Safety of Employees & Public: A Must for Companies in the Construction Industry - Essay Sample

Introduction

In any firm, the safety of the employees and others outside the business is crucial. The company must always give protection of people a big priority while carrying its routine activities. Many advantages accrue to a firm that ensures the safety of its employees and the general public. Failure to take the stakeholders' protection into account while carrying out the company activities might mean that the company faces some problems. The construction industry involves a lot of hazards, and that is why companies must put safety into great consideration. Some of the most significant risks in construction include falling, being hit by a falling object as well as electrocution (Colak et al., 2004).

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Purpose of Safety in the Construction Industry

Construction companies must ensure security risks that are associated with the company's work. One reason why construction companies need to ensure safety is the legal requirement. Every construction company is required by law to ensure the safety of workers and employees. Therefore, the companies are supposed to ensure that each person in and around their work is safe. Companies that do not guarantee public safety are usually sued in courts and might have to close. The government might also impose fines on constructors who do not ensure safety. In most countries, there is a body responsible for ensuring that construction companies adhere to safety regulations (Toole, 2002).

Another reason why companies must ensure safety is to reduce the cost of insurance. Companies that can control their employees' safety, clients, and other people pay fewer insurance premiums. The low premiums are because of the reduced risks. Insurance companies charge premiums proportionally to the rate of occurrence of the risks. If a company can ensure the security of the public, the company benefits the most (Toole, 2002).

Ensuring safety makes the company reduce medical costs. Extreme incidents can be unavailable if companies take caution by applying strict safety procedures. A company needs to guarantee that the building site has a scheme, organization, and usages of tested protection methods. There is just no defense for failing to ensure safety in construction. Failing to provide security could result in injuries, illness, and even demise. Protection is crucial and should not be available in every construction company. The security is the reason why every company always tries to keep safety as number one. Medical bills might be so big that the company might lose a considerable income to the hospital.

Ensuring health and safety at work ensures that the company controls the death of workers and the general public. Road constructors, for example, use barricades and signs to alert road users of road construction. Additionally, road constructors build alternative routes. These measures help to minimize the chances of an oncoming vehicle causing an accident (Toole, 2002).

Another reason why a construction company should ensure safety is that it is a requirement by business ethics. Business ethics provide that every organization should be conscious of the safety of the workers and the public. Businesses might ensure safety, not because it is a law but because they know it is the right thing.

Benefits of Ensuring Safety in Construction

Assurance of safety at work might increase profits. When the working environment is safe, employees become more motivated to work. The instance of absenteeism also reduces when the company guarantees safety. The increased motivation makes employees deliver their best service and thus increased profits. The increased returns come to the company because employees become fully committed to work (Manu, 2013).

Ensuring the safety of the general public makes the company have a large number of customers. Customers might decide to buy from a business that they feel safe while transacting. By reducing the instances of absenteeism, the company makes its customers receive the best service. The satisfied customers are likely to seek the company's services again, thus making the company benefit.

Ensuring safety makes the company save time and money. A business that protects employees spends less money on recruitment and absenteeism. Ensuring safety also reduces the chances of injuries, deaths, and sicknesses, making the business avoid wasting money. Companies spend less on employee compensation if they follow safety precautions.

If a company ensures that it meets health and safety, it protects customers, sub-contractors, and the general public while in your business. When a company provides security at the workplace, it benefits from having more customers and productive labor. When the working environment is safe, the country, in general, achieves sustainable development. The level of poverty reduces when safety at work is available at the national level. The reduced debt comes because companies will be able to keep growing.

A healthy and safe environment ensures that workers have job security. The employees in a secure company are usually less willing to leave the job. The organization that provides safety at work enjoys a positive image and a good reputation. The organization, therefore, becomes able to maintain their customers and attract other new clients (Manu, 2013).

If a company assures its employees of safety and health, it is likely to enjoy low labor turnover. The reduced labor turnover in return makes the organization to minimize losses and costs. The company is also able to reduce the risks of paying fines in courts. The company cannot get prosecuted if it prioritizes health and safety.

Work Cited

Colak, Basar, Nilay Etiler, and Umit Bicer. "Fatal occupational injuries in the construction sector in Kocaeli, Turkey, 1990-2001." Industrial health 42.4 (2004): 424-430.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/indhealth1963/42/4/42_4_424/_article/-char/ja/

Toole, T. Michael. "Construction site safety roles." Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 128.3 (2002): 203-210.. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:3(203)

Manu, Patrick, et al. "Mitigating the health and safety influence of subcontracting in construction: The approach of main contractors." International Journal of Project Management 31.7 (2013): 1017-1026. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263786312001676