Health and safety and site cleanliness come hand in hand and is very important on site not only for reputation, and client visibility but mainly for the environment for the workers, its so important, most accidents on site can be avoided at most of the time, sites can be left clean and tidy most of time.

People in the industry will tell you Health and Safety has gone mad and I have seen many examples of madness but what the Health and Safety Executive have is actual data of incidents on sites, it never surprises me the risks workers will take and the lion share of incidents are avoidable.

Site Cleanliness, is something that has no obvious financial benefit but having proper welfare facilities and a clean site WILL save you money, site incidents costs money in delays and disruption, as it does not only effect the injured, the injured party colleagues become involved, perhaps even others on and off site.

When setting up a site, it’s important the builder considers all trades and a good site plan, ingress and egress routes, welfare facilities, railings, proper lighting, good scaffolding etc is vital. I know some bigger suppliers and installers refuse to go on sites if it considered a risk for there workers, I fully support this kind of action, with an air of caution that sometimes the workers can exaggerate matters.

I know some of the younger generation and the older generation take site cleanliness and health and safety more seriously, I notice there is a bit of a void in-between for unknown reasons.

There are also trade persons with different cultural backgrounds which I have found will take a bit more risk which not only effects them but potentially others.

If I found someone taking unnecessary risks and or not helping keep a site clean, It would bring me cause to discuss the issue(s) with them and if a serious breach of there own health and safety or others, I would have no option but to ask them to leave site and retrain.

Information is vital on site, when new tasks are being started or planned, they are discussed with all relevant people. A bug bear of mine is people running multiple tasks at one time for no reason other than convenience to themselves and before you know it they have there crap all over the site, providing potential risk to other and or disrupting others.

I prefer workers to complete the task as best as they can, clean up and then move to the next task.

Its also beneficial for the Site Manager as they can clearly identify progress and any potential risk of delays as a contractor doing 80% of his works but 70% of it is still not complete as elements are outstanding, this is not good practice, I understand why some contractors do this and generally to get the measure and paid more interim money however, this can cause problems for other trades on site and decisions yet to be made and the flow of trades. Where one trade has everything open, its not fair on others.

I have been fooled by Contractors in the past many times in which they can easily attempt to distract you, this is not the rule however, it can happen.

If a project is started with looking after the staff welfare and clear information is put together and expressed, not implied that these are the rules of the project, no if’s but’s or maybe’s, it demonstrates commitment from Management, I always have my mobile phone number displayed on sites, so if there is an issue anyone on site can contact me, so people can refer to me should they wish.

This demonstrates to staff that you care about well being, I assure you this means allot to most staff, not all, but most, this generates a sense of pride and obligation on one another, I have talked about team work previously, this leads to people raising issues to people like myself if it’s not already identified.

The health and safety benefits and having a clean site and having method and risk assessments, and employing basic things like not leaving materials lying around, access routes are kept clear, power facilities being correct and in order, proper welfare facilities and break out areas.

I am not talking about sites to a standard as being cleaned by Kim Woodburn or Aggie MacKenzie, I am saying a site that is clean to the standard of a Wetherspoons carpet, joking aside it’s common sense and accountability from all stakeholders, meaning persons involved on the project.

I mentioned in my initial blog that builders can be worse than a womens coffee morning, or a Donald Trump debate, this is obviously tongue and cheak but I strongly believe having worked on big and small projects that, even if you have regular contractors on your sites, they need reminding as they are working in different environment’s, its a bit like getting on a flight, they do the health and safety bits on every flight, even for frequent flyers, but there are different planes and there are different sites, the principals are the same but the specifics may not.

When someone new visits the site to start works, I like to set the tone for cleanliness, site safety and conduct, This is so important for the effective running of a site, on larger sites this is called a tool box talk in the industry.

The important thing for you as a client and about saving money, a happy site means that staff will have more respect for the works in hole not just there element, they will engage as part of a team and resolve issues as they want to help as a Team.

Finishes do not “accidentally” get broken, mis placed, and properly protected at all times, it just becomes human nature on site.

I have been on many sites, where attitudes are “that’s not my job” and this person has gone about there works knowing it will be ultimately wrong but technically they have fulfilled there job however, it would have to be adapted, pulled out and redone, causing delays and emotional upset for the builders for him/her to have sleepless nights, what happens on a well run site, things will get flagged generally before it comes to the Site Agent and matters will be dealt with as a team all because the work environment demonstrates this is a site that cares.

So Clean Site, less complaints, less issues, less cost, less snagging, more teamwork and happiness onto the next job.

Side note, when I have worked with sub contractors in the past, I have had many times said to me, I wish I could work on sites like yours, partially because of the aforementioned reasons.

Warm regards

Brad a k a Mrs Doubtfire

This joke made me laugh, “You guys wanna hear a construction joke? Hold on, I’m working on it”.