What’s in a Construction Employee Safety Manual?

Construction safety manuals should clearly outline key procedures and expectations to ensure a safe working environment for all. After reviewing your safety manual, employees should clearly understand that they must comply with safety rules, company policies, and any additional rules specific to the customer location.

If your safety manual is on point – excellent! If your manual is lagging or lacking and you’re ready to uplevel, this blog is for you.

Why have a construction safety manual in place?

Beyond ensuring that employees can have consistent guidance in maintaining a safe workplace, a construction safety manual can help meet OSHA’s training and documentation requirements, reduce your liability, improve compliance in the event of an inspection or injury, and possibly improve insurance underwriting outcomes.

Does your company have a safety manual in place? 

While many larger construction companies (with 100+ employees) tend to have a solid safety manual in place, smaller construction businesses may be unaware of specific requirements for written safety programs. If you’re unsure if you’ve met all the safety manual requirements, regardless of the size of your business, keep reading.

Construction employee safety manuals house a lot of important information. Thankfully, insurance technology provider Zywave has published an excellent Construction Employee Safety Manual template. We’ve summarized the main points below.

Please note that this is a general outline and not an exhaustive list of everything that can or should be included in your company’s safety manual. Specific duties relating to particular hazards, equipment, or tasks require additional training and adherence to safety measures, and should be detailed in your manual.

What’s in a construction employee safety manual? 

Here’s a list of topics you should consider including in your company’s construction employee safety manual.

• A statement about your company’s commitment to safety
• Employee safety responsibilities
• General and off-site safety rules
• Safety orientation training
• Return-to-work program
• Emergency action plan
• Emergency contact information and job-site contact information
• Sexual harassment policy
• Workplace violence
• Access to employee exposure and medical records
• Vehicle use policy
• Motor vehicle record (MVR) grading criteria
• OSHA compliance programs
• Hazard Communication
• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Lockout/Tagout
• Confined Space
• Respiratory Protection
• Respirable Crystalline Silica
• Walking-working Surfaces
• Beryllium
• Crane Operator Certification
• Fire prevention and electrical safety
• General safety precautions
• Job-specific safety precautions
• An employee acknowledgment form

Fusco, Orsini & Associates customers – reach out for a customizable safety manual template here: hello@foagency.com.

Executing a comprehensive safety manual, inclusive of the applicable topics outlined above, is your opportunity to engage your team in safety best practices while taking a proactive stance against injury and risk.

Are construction employee safety manuals required?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires written safety programs for many construction-related hazards, such as those noted in the list above. A safety manual is a practical and compliant way to fulfill this. Reference Cal/OSHA Safety & Health Training and Instruction Requirements and OSHA’s Compliance Assistance Quickstart for more information. 

Your construction employee safety guide should emphasize that safety is a continuous effort, and that training and adherence to the outlined safety procedures are mandatory to maintain a safe workplace for all employees.

When to seek help:

There are many reasons your construction employee safety manual may be lagging or lacking. It is normal to experience confusion around this topic, or perhaps you just haven’t had the resources (especially time) to solidify a manual. If this is you, please reach out to us – we’ve helped hundreds of construction companies navigate insurance and risk, and we can help you, too. Don’t rely on informal safety practices; nail down your safety manual and build your strongest business yet.

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Sources: 

Cal/OSHA Safety & Health Training and Instruction Requirements | State of California Department of Industrial Relations

Compliance Assistance Quickstart | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Construction Employee Safety Manual | Zywave

AI Assistant | Zywave Labs