How to Write a Health & Safety Policy for a Construction Company

"Every day in this country, more than 14 workers lose their lives in preventable workplace tragedies -- close to 100 deaths every week," David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, reports on osha.gov. Construction companies confront life-threatening hazards all the time. Their workers undertake many activities that may expose them to serious hazards, such as falling from rooftops, risks of injury from unguarded machinery and heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, and inhaling dangerous dust and asbestos. Implementing health and safety policies goes a long way toward keeping work sites safe and reducing risks to employees.

Instructions

• 1

  Understand construction industry regulations. If you do not already have a health and safety manager in your company, consider outsourcing consultants to guide you through the industry's detailed legislation. Your company's policies are only relevant to the extent that they comply with and complement federal and state construction industry regulations.

• 2

  The earlier you can implement safety measures, the better. In its Prevention through Design initiative, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends addressing health and safety needs at the beginning of the project design process. This will prevent or minimize work-related hazards and risks associated with the construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and disposal of facilities, materials and equipment.

• 3

  Start drafting your company's health and safety policies by including a simple statement of the employer's commitment to health and safety. Indicate your commitment to working with federal and state regulatory bodies such as NIOSH and the U.S. Department of Labor.

• 4

  Prepare an organizational chart. Show the different levels of responsibility from your company's top management down to junior management, and indicate the people who are responsible for implementing the policies. Be sure to include a diagram to show the employees how they fit into the overall structure of the organization and their responsibilities for health and safety.

• 5

  Outline the mechanisms that will enhance the safety of employees, contractors and members of the public. Create policies that detail the company's safety and emergency procedures, first aid and reporting procedures. Establish policies to enable the creation of safe systems of work, continuous training and assessment of employees and contractors with regard to safety.

• 6

  Notify the employees about these policies. Enlist their support and show them how eliminating hazards on the job is also their responsibility. Provide for supervisors to monitor employees and contractors to make sure they are adhering to the new policies. Ask senior management to sign the health and safety document to authorize it and acknowledge their commitment to it.