How Good Welfare Facilities Can Effect Safety and Wellbeing of Workers
It has been noted that construction workers suffer from poor mental health, and a sizeable proportion of the workers even ends up committing suicide. Poor health among these workers usually results from extreme work-related stress. For this reason, employers have been mandated by the UK government to provide welfare facilities for the health safety and welfare of employees. Employers who fail to provide employee welfare facilities will usually have to pay hefty fines. There are many reasons why health and safety are important in construction, and these will be covered in the article below. It is worth noting that the employee welfare facilities in question include toilets, wash, and canteens.
Why Health and Safety Is Important in Construction
- Relaxing in the Middle of the Workday
One important benefit of these welfare facilities is that they allow workers to relax in the middle of their workdays, and that helps their mental and physical health. It wouldn’t do them any good to rest in the same places they work as they would not be able to mentally escape from the stress of the job. With welfare facilities, they will have spaces where they can think about things other than the work. These facilities should be kept clean and safe, as that will make them great for health safety and welfare in construction. As a side note, you should consider giving your workers multiple breaks through the project as that will improve their mental state during the workday.
- Reduces Loneliness
For a long time, loneliness had been largely ignored, even by people who were concerned about the health safety and welfare of employees. But recently, it has been noted to be among the biggest problems facing adults in the construction industry. The issue significantly contributes to mental health issues among employees.
There are no simple solutions to get rid of loneliness, but offering avenues for socialization can significantly help the situation. A good way of fostering communication among employees is by providing them with communal welfare facilities. Although communication will not eliminate loneliness in people with mental health issues, it will significantly help the situation as they will be able to talk about their issues. This way, you will be able to improve well being productivity and happiness at work.
- Directly Promotes Physical Health
Physical health is just as important as mental health in construction work. One key benefit you will get by keeping your employees healthy is a reduction in absenteeism, and this will directly affect the progress you make with the project. Also, you will appreciate the fact that healthy workers are more productive and generally have more positive behaviour. With happier workers, you will be able to retain more employees over the long-term, and this will save you the cost of hiring new workers.
Now, you may be wondering how welfare facilities contribute to workers’ physical health. Since you will provide clean flowing water and well-maintained toilet and wash facilities, bacteria will not be transferred, meaning the chances of transmitting infections will be lowered.
- Increases Productivity in the Workplace
Employees will feel more comfortable using clean welfare facilities and will generally become more productive if they have access to such amenities. Similarly, using these facilities to promote health safety and welfare in construction will have a direct impact on the productivity of your workers. Besides using the facilities to stay safe and healthy, they will be able to use them for discussions, thus improving their mental health. Spending some time resting in the facilities will further help your employees work more productively.
Get the Best Welfare Facilities for Well Being Productivity and Happiness at Work
Health safety and welfare in construction are important to all employees and employers, and you can achieve these by using the welfare facilities from Welfare 4 Hire. Besides helping you stay compliant with HSE guidelines, these facilities will improve the productivity of your employees as they will be healthier and happier. The facilities also help with mental health in construction and will generally reduce stress and loneliness among the workers.