and near-misses. By examining historical incident data, near-miss reports, and safety observations, organizations can identify recurring hazards and prioritize corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.
Conducting regular comprehensive risk assessments enables safety managers to proactively identify potential hazards, assess their likelihood and severity, and implement appropriate controls to mitigate risks effectively. This proactive approach not only helps prevent accidents and injuries but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and safety excellence within the organization.
Behavior-Based Safety Programs
Behavior-Based Safety Programs offer a targeted approach to recognizing and correcting unsafe conditions by focusing on modifying employee behaviors and attitudes toward safety. These programs involve observing and analyzing worker behavior in real-time to identify unsafe actions or near-misses and providing immediate feedback and reinforcement to promote safer practices.
These programs also foster open communication and collaboration between management and frontline workers, creating a culture of trust and shared responsibility for safety outcomes. If you’ve read this far, you’ll know that every element of workplace safety relies on a leader’s ability to respect and listen to the front line. These guys are usually the first to notice an issue, so you should always listen to their concerns and respond appropriately.
Through ongoing coaching, training, and recognition, you can encourage correct behaviors and build a strong safety culture at all levels of your organization.
Strengthen Workplace Safety with Safety Mojo
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to improve working conditions or just want to keep them to a high standard. Safety Mojo has the tools you need to improve accountability and compliance, reinforce safe behaviors, and reduce risk factors across the job site.
- AI-powered Conversational Forms that digitize paper reports and can be filled out with just your voice, no matter your language.
- Smart PTP helps build daily Pre-Task Plan reports, allowing subcontractors and frontline workers submit signatures digitally — no need to track them down on a busy job site.
- Set daily tasks and conditions for workers with Goal and Control. See when people get a job done and send automatic reminders to the right worker based on completion status.
- Real-Time Dashboards provide information on observations and incidents as they happen, giving Safety Managers the knowledge they need to improve their safety plan as needed.
Safety isn’t just a mindset – physical working conditions and management practices affect incident rates just as much as unsafe states of mind do. By incorporating our AI-driven safety platform, you can make sure your projects are completed safely, quickly, and with minimal accidents.
Want to learn more about Safety Mojo? Schedule a free demo today to see how it can improve your safety program.
