Safety First

The year 2020 has been intense, to say the least. Construction companies, facing the first pandemic in decades, are required to protect workers from COVID-19 transmission as well as from respiratory hazards during a face mask shortage.

The top meeting templates used by construction companies in 2020 so far reflect the ongoing COVID-19 situation: handwashing is the top meeting. But they also reflect a persistence in choosing safe operations in the midst of change and uncertainty.
Workplace safety is top of mind. Businesses and companies are expected to provide a safe workplace environment free of known safety and health hazards. When a workplace is safe, employees feel more comfortable, productive, and are less likely to miss work. According to the National Safety Council, every 7 seconds a worker is injured on the job. That means 510 people are injured an hour, 12,600 a day, 88,500 a week, and a shocking 4,600,000 workers are injured every year.

In our 2018-2019 Workplace Safety and Preparedness Report we were surprised to learn that 30% of respondents were unaware of their employers’ emergency preparedness plans for common types of workplace emergencies. There were higher percentages of respondents reported that even though there were emergency preparedness plans in place, these plans for severe weather events, medical emergencies, and cyberattacks were rarely or never tested.