Regardless of the nature of the workplace, cleanliness and personal hygiene are key practices to ensure employee health, productivity and reduce the risk of unnecessary accidents and sickness. Particularly during these unprecedented COVID-19 times.

Good hygiene practices at construction sites range from keeping the workspace free of debris and unwanted material, to employers providing their workers with proper washing facilities. Safe hygiene practices are the responsibility of everyone on-site. Read on as we cover the basics of how to practice good hygiene at a construction site.

Potential Construction Site Problems & How to Resolve Them

Anyone who works at a construction site or is in charge of managing one knows that there are certain hazards that are difficult to control. However, they can be reduced by a collective effort. These include:

• Removing scrap construction material and debris out of the way at frequent intervals to keep all walkways, passages, and stairs clear for movement.
• Disinfecting and cleaning the worksite regularly.
• Providing sanitary bathroom and washing facilities to workers. This also includes the provision of the necessary sanitary materials, including toilet paper, disinfecting soap, hand sanitiser etc.
• Providing clean drinking water.
• All workers should be wearing with protective equipment to keep them safe, including protective clothing, work boots, hard hats, masks, and so on.

Special Covid-19 regulations

During these Covid-19 times, extra care must be taken in the workplace to prevent illness. These extra regulations may include:

• Wearing a mask while on site
• Washing hands often with soap and water, including before and after eating and after going to the toilet
• Using alcohol-based hand sanitisers throughout the work day
• Keeping a minimum 1.5 metre distance from others.
• Ensuring there is enough room for 1 person per 4 square meters for each activity.
• Keeping workers segregated from each other as much as possible
• Wearing gloves where possible
• Ensuring hair and clothes are washed thoroughly every day
• Staying home if sick
• Avoiding touching your face i.e. eyes, nose and mouth
• Avoiding handshakes or other close physical contact
• Covering coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue

Maintaining Hygiene Regulations

It is the builder's job to ensure hygienic and safe construction site practices and to provide the necessary training to site workers. This includes setting up regulations to ensure that anyone found not complying with these regulations will be disciplined accordingly.

Proper hygienic practices at a worksite can only come about as a result of the cooperation between the site workers and the employers.