Risks are the order of the day in every construction site. Managing these risks is highly essential to prevent the possibilities of injuries of construction workers. The concept of risk management follows three major undertakings including evaluating the risks concerned, averting the risks, and provision of insurance against adverse effects of risks in the construction site.
Risk evaluation and identification
One of the most important steps in managing risks is being able to understand the risks concerned. Risks are normally specific to a given construction environment and can vary significantly. Evaluating the construction site with a view to pointing out the possible areas of risk of injury ensures a comprehensive determination of these risks.
Risk aversion
It is also important to avert possible risks after identification of the risks. Making the construction site safe should be every contractor’s priority. Ideally, every risk identified in the risk identification stage should have possible risk aversion mechanisms set in place to mitigate such a risk. The risk identification stage should focus on among other things, pointing out the risk against the possible causative factors that drive towards it. Also, the nature of potential injuries should be pointed out. Additional information that should be provided to that effect are the various personal protection equipment (PPE) that should be used by the workers to avert injuries while at work.
The resultant construction risk framework should then be used to develop a risk management manual which would otherwise be used by the contractor to train the workers on how to carry themselves around the site to avert the possibility of injuries.
Risk insurance
After the determination of the construction site risks, the third important step is to evaluate and determine whether those risks are insurable under the existing insurance policies. Liability insurance to this effect offers the construction workers with a suitable cover against any possible injury. Injuries may emanate from accidents such as lifting of heavy construction materials as well as being hit by possible debris in the work site. Offering insurance against such possible injuries in the workplace would offer the contractor with a possible offset from treatment liabilities that may arise thereof.
In conclusion, whereas risks cannot be overly averted in any construction site, understanding and foreseeing those risks is the first step towards mitigating against any risky eventuality.