In 2014, leaders in the construction industry created Safety Week to lessen the number of injuries and deaths that occur in the field. Since then, the event has grown and is now regarded as an industry standard, educating construction workers on proper safety protocol and precautionary education. Small and large construction companies use Construction Safety Week, which takes place from May 7-11, to increase their level of safety through various activities and events. These events save lives and set new industry standards for health and safety. While you can organize safety week activities for your company on the cheap, you should also consider going all-out. Increased safety education for construction workers will save your business costly medical bills, protect your employees, and mark your company as one with a positive and safe work environment.
Activity #1: Trivia
Games are a great way to make a serious matter fun. The best part of a game? They usually come with a prize! Incentivizing an event encourages participation and engagement. Games like Trivia or Bingo are ideal for logical reasoning and active learning. More than just fun teaching tools, these trivia games can highlight areas of safety that need more work. (Consider finding on online research for questions like this list of construction safety questions and answers.) If the results of the quiz show that nobody on your crew knew about the hazards of air compressors, you’ll suddenly know what you need to teach them!
Activity #2: Fire Hydrant
How cool would it be to use a fire extinguisher to put out a real fire? So cool. As long as there’s no risk of getting hurt, playing fireman sounds like a lot of fun. However, when you’re in an intense and potentially life-threatening situation, it can be difficult to react appropriately. That is why it is important to practice out life-saving procedures so that if the worst happens (And it will happen. Thanks, Murphy.), you and your crew are prepared. The good thing is, thanks to your local fire stations, your construction crew can actually practice using a fire extinguisher—in the fun and cool way. Firemen set up controlled demonstrations so that your techs can put out real fires and develop their muscle memory in case disaster strikes.
Activity #3: Cable/Fall Prevention
This demonstration is also best done with a specialized professional. Seek out construction harness brands you trust and ask whether they would come out and show your crew how to properly use their gear. Since it is easy to become numb to the true danger of heights in construction, it is good to remind your construction workers the dangers that come with working off the ground. We might laugh when our stomachs sink after we step into the air at the top of a staircase, but stumbling 12 inches is a lot different than stumbling 12 feet.
Activity #4: Watermelon
When I was a kid I went to a newly opened toy store with my aunt. We were perusing the aisles when a coconut shell fell from a beam in the ceiling and hit my aunt on the head. (Yes, a coconut shell.) That day, I learned a valuable lesson. Falling objects hurt, even in the safest of environments. Of course, falling objects on construction sites can pose quite a bit more danger than a rogue coconut shell! When a sharp screwdriver falls from three stories above you, the last thing you want is for it to torpedo into your head. The good news? There’s this fancy new, high-tech invention called a “helmet” that can prevent damage to your precious scalp. Nifty, huh? Show your employees why it is so vital to protect your vitals with a simple watermelon demonstration. This can be done on your own or with a helmet brand representative. Put a helmet on a watermelon and leave another watermelon without protection. Drop a sharp object on both. See what happens. (Then enjoy a yummy snack while your crew recounts all the times they saw their lives flash before their eyes because they weren’t wearing protective headgear. Chances are, you’ll hear some stories that top even my silly coconut anecdote!)
Activity #5: Boots
This activity can also be done with a representative. Put putty in the toe section of both safety toe boots and in the toe section of boots without steel protection. Then, drop a heavy object onto both. Finally, show the damage to the putty did to your crew.
Activity #6: Family Picnic
A family picnic is a great way to show your employees that you care while instilling a valuable safety lesson at the same time. Invite your employees to bring family and friends for a company Safety Week picnic. This is a good reminder of the best reason to be safe while working construction. You can even schedule safety activities throughout the day—just make sure to keep the activities light and fun. You don’t want to scare any of the children or spouses!
Activity #7: Lessons
Teaching is often viewed as being an effective method of learning. Assign each person a topic in construction safety and have them give a lesson on it to the group. This activity works well for Construction Safety Week, and it can be reused in meetings throughout the year to keep your employees active in ongoing safety training.
Activity #8: Health Screenings
Staying safe on a construction site means more than just preventing accidents. Your internal health can also suffer given the rigor of the job and environment. Health screenings can help identify problems for people at more risk of a heat stroke or a heart attack. Overexertion is common in the construction industry, and checkups can help make sure everybody remains healthy and able to work. Daily stretches can also be incorporated into work routines as a way to prepare your body for physical work. They can also be used as a means to identify employees who may be trying to hide an injury.
Activity #9: Trainings/Certifications
Safety Week can be a good time for continued education through trainings and certifications. To maintain certain accreditations like CSM or SMT through the National Association of Safety Professionals, some of your crew may be required to undergo relearning every few years anyway. This might as well coincide with Safety Week! (Hey, nobody ever complained about hitting two birds with one stone, did they?) Something like CPR training would be useful for the entire staff and could potentially save someone’s life.
Conclusion
Construction Safety Week is an excellent way to reinstill valuable and potentially life-saving lessons on construction site safety. While this can be done through lectures, activities can make this week of learning more fun and memorable. Safety Week is important, but the ideas should carry on throughout the year to maintain a healthy and safe work environment.
