ohs management system: a couple of rewards for construction businesses

7/31/2019 OHS Management System: A Couple Of Rewards For Construction Businesses

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COPYRIGHT 2012

www.ensafe.com.au/

Getting The Best For

Your BusinessEverything a construction business needs to

have!
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3 | G e t t i n g T h e B e s t F o r Y o u r B u s i n e s s

Prove Your Workplace Is Toxic-free By UsingAn Environmental Management Plan Template 15

Go Solo And Create Your Businesss QualityManagement Plan Yourself 17


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Achieve Construction

Compliance And Generate

Revenue

River dam projects, city infrastructure

contracts, commercial buildings, and

other development projects are underway

across Australia. While residential

construction seems to be headed for a

decline, with, according to the Housing

Industry Association, land sales taking a

dive in 2012, other developments in the construction business are ableto still provide jobs for the thousands of skilled workers and allow

construction companies to make a steady profit. How doesconstruction

complianceplay a part in building your business?

As a keen businessman, youll want to do everything humanly possible

to keep your company afloat, especially if you happen to be involved in

the construction industry. You want workers who have passed your

stringent hiring process and possess the very best skill, knowledge, and

experience that will enable your company to finish projectssatisfactorily. You want to have access to suppliers or providers of

innovative products that will allow you to build quality projects.

Quality people make quality buildings, or any structure for that matter.

But its simply not enough to hire the best people and get the best raw

materials, which is exactly why the Australian government has instituted

safeguards to ensure that builders like you create safe and quality-made

projects. These safeguards assure that the processes you apply for your

company and for every project you work on allow you to deliver quality

projects while guaranteeing protection for your workers during

particularly risky situations.

One such safeguard is a site specific safety plan, which features

occupational health and safety policies, hazard identification, and risk

controls that are particular to the type of project your companys doing.

A comprehensive site safety plan tailor-made to a particular project will

help your workers avoid small incidents and follow protocols to

sufficiently address serious catastrophes on work sites. Your companys
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site specific safety plan must comply with Occupational Health and

Safety (OHS) legislation.

Compliance not only ensures that your

management and safety plans adhere tocurrent legislation but they are also your

passport to landing projects that are either

directly or indirectly funded by the Australian

government, which are given only to builders

that have acquired the legitimate

construction compliance. Because the

government will always be working to

improve infrastructure to entice further investment and to develop cities

and such, youll always get business even as the home construction

industry remains stalled.

Most of the time, word-of-mouth works for many businesses in any

industry, which helps improve bottom lines. The same could be said for

construction. But dont just rely on practices, even if they work, to build

your business. Ensure your road to success by acquiring the right

credentials that allow you to get every kind of project.

What Your Site Safety Plan Needs To Have

Every job site is different. Even when your

construction company specializes in, for

instance, real estate development, your

workers will still be carrying out different

tasks for each project whether its a

high-rise residential building or a housing

development in the suburbs. The work

will essentially vary according to the scale

of the project, the specification, the

location, the timeline, and the allocated

budget. It only makes sense, therefore, to implement a site safety plan

that corresponds exactly to what the project calls for so you guarantee

safe working conditions and deliver a quality project.
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Your job sites safety plan will act as a kind of blueprint of how you and

your workers establish and implement a set of processes that will allow

for seamless work, especially in cases when potential risks are involved

beyond the normal level. When your work site calls for handling

chemicals, your safety plan will need to feature specific procedures thataddress everything from use and disposal to safety protocols in the

event of an accident that involves the hazardous material. This will

ensure that your workers and the immediate surrounding environment

are protected from any unfortunate incident or, in cases when it cannot

be avoided, everyone will at least be prepared enough to act accordingly

to minimize impact.

A thorough description of emergency procedures is necessary to save

lives and reduce property damage. If your building project needs to be

constructed in areas where earthquakes, unstable weather conditions,

or landslides are to be expected, your site specific safety plan needs to

outline clear and comprehensible instructions for your workers and, not

to be neglected, identify the designated worker assigned to oversee or

manage this specific procedure.

Its important to keep your safety plan as concise, complete, and

comprehensible as possible. If your plan is muddied with unnecessarydetails, filled with incomprehensible language, and generally impossible

to implement, your workers will be confused, leaving your work site

dangerously vulnerable to accidents and accidents cost money.

Your construction company could either be fined by the state and

federal government for not properly implementing safety policies

specified in current legislation or you could very well lose a lot of money

from work delays and from answering to liabilities. The site specific

safety plan may just be a compilation of papers, but its one of the moreimportant documents your construction company needs to have and

implement.

Make sure your companys site safety plan is easy to read, easy to

follow, and easily amended for state and federal compliance. With a

tightly written safety plan, you guarantee safe working conditions for

your men no matter what job site theyre in andwhether its a real

estate development or government funded infrastructureyou ensure

delivery of quality projects every single time.
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Using A Construction Safety Plan Ensures

Employee Health And Company Profits

Some construction companies use a basic

safeguarding process for all their projects, but

more often than not these simple company

guidelines are not compliant with current

health and safety regulations. In other cases,

a construction company may have a complete

and up-to-date safety plan, only it is not

strictly implemented. The owners of such

companies reason out that they have rarely

experienced worker injuries even if they userudimentary safety provisions, or that

employee injuries in the workplace are often minor, making efforts for

carrying out extra safety precautions seem like a waste of the companys

precious resources. In the end, because of the low incidence of

workplace injuries and the financial protection that insurance offers for

the health and safety of their employees, a lot of construction operators

tend to think that using a construction safety plan offers little value to

the companys operations.

However, experts in business will contest this opinion and insist that a

well-implemented construction safety plan not only helps ensure the

health and safety of employees, but can also contribute to the

companys profits and future success, listing three ways that a

comprehensive safety plan can boost a companys growth:

Increased work efficiency and productivity: With a manual to guide

workers for every project, there will be no confusion as to how to

perform every task safely. In addition, workers can focus their attention

on their responsibilities since they are not plagued by worry about their

personal well-being or doubt as to the safety of their assignments. With

construction safety guidelines eliminating confusion and anxieties at

work, employees can work faster and more efficiently, which ultimately

saves money for the company.

Better company image: Clients seeking to work with a construction

company may evaluate not only items listed in the companys bid

proposal, such as history of operations and management guidelines, but

also other things that contribute to the companys reputation, such as
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records for employee injuries and the companys means of dealing with

such. Having a construction safety plan that is compliant with current

regulations indicates that a company is committed not only to employee

health and well-being, but also to excellence. The boost in image that a

detailed plan for health and safety provides can help constructioncompanies win contracts for more projects.

Financial savings: Although stricter implementation and extra safety

measures do use up some of the companys resources, the amount

spent for such cannot be compared with the cost of compensation for an

employee that incurs injury at work. Spending on a construction safety

plan can prevent bigger expenditures, giving life to the adage that, An

ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Master Your Business With An

Integrated Management System

Businesses have a lot of things going for them.

There are business owners or entrepreneurs

who go about their demands and study these

demands as they come, while there are thosewho prefer to streamline their operations by

creating a plan that already includes the

numerous what if situations that may come as opportunities for

expansion pour in. Anintegrated management system(IMS) is important

in making sure that your business is ready for whatever the future may

bring.

So what is an IMS? There are so many

management systems nowadayscant onejust cover all the requirements? Well, they have

specific purposes and to achieve the best

results, you have to make every management

system required for your business to work hand

in hand. The integrated management system,

just like its name, integrates a businesss

processes into a cohesive system, ensuring that

all efforts are directed to the best accomplishment of the sole objective.

Its used to enhance the overall performance of the business becauseevery department works towards the same goal. The IMS presents the
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complete picture so all the members of the business know what their

contribution should be, instantly lessening unnecessary or superfluous

efforts. It also creates the best strategies or techniques to maximize

resources and drive the business to full efficacy.

Creating an integrated management system allows businesses to

prioritize effectively; there are no scattered efforts which often result in

requiring workers to take on tasks that may not be part of their job

description or up their alley just to cater to demands or meet deadlines.

By having a clear set of priorities, your business gets to stick to them in

an energy and time-efficient manner.

Another important advantage of the IMS is that

it helps business owners determine the help

that they need, be they manual workforce or

tools and gadgets. There are tasks that may be

too tricky or even impossible to accomplish

with the provided time period. With the IMS,

the organization gets to explore all viable

options to ensure that the work is done

without compromising the final output; it may

be time to take in more employees who will be particularly effective in

the departments where they will be placed in, or acquire moreequipment to increase productivity.

When the prospects of profitability are great, diving into that venture

could be incredibly tempting. Before deciding to take it on, its

imperative that as a business owner, you would make sure that you are

the good master of your own business operations. Create an IMS and

you will increase both your businesss productivity and profitability and

youll also have workers who are happy with their jobs.

OHS Management System: Three Advantages For

Construction Companies

The construction business has proven to be one of the most profitable

fields of industry, especially since a lot of countries and cities around the

world are pushing towards urban development. With more companies

offering construction services, its easy to overlook other seemingly

minor details such as employee health and safety in the workplace to


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prioritize more important endeavours such

as getting more clients. What most business

owners fail to realize, however, is that their

workers form the core of their operations;

without an Occupational Health and Safetymanual, or OHS management system,

implemented at work, a company risks

injuring its workers, which can eventually

lead to dire consequences for the

companys future.

Some construction business owners are still reluctant to use of OHS

manuals, saying that such systems appear to be of little value; these

people often cite low incidences of workplace injuries or fatalities, aswell as ample financial coverage from workers health insurance as

reasons for not using a complete and updated OHS management system

for their projects. To effectively make the case for using OHS manuals in

the workplace, experts in the construction industry offer the following

advantages:

Decreased risk for lawsuits: One of the legal

requirements for operation in the construction

business is providing OHS-compliant guidelinesthat the company will use for every project.

Without such a document, a company will be

completing construction projects illegally,

which can result in not only job closures, but

also lawsuits from clients. In addition, workers

who have sustained injuries in the workplace

can sue for the companys negligence in

complying with safety regulations. All these can spell financial troubles

for the company, damaged reputations, as well as loss of future clients,resulting in reduced company profits and growth.

Enhanced employee performance and productivity: Using an OHS

management system for every project can offer workers with clear

guidelines on the safe operations of machinery and other equipment.

Such well-defined rules for performing tasks can clear up confusion in

the workplace, saving precious time and effort that would have been

used in educating workers had there been no manual to follow in the

first place. In addition to clearing up issues with safe operations, havinga manual also minimizes worries about safety among workers, allowing
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them to focus on the task at hand. With less disorder and anxieties,

individual employee performance is enhanced, and the company

ultimately functions better as a whole.

More financial returns: With OHS compliance and high productivity, aconstruction company can easily win bid contracts from clients,

increasing the companys projects and thus, profits. In addition to

earning more revenues, the company will save money on costly lawsuits

and workers compensation, expenditures that the company will have to

face if they do not use an up-to-dateOHS management system.

A Quality Management

System Can Save Long-

Serving Workers

Because of the fickle economic climate, a

lot of companies nowadays are forced to

cut costs by laying off some of their

employees. Most of the time, those

workers that get the automatic cut are

those who are already nearing the retirement age. Theres nothing

worse for a loyal worker than to be dismissed just like that after years

(or even decades) of dedicated service, but sometimes it just cannot be

avoided desperate times call for desperate measures.

A lot of business experts claim, however, that while its true that theres

an on-going trend among business industries to scale down their

operations, there are strategies that can be employed to save long-

serving workers from getting the axe. One of the most important

strategies is by creating a quality management system (QMS). But isntthat just designed to protect clients interests? Well, a QMS does that,

but it actually does so much more and

that includes protecting workers rights as

well.

Great quality service and products cannot

be created without dedicated and loyal

employees; its important to remember

that especially if youre inclined to focusmore on reducing costs. A quality
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management system can help you gain a better understanding of the

nature of your businesss expenses. Instead of directing your attention

to the people you need to pay every month, shoot down the other areas

that may not be contributing positively to the overall productivity of the

company.

One of the vital reasons why a QMS can save your long-serving workers

is that it will reveal the experience that these workers have in ensuring

the smooth operations of the business. Oftentimes, younger and newer

employees just dont have common sense and experience in running

your business operations or dealing with your clients in the most

accommodating and effective manner. Your frequent clients may also

not respond well to the change and may take time to develop the trust

and rapport they had with your senior workers. The inclusion of thisconcern in your quality management system will allow you to take a step

back and further weigh all the pros and cons, quality-wise, of keeping

these workers.

A QMS provides you with foresight about

sustaining your business as it is first and

foremost about pushing quality forward to

ensure that your business will last for a very

long time. With the current mind-set ofmost young workers focused on looking for

greener pastures, your business will suffer

from the effects of frequent worker

turnovers. So before you decide to let go of your senior employees,

study or recreate your quality management system manual; it will surely

present you with the answer that youve been looking for.

ISO 9001 Quality Management System Paves The

Right Path For The Business Industry

Starting a business is rarely easy. The financing aspect alone is enough to

discourage a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs. The prospect of success can

easily be tainted by the difficulty of creating a plan and submitting all the

requirements to be granted fit or suitable to start a business by

authorities. The whole process can be quite intimidating, especially if

presented in the technical language of conventional systems, and this isone of the reasons why theISO 9001 quality management system(QMS)
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has been deemed incredibly helpful and

informative especially for business newbies.

While there are still a lot of technical

terminologies present in an ISO 9001 QMS,the explanations are quite easy to

comprehend. All the standards and policies

are laid down in an incredibly systematic

manner that first-timers can determine if

they are applicable to their industry or not.

The even nicer thing is that the ISO 9001 quality management system

also has templates or samples that people can pattern their work on.

Taking advantage of this provision instantly provides business newbies

with a less stressful process of turning their percolating business ideasinto a fully compliant system thats also greatly productive and

profitable.

The ISO 9001 QMS was created to ensure that business operations only

produce good quality service or products. In this time and age when

quality is of utmost importance, a fixed set of guidelines, policies and

standards make it easier for business industries to only produce good

quality output and make sure as well that their operations determine

this. All the controversy that may surround a questionable productionprocess can be avoided once a company gains certification or becomes

labeled compliant.

Take the Kardashian sisters, for example; their clothing company (which

supposedly outsourced labour to China) was targeted by militant groups

because it was revealed in a video that the conditions at their

production headquarters in China did not reflect compliance with the

standards set by the ISO. The Hollywood socialites and business-savvy

sisters, however, managed to defend their company effectively bystressing their compliance with the rules and policies set for the industry

their business belongs to. The matter was eventually dismissed as purely

a publicity stunt.

A company that has certification or has been labeled compliant always

has a big advantage, especially in attracting investors or other

opportunities. A certification or the seal of compliance is an assurance

that a company really upholds the right business path which is to ensure

quality in all its efforts.
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Environmental Management System: EMS

Advantages For Business Owners

When running a construction company, its very important for business

owners to make sure that every single thing that they use or do adds

value to the companys operations. Getting the best equipment, hiring

the most skilled labourers, and brainstorming for effective marketing

strategies are some tasks deemed essential by those in the construction

business. Of course, ensuring the safety of employees should also be at

the top of the list of priorities for a business owner; however, some

construction companies tend to argue that using the latest and most

comprehensive environmental management system isnt really all that

important, especially since the environment appears to have very littleimpact on the jobs and finances related to construction.

This belief, however, is not entirely correct.

Whether a construction project is set to be

built on protected land or an assignment calls

for the use of timber, the environment has

massive effects on the business and vice-

versa. Business owners who are still uncertain

as to the value of using an environmentalmanagement system are advised to consider

the following advantages that using an EMS

offers:

Better compliance with legislation: Every construction project is required

to submit an EMS detailing how the company will handle issues with the

environment. Without such a document, a company risks illegal

operations, which can result in heavy penalties. This will have negative

effects not only on the companys state of finances, but on the

establishments reputation in the industry as well.

Improved use of resources: Building a structure requires enormous use

of resources, whether its natural materials like wood or processed

supplies like cement. In addition, construction projects yield great

amounts of waste. With an environmental management system,

companies can ensure that every project uses resources wisely and that

wastes generated are dealt with accordingly. Such policies can help take

care of the health of the environment while ensuring cost-efficient use

of materials, and thus, maximized savings for the company.
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More marketing and finance opportunities:

Using an EMS isnt strictly for the benefit of

the environment; the practices that come

with its use can be used to boost the

company image as well. A regulation-compliant environmental management

system can be used by the companys

marketers to show that the company

promotes responsible resource use and

demonstrates environmental awareness, which is a quality that both

clients and financing institutions hold in high esteem.

Increased potential to win contracts: Most large clients and government

agencies choose to deal only with companies that show support for theenvironment. With an EMS included in the bid proposal, a company

increases the likelihood of working with these elusive clients. And by

making it possible to have bigger projects to work on, being

environment-friendly can guarantee the companys growth and success

in the future.

Prove Your Workplace Is Toxin-free By Using An

Environmental Management Plan Template

There are times when business

operations cause a disturbance

in nature. For example, in the

Philippines, the building of a

malls parking space hascaused quite a stir because it

required the uprooting of

centuries-old pine trees.

Environmental groups

condemned the effort because

the city was already suffering from the effects of the increased real

estate development within the area, which included flooding and

frequent landslides. The mall, however, still got the parking lot despite

the demonstrations all over the country. Want to know how? The mallhad presented an environmental management plan (EMP) which was


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approved by the countrys Department of Environment and Natural

Resources. In other countries, the environmental impact of certain

industries are just as controversial nobody can forget how Erin

Brockovich drew attention to the improper waste disposal of a particular

chemical plant which had badly contaminated not only the water butalso the soil of a small American town.

Proving the workplace of your business is

toxin-free is immensely important nowadays.

No business wants negative publicity

because it can lead to several rounds of

inspections that may eventually lead to the

closing down of the business. This can easily

be avoided with a carefully drawn-up EMP.There are so many policies and standards to

follow and its a momentous task to address all of them, especially when

youre in experiencing time constraints. Creating an EMP does not need

to take long, especially with the help of an environmental management

plan template.

If youre still at a loss as to how to provide all the

vital information to prove that your work-place is

toxin-free, the environmental management plantemplate will surely be a great help to you. Its

very easy to customize that.

All you really need to do is supply your methods

or strategies to appropriately address all the

policies included in a standard EMP. With this

template, you can organize all your data in a

systematic manner so you can finish this

requirement for complete compliance or certification faster.

Anenvironmental management plan templatecan easily transform the

usual tedious process of creating an EMP into a painless experience that

involves gathering data that you already have and presenting effective

strategies. From reinforcing your claim that your business operations will

inflict no unregulated impact on the environment and the members of

the community, to utilizing an innovative method in ensuring the safety

of the operationsin the end, all of these are achievable by using an

EMP template.
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Go Solo And Create Your Businesss Quality

Management Plan Yourself

A small business has its advantages. Firstly, you

reduce costs by doing things yourself; secondly,

you get to create your own unique approach in

achieving your business objectives; and thirdly,

you get to follow your instincts and pay close

attention to the quality of your service or

products according to your personal standards.

Naturally, because of the size of your business,

its also easier to create a quality management

plan (QMP) you can do it yourself and in amatter of hours.

There are lots of downloadable quality management plan templates

available online for those who may not have a clear idea on how to

create one. The templates are customizable and users will surely have an

easy time determining which policies apply (or do not apply) to their

operations. If youre a one-woman business, you are likely to have a firm

grasp of the workings of your business so supplying the appropriate

information and answers will be an easy thing to doyou wont need torefer to other people.

Another advantage of creating a QMP yourself is

that you can direct most attention to the areas

that you feel will really determine the path of

your business you have all that control. Since

you are in charge of all the operations, you can

focus most of your efforts on catering to the

needs of your customers or clients.

A business expert even shared that if you focus

on the interests of your community and not just

your own products, you are likely to end up with loyal customers. By

following this strategy and incorporating it in your QMP, you not only

enhance the quality of your products but you create the quality that will

impact the sustainability of your business and the great thing is, you

did it all on your own and with no extra costs!

Eventually, however, as your business expands, bigger and moredemands will pour in; naturally you will need to expand your QMP and
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ohs management system: a couple of rewards for construction businesses

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