As Seen in Opportunity Nevada: Building a Better Workplace Environment: The Key to Retaining Construction Staff

Construction is a hard business physically and mentally. Construction staff work in the hot sun on their hands and knees all day. As a result, workers are dirty, tired, and dehydrated from difficult labor. Additionally, most of the time construction sites do not have the proper services for sanitation. This problem may be a cause of the high turnover of employees. Construction companies can be more successful by keeping employees satisfied through implementing basic sanitation practices. Accessible water, portable bathrooms, showers and changing rooms are just a few practices construction companies should consider for the wellbeing of their employees.

Accessible water should be guaranteed when it comes to working on a construction site. Workers can easily become dehydrated if they do not have access to water. Companies can provide water coolers, water bottles and ice chests to help employees stay hydrated throughout the day. To reduce costs and trash, employees can bring reusable water bottles each day.

Another way for companies to better retain workers is to have portable bathrooms on the construction site. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends having one toilet for every 20 workers on a job site. When people think of portable bathrooms, they think of single stall, plastic, porta potties. Porta potties are good for a day but can get in bad shape throughout the week. Instead of having porta potties on the site, companies should seek portable bathrooms that have more space, climate control, and flushable toilets. Portable bathrooms also provide sinks with both cold and hot water to wash hands.

Providing showers can also help the well-being of employees when they are working on a job site. During the day, employees get dirty and sweaty from working. They can get harmful substances on their body’s that they may not be aware of until it is too late. Having showers on the site helps keep the employees’ risk free of injuries and infections while working. When considering the location of a construction site, showers may be necessary. Not all

construction sites are in the middle of a city. Sometimes employees must drive multiple hours to go to and from work each day. Providing a place to shower before leaving the site can make a big difference in the behavior of an employee.

The last practice a construction company can implement to have on a site are changing rooms. During the day employees may have to shed layers or change in and out of work gear. As a result, providing a place to change should be required. The changing rooms can be connected to the showers, so they do not take up key space on the site.

Basic sanitation and comfort can go a long way when construction companies provide comfortable conditions for their employees. If more companies implement these basic amenities for their employees on construction sites, they will see less turnover and better retention of their employees.