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Reducing Injury Rates Among Young Workers

February 21, 2017

Cecilia De La Rosa

Cecilia De La Rosa

As a general contractor, you’re required to fill each position of need with a competent, able body.  For many of us, filling the general labor positions can often seem easy; we find young, strong, enthusiastic “kids”, fresh out of high-school. While this tends to be a cheap and easy way to stock our laborer pool, we often don’t think about the long-term effects these decisions can play in both our (the employer) and their (the laborer’s) future. The mindset of these young workers is usually entirely different than that of an experienced laborer, as is their level of education and understanding of the job they’re expected to perform.

This lack of knowledge leads to an overwhelming increase in job-related injuries within the construction industry! In fact, work-related injury rates for employees in our industry under the age of 25 are approximately twice as high, compared to older workers! We all know accidents happen, but most of the time these accidents can be prevented.  Not only do these injuries have the potential to severely injure or kill your employees, but they can also mean you’re liable for the damages.

How You Can Prevent Injuries

The single most beneficial step you can take to prevent injuries among your young employees is TRAINING! Training your employees to do their jobs correctly, while teaching them about risk awareness and prevention, has the potential to minimize their risks while on the job. Too often we think, “Just because a task seems relatively simple, anyone with an able body can do it”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most duties in our industry require use of certain proper techniques, various tools, and an awareness of how it may impact those around us. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to ensure your workers have a safe and healthy work environment. Proper training needs to be a top priority.

How Can I Train My Employees Better?

Training employees can be extremely time-consuming, and for most of us, time costs money.  How can we be expected to train our employees on all the risks they might face during their time on the job?  Let’s be honest, it’s not always that easy. But we have the solution. Here at American Contractors Organization, we’ve developed a membership program that takes the hassle out of training your employees, while helping to ensure you’re protected in the event of an unfortunate accident.

How Can Membership Help Prevent Injuries?

First, your membership will give you direct access to our all-inclusive Risk Solutions Center! The Risk Solutions Center includes many features aimed at risk management and injury preventing, such as The Risk Management Library, The Training Track, Incident Tracking, and many more! Not only that, your membership will also provide you with an OSHA required Digital Fall Protection Program and a Safety Program, customized for your company! You’ll also receive access to over 60 Safety Checklists, designed for almost all dangerous work environments your young employees may encounter.
The Risk Management Library provides you access to over 2,000 bilingual risk management and safety policies, procedures, training programs, training shorts, posters, quizzes and checklists. These can all be used for training employees, risk assessment and management, and to create a safety-first work environment. The Training Track allows you the ability to develop organization-specific safety training courses, which you can use with all new employees, as well as a refresher for more seasoned employees. Imagine having an employee training platform that can become the cornerstone of your entire risk management process!

Take Control of Training Your Employees Now!

If you’re ready to take the next step in training your employees, while reducing risks and potential for expensive liability claims, take a look at our Membership Program! Please feel free to Contact Us with any questions you may have!

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