How To Be a Successful Safety Engineer in Construction Industry

One of the best ways to spread the gospel of safety is through effectively developed safety program training. This training should be aimed at construction managers and workers, and it should provide a thorough education regarding the benefits of safety awareness. People often neglect safety protocol because they perceive it to conflict with their own goals, but training can show them that this isn’t the case.

In order to show workers the importance of safety, you need to get them involved through hands-on investment. Workers are unlikely to care about a workplace safety program that doesn’t directly affect them, but if you show them that it does impact them, they are far more likely to care. Explain to construction staff how failure to comply with safety protocol jeopardizes their safety and income.

Of course, even the best construction safety program is unlikely to spur 100% policy compliance. There will be incidents in which you will need to hold staff accountable for infractions. You can do so by reminding them of the consequences of safety violations — they are risking bodily harm and placing their livelihood on the line.

Part of holding construction staff accountable is rewarding good behavior as much as it is correcting bad behavior. Keep in mind that bad behavior shouldn’t be penalized — at least not initially — but instead redirected towards the correct course of action. This, in conjunction with rewards for conscientious compliance, can create a culture where safety always comes first.

Construction safety engineers are responsible for more than just dictating responsibilities to workers. You also need to inspect the site and conduct safety meetings on a daily basis. When you’re conducting meetings, this is a great opportunity to reinforce positive behaviors and provide correction to any infractions you may have observed — without naming names, of course. Starting the day with an acknowledgment of safety helps to keep it in workers’ minds all day long.