At Custom Aire, our top priority on every jobsite is the safety and well-being of our employees. We believe in safety so firmly that it is one of the five core values of our company. No matter the job, our team members look out for one another to ensure we comply with industry regulations so every employee goes home to their families the same way they came to work.
When hiring an HVAC contractor for a commercial project, business owners, developers, and project managers should seek out companies like Custom Aire that live and breathe safety in everything they do. Continue reading to learn why safety should be top of mind when finding a commercial HVAC contractor.
Keeping Workers Safe
Commercial HVAC installation and maintenance jobs often take place in high-risk environments, especially construction sites, that require team members to wear personal protective equipment to stay safe from a myriad of hazards, including:
- Electricity
- Chemicals
- Sharp tools
- Heights
- Debris
- Extreme weather
- Loud noise
For this reason, organizations like OSHA, ANSI, and NIOSH have strict safety rules that companies in the construction industry must follow to prevent worksite injuries, or even death. When an accident occurs on-site, developers can find themselves in a slew of lawsuits, depending on the nature of the incident.
According to the National Safety Council, the direct medical costs of an average work-related injury is $42,000, but the indirect costs from loss of time, decreased productivity, retraining, and other economic factors are more than four times this number. Offsetting these costs ultimately digs into a development company’s revenue, hurting their bottom line, among other consequences. That’s why it’s important to hire an HVAC contracting company that takes these risks seriously and always has safety as its default mindset.
Many bid packages from HVAC contractors today often include incident rates and experience modification rates (EMR) so developers can make educated decisions about which companies prioritize safety for their workers. Choosing to work with these companies elevates the overall level of safety in the industry and helps ensure that project costs are kept down.
Promoting Safety Culture
Over the years, there has been a positive shift in the evolution of a safety culture in the construction industry. Agencies like OSHA, ANSI, and NIOSH all regulate improved safety processes and provide training initiatives to help reduce jobsite hazards and work-related injuries.
Additionally, construction drawings now incorporate safety into the plans to keep safety a top priority from the concept of the building all the way through the construction process. This effort, coupled with the dedication of all team members to prioritize safety on jobsites, promotes safety culture in our industry.
While a big part of a company’s safety record relies on individual workers to follow company policies and maintain a high level of awareness at the jobsites, an even larger level of responsibility lies on the company itself to ensure that proper procedures are in place.
Safety is a team effort that calls for the commitment of everyone within the company to work together towards the complete elimination of hazards and injuries on the job, and with the advancements in recent years, the goal of zero jobsite incidents is becoming a reality.
To learn more and discuss how Custom Aire can bring our level of safety-focused services to your commercial project, contact us today.
