The Field Office: How to Create a Better & Safer Construction Worker Experience
Becca Hubert is the Content Strategist at Falcon Structures.
More construction workers died on the job in 2022 than any other industry sector. The fatality rate has remained consistent for the last decade, with around 10 deaths per 100,000 workers, and construction deaths account for about 21% of all on-the-job deaths of workers in the United States. Consider the heavy machinery, steep heights, and dangerous materials workers in this industry face every day, and the risk factor makes sense. But just because there’s potential for injury and death doesn’t mean the industry should accept these numbers as the norm.
Organizations and associations around construction and occupational safety are calling for action to decrease these harrowing statistics. While training programs and educating workers on best practices are a natural step toward improvement, we’d like to consider another resource: the field office.
Here are a few ways a construction field office can help mitigate risk and promote a culture of safety.
Operations Center
A common complaint on construction sites is the lack of an office. In fact, many of our customers in the industry come to Falcon Structures for a portable container workspace because their foremen have resorted to working in their company vehicles. Aside from the convenience and comfort of a dedicated workspace, a field office can also serve as an operations center on construction sites.
- Give project safety personnel a workspace to conduct
- Control site access with a check-in point for guests or new workers.
- Use as an observation space to keep an eye on operations and safety practices.
- Securely store keys to heavy machinery and heavy-duty tools.
- Store devices like laptops and tablets for logging safety reports.
Safety Hub
Since construction sites relocate often, workers may not have a clear understanding of where to access safety gear and first aid kits from site to site. A portable field office can help enforce a standard of safety for construction crews, even as it relocates with the job.
- Store and distribute personal protection equipment (PPE), like harnesses, hard hats, and high visibility vests.
- Use as a center for safety messaging, like bulletin boards with notices and safety procedures.
- Conduct meetings for safety training and daily check-ins.
- Store first aid equipment in a standardized and easy-to-access location.
Relocatable field offices and support buildings are valuable assets on the job site.
Worker Respite
While 65.5% of construction deaths occur from the “fatal four” (falls, struck by object, electrocution, and caught in or between something), the toll on construction workers’ physical and mental well-being should not be ignored. In an industry that is notorious for its suicide rate and drug and alcohol abuse among workers, meeting the basic needs for comfort, bathrooms, and break areas can drastically improve worker well-being.
- Use a climate-controlled field office to cool off from working in dangerously hot weather.
- Modify a field office to include clean, climate-controlled restrooms so workers don’t have to walk too far to use facilities, brave rancid porta potties, or “hold it” for an unhealthy amount of time.
- Create a dedicated break area with air conditioning, kitchenettes, restrooms, and space for tables and chairs so workers can take proper breaks.
The statistics around construction worker safety and well-being are alarming, but there is a heartening culture of change on the horizon. Industry leaders and worker advocates are embracing new ways to shake up the bleak norms that have plagued construction for decades. A portable field office is a practical, versatile, and surprisingly powerful resource in the effort to save and improve the lives of construction workers.
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