Everybody wants to create a safer, happier working environment. But turning good intentions into practical applications is not always so easy. 

UN Safety & Health At Work Day exists to promote awareness of these challenges – and help leaders overcome them. As a leading partner to the infrastructure industry, we at Access Hire feel responsible for supporting these efforts.

Here are four keys factors construction and infrastructure contractors should focus on:

1. Proper vehicle training

Equipping workers with the information they need to stay safe on site is essential. But simply imparting abstract knowledge is one thing; helping workers ensure that they act on that knowledge is something else.

Access Hire’s IPAF training enables workers to learn proper safety procedures using the exact models of Van Mounted MEWPs they will use onsite. This helps them habituate proper safety protocols, memorise safety information more easily and operate the vehicles confidently.

Key action: Book every worker who operates Van Mounted MEWPs a full training course.

2. Stress reduction

Workplace stress is endemic on construction and infrastructure worksites: 48% of workers have taken time off due to unmanageable stress, and a third deal with elevated stress every day.  

But this isn’t just a problem for workplace wellbeing; researchers find that heightened stress increases the likelihood of poor safety behaviour, ultimately increasing the frequency of accidents and injury.

Employers can improve worksite safety by reducing individual workers’ stress levels. This can be achieved in multiple ways, from providing more space to relax during breaks to teaching stress reduction techniques and offering more reliable shift patterns.

Key action: Develop a clear plan for reducing stress and create the right environment onsite to facilitate that.

3. Rest breaks

Construction and infrastructure shifts can be gruelling. Workers are doing physically demanding work for long periods, often with relatively little downtime. This can lead to poor decision making and less attention paid to safety measures.

Introducing more frequent ‘micro breaks’ enables workers to manage that workload more effectively. It gives them a chance to recoup energy and recharge their focus – both of which are essential to ensure everyone follows safety protocols and stays healthy onsite.

Key action: Make regular breaks a right for every worker and ensure they are taking them.

4. Better equipment

Working from heights is a key part of most infrastructure projects. But traditional ladder work puts workers at unnecessary risk.

Leaders should focus on providing Van Mounted MEWPs to enable workers to operate at heights more safely. They should focus on procuring the newest models possible, and ensuring every vehicle is properly maintained and rigorously checked.

This is exactly what Access Hire offers: the UK’s youngest fleet of market-leading Van Mounted MEWPs, with inclusive maintenance and servicing to keep your project running – and keep your people safe.

Key action: Use the best Van Mounted MEWPs available to empower workers to work securely at heights with ease.