Three ways construction supervisors can strengthen workplace safety and compliance

Leadership strategies and due diligence tips for Ontario construction supervisors.

These three leadership strategies for Ontario construction supervisors can help workplace leaders confidently perform their responsibilities at the jobsite:

As the employer’s representative, construction supervisors are responsible for planning and implementing the project—and for managing workers. They assign tasks and provide instructions. Section 27 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) also gives supervisors specific workplace health and safety responsibilities.

“This role is about more than just being in charge,” says IHSA Health and Safety Consultant Holly Baril. “It’s about leading people, managing hazards and their risks, keeping the site compliant, and making sure every beam, every bolt, and every decision aligns with the plan.”

These are big responsibilities—and how they’re performed can affect health and safety outcomes. Competent supervision can reduce jobsite incidents, but failing to provide adequate supervision can create hazards, such as ineffective personal protective equipment, insufficient warning signs, unsanitary wash-up and toilet facilities, accumulation of debris, and poor access and egress to work areas. A lack of supervision can also leave new and young workers without the information, instruction, and oversight they need to work safely.

How construction supervisors can plan for safety in Ontario

Use these tips to foster an environment that puts health and safety first—even when you’re approaching a deadline:

• Plan work properly: Prevent workers from experiencing frustration and making unsafe decisions by planning the work well and proactively identifying when the plan needs to change. “Make sure that you are ten steps ahead of everybody, so that when the plan needs to change, you can set it together and it doesn’t have a ripple effect on the employees,” Baril says.
• Know what’s happening: Spend time each day checking in with your team and other members of the organization, talking about what’s ahead and reviewing challenges. This will help you get a sense of what your team needs to work safely and efficiently—and each person’s attitude toward the work.
• Consider your reactions: Remember that your reactions show your team how they should feel about what’s happening on the project. If you stay calm while you deal with a challenge, your team will stay calm, too.
• Put safety first: Remind your workers that it’s more important to complete the job safely than to cut corners in order to stay on schedule. “Meeting project deadlines is a priority,” Baril says, “but not at the cost of an injury or fatality.”

How to manage construction workers effectively

Try these strategies to bring out the best in everyone on your team:

• Get to know your team: Talk about life outside of work to learn more about what each person is navigating at home. “You have to get to know your people. They’re not just there to work. They go home to something,” Baril says. “Getting to know them makes them feel like they’re part of a team. They will do more for you. People are going to treat you just as well as you treat them.”
• Team up compatible workers: Support well-being and boost productivity by assigning tasks in a way that allows workers to enjoy who they’re working with. Workers will feel more satisfied and engaged and will look forward to coming into work.
• Stay in contact: Regularly talk with your team—one on one or in a group. Over time, you’ll get a better sense of team dynamics, which can help you identify any sources of friction between workers and determine how to resolve the issues.
• Keep morale high: Make it clear that you won’t tolerate bullying or any other forms of workplace violence and harassment—factors that reduce morale and productivity and cause skilled workers to leave your company. “There could be one person who ruins the whole workplace,” Baril says. “Until you remove them, it’ll just keep going the way it is. You’re going to start losing other good workers. They’re going to go somewhere where they’re respected and treated better.”

How to keep a construction supervisor log book in Ontario

Log books allow supervisors to record daily jobsite activities and prove their due diligence in case an incident occurs. Follow these best practices to get the most out of your log book:

• Make it a routine: It’s important to keep your log book current. Dedicate time each day to add notes and memos, review previous entries, and identify follow-up items. “You just have to get into the habit of filling it out,” Baril says. “I tell people in class, ‘As you do it, you will get better, and you’ll know what needs to be in it and what doesn’t need to be in it.’”
• Tailor your log: Create a system of taking notes that’s clear for you to understand and makes the information easy to find later. For example, cross off any completed action items so that you can confidently know what happened when you look back through the log book.
• Keep it on hand: Ensuring your log book is readily available makes it easier to fill out during your free time.

10 ways to manage stress

Long hours, unpredictable schedules, and tight budgets are just a few sources of stress in the construction industry for supervisors. Work stress negatively impacts well-being. When stress lasts for a long time, it can lead to burnout—physical and mental exhaustion that can leave you feeling helpless and hopeless. Burnout can also reduce your motivation and productivity at work.

Here are 10 ways for supervisors to manage work stress and prevent burnout:

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