There are many reasons why you should want your construction site to be clean. The biggest reason is safety. A clean site is safer, and that should be your priority on every job. Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. In addition, a clean job site makes your company look more professional and organized. On top of all that, if your job sites are clean, your workers will be more productive and efficient, and their morale will improve, too.
However, not all construction companies have good cleanliness and tidiness standards in place. Instead, they assume that employees will take care of it themselves. Don’t fall into that trap. Here’s how you can keep your construction site safe and clean.
Create a Culture of Cleanliness
If you visit any construction site, you will probably see all sorts of reminders about safety. There will be posters, fences, pylons, and reflective vests. In addition, workers often call each other where they are moving and what is happening so that everyone is on their toes and protected. This is because the construction industry has made a concerted effort to make safety one of the most important concerns on a job site.
Cleanliness does not have that same priority, but it can. Your company can also provide reminders and straining for cleaning and sanitation. You can instill in your workers how important it is since it affects the safety and it affects the bottom line. Just like with food services, cleanliness on a job site can have real consequences, and your employees need to understand that.
Manage Your Waste
Construction sites generate a lot of waste. Excess materials, demolition remains, packaging, and many other kinds of waste need to be disposed of and kept out of the way of the work being done. You can’t have workers dropping debris where they are and leaving it there. You need an efficient way to remove waste and get it off the job site.
Make sure you have a designated area for your dumpsters that is out of the way but still accessible. You will also need trash receptacles all over the job site to encourage workers to throw things out immediately. You can use self dumping hoppers to make it easy to move the waste from one location to the dumpster. The less effort you do cleaning, the more buy-in you will get from your employees. Also, they can spend more time working and less time cleaning up.
A Place For Everything
“A place for everything and everything in its place” is probably the most important concept for keeping spaces clean. Tools must be put away immediately after use and not left lying around the job site where someone might trip on them or their power cords or turn them on by accident. However, there needs to be a designated storage place for all tools. That way, anyone can access them anytime without having to search the entire site. This just wastes time that workers could be doing something productive. As always, they are keeping tools organized helps with safety and productivity.
Stack Materials Properly
Materials arrive on-site in packaging or wrapped up neatly and securely. However, as things get used, the packaging is ripped over, and the material can start moving around unevenly. This is unsightly, but it is also a safety hazard. Improperly stacked materials can be a tripping hazard, and you do not want thousands of pounds of wood or tiling falling on one of your employees. Poorly stacked materials can also block access routes and make moving around on site more difficult. Make sure your workers are keeping things properly stacked as they use them.
Repairs Things Immediately
There is no reason to wait before fixing something. If a tool breaks, you should immediately assess whether it can be repaired and get it done right away. If it can’t be repaired, throw it out and replace it. A tool that isn’t functioning that is left on the site can be an injury hazard. Someone else might pick it up and use it, and it might spark, or its malfunctioning could create an unsafe situation. Not only that, but finding a tool and then discovering it’s broken can be very frustrating and a waste of time. If it’s salvageable, fix it. If it’s not, get rid of it right away.
Nail Safety
On any given construction site, thousands of nails are either in storage, ready to be used, or already hammered into materials. Nails have sharp points that can cause serious injury. You can probably feel a nail sticking into the bottom of your foot just by thinking about it. When demolishing something, you will inevitably come upon exposed nails. If they are on materials to be disposed of, do not hesitate. If you find nails protruding from framing or scrap lumber, hammer them down so nobody will scrape themselves against them or get their clothes snagged.
On a job site, everyone has to look out for each other. If you can’t trust that the worker next to you is going to be safe, then you should not be on that job site. The same goes for cleanliness and tidiness. They are very closely linked to safety, and your construction sites should always place a priority on them. Use these tips to make it happen for your company so that your sites are always in their best condition.
