Make Safety a Core Workplace Value During Safe and Sound Week
Each year, OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week promotes the importance of written and structured workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America's workers safe.
Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, protecting workers and improving a company’s stability and bottom line.
A focus on safety is critical for home builders right now as OSHA is ramping up its jobsite enforcement efforts on numerous fronts. In fact, the agency announced in May a new emphasis program on fall hazards and federal regulators are considering a heat standard that could impact construction.
Safe + Sound Week, Aug. 7-13, is the perfect time to reflect and improve on the efforts home builders have made to strengthen workplace safety and health throughout the year. A written safety program is a requirement for construction jobsites under OSHA regulations. All employees must be aware of the program and many elements are required to be posted on the site.
NAHB has developed free safety program resources for home builders and contractors. With this year’s event emphasizing worker mental health and well-being, NAHB and its partners also provide resources tailored to construction workers, managers, developers and business owners on these critical issues.
The NAHB Safety Program Toolkit is designed for small to medium-sized home builders and general contractors to use as a model for their own safety programs. The model safety program contains the materials needed to effortlessly set up a successful, company-wide safety program, including company and employee documentation and notices that can be posted on the job site. It can be customized to reflect the particular circumstances of each jobsite.
Similarly, the NAHB Siding Contractor and Remodelers safety program toolkits offer businesses a practical, hands-on guide for implementing an effective safety program without hiring an additional employee or consultant to develop it. All three of these toolkits are available for download in both English and Spanish.
NAHB considers mental health and wellbeing to be an important jobsite safety issue. NAHB’s Member Mental Health and Wellbeing page includes jobsite resources focused on mental health. NAHB has also created Video Toolbox Talks on mental health and substance misuse in both English and Spanish.
Use NAHB resources to create your own safety program for jobsites. If you already have one, consider holding a stand down to review relevant parts of the plan with workers and subcontractors on your sites.
The safety and health of NAHB members, and all who work in residential construction, is a top priority of the Federation. A culture of safety begins with a thorough plan that is readily accessible to managers, workers and subcontractors.
