A change in culture is the key to optimising safety in the construction industry

Health & Safety is the bond that unites us all at ADCO.

There is some form of risk in all industries, but construction is one where the risks come with consequences more serious than most. An accident on a construction site where team members are often working at height could result in injury, property damage, project delays, or worse. In fact, falls from roofs, scaffolds or ladders are the leading cause of death in the Irish construction industry, accounting for 40% of all construction fatalities.

We need more than a safety policy. Our industry needs a safety culture.

Developing a proper safety policy could quite literally be the difference between life and death. But having a strong policy in place doesn’t just help to protect the health and safety of construction workers – It instils an acceptance and understanding of its importance by all employees, as well as their voluntary, pro-active compliance. Promoting a health and safety culture means construction companies can create a safe and productive work environment for their employees. 

Creating a culture of health and safety in the workplace

Safety on construction sites has historically been focused on making sure everyone gets home safely at the end of every day. That is still the case, but it is really only half the story, especially the way we think about health and safety in construction at ADCO.

Our Health and Safety policy goes further, covering more than just risk assessments and safety equipment. With stress, depression or anxiety accounting for 27% of all work-related illnesses in the construction industry,  it addresses the issue of mental health. As a male-dominated industry there has historically been a culture of not opening up about mental or emotional challenges.

“There can be a stigma in the construction industry
but we’re not all the macho people we pretend to be.
1 in 4 will suffer from some type of mental struggle.”

Robert O’Reilly
ADCO EHS Manager
(Environmental Health and Safety)

Protecting both the physical and mental health and safety of construction workers reduces the risk of accident, injury or illness. It prevents project delays and hold-ups, and improves the overall quality of construction work.

The ADCO pledge to maximise Health and Safety

“ADCO Contracting will conduct all their activities in such a manner as to take foremost account of the Health and Safety of all of our employees, contractors and all those affected by the Company’s activities.”

We’ve put in place systems to identify hazards and associated risks and to establish procedures for eliminating such risks, as well as ensuring that safe work processes are developed and implemented. 

ADCO has achieved an A rating on Safe-T-Cert for this policy, which has structures in place to follow Industry Codes of Practice to safeguard all our employees, contractors, people and property affected by our work. Health and safety has always been a top priority for us and our safety record is one of the reasons over 80% of our work is sourced from repeat business clients.

It is also one of the reasons why we were the winner of the Excellence in Health & Safety award at the 2022 Irish Construction Industry Awards for our “Mind Your Mental Health” safety campaign.

The ADCO Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

When employees are dealing with personal problems or experiencing issues with their mental health, it can impact their work performance, health and wellbeing. The ADCO EAP provides assessment, short-term counselling and referral services for employees and their immediate family.

We arrange site visits and talks with celebrity speakers on mental health issues to give our team members the confidence to open up. We also sponsor the Lighthouse Club, who provide a 24/7 helpline and app for people in the construction industry to discuss any problems they are experiencing with trained mental health professionals.

Safety should always be a top priority in the construction industry. By understanding construction safety statistics, maintaining safety standards and continuous improvement, and implementing safety measures and controls, construction and engineering contractors can collectively minimise the risks of accidents and injuries on the job site.

You can learn more about our culture of Health and Safety here or reach out to Robert and his EHS team. We’re always happy to share new ideas and thinking on how to raise the standards of health safety protection in construction even higher!