Construction continues to be one of the most high-risk industries in which to work, according to OSHA. What that means for anyone running a construction business is that safety is of paramount concern. Keep reading to find out all about construction industry safety, below.
Making sure all workers have access to and wear PPE
PPE or personal protective equipment is vital in the construction industry because it can mean the difference between life and death when involved in an incident. Wearing the correct PPE can also lessen the impact of non-fatal accidents and incidents, which means they can have a smaller impact on the health and wellbeing of the persons concerned.
Typical construction site PPE include helmets also known as hard hats. Although, it is vital that these be replaced by the expiry date, and if they are involved in any impact. The reason is that both of these things can impact their integrity and cause them to be less effective on the job.
Other common PPE are goggles which are designed to prevent damage to the eyes, either due to dust, debris or liquids. Steel toe-capped boots are also a good idea as they protect the delicate bones in the foot on-site, if they bump up against, or are crushed under something heavy.
Last, of all, ear defenders are vital for anyone working in a noisy environment, especially those using pneumatic drills which can have a significantly negative effect on long term hearing.
Proper signage
Signage is another vital element of construction site safety because they act as reminders to regular workers, and as signifiers to anyone visiting the site that they are in the range of a hazard.
It is the responsibility of the employer to hang proper and relevant signage in places where it can celery be seen. If they are found to have not done this by a construction accident attorney then they may find themselves liable for any injuries that have occurred as a result. Something that means site employees or visitors could claim via the courts the cost of any medical treatment they have to undergo as well as any loss in earnings.
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To that end, understanding what types of signs need to be displayed, as well as making sure they are in the right places should be top of the priority list for most construction employers.
Your site must be kept tidy and organized
To keep construction accidents to a minimum, keeping a tidy site is crucial. Indeed, there are enough hazards to contend with on most construction sites, without adding more by not keeping things as organized as possible.
With that in mind, encouraging good habits in your workers concerning putting their tools away once they have finished using them is a good idea. Similarly, ensuring that each worker is responsible for making the area that they are working on safe before leaving can make a massive difference to safety.
Lastly, make sure that any holes or trenches dug are covered so as not to have them filled up with stagnant water, which can be both a fall and infection risk.
Supply good quality well maintained equipment
Construction is an industry where workers will often require access to specialist equipment to be able to do their jobs. To that end, making sure that your employees have not only the right equipment but that it’s also well maintained is very important.
With that in mind, having a checking and maintaining system for equipment in place is the best approach. Be sure to track the last time that a piece was serviced or repaired, and complete regular maintenance at set intervals. Also be sure that workers have a quick and effective way of reporting if a piece of equipment is broken and faulty, and that something is done about this before that item is released for use.
Have an emergency plan in place
While you may rather not think about all the things that could go wrong on-site, it pays to have a plan in place in case something does go wrong. Indeed, having a plan set out for incidents such as fires, toxic material spills, and accidents can shave minutes off the response time and save lives in the process.
Although, as well as having these plans, you will also need to make sure that your employers are trained on how to implement them is crucial. If you want to safeguard their wellbeing and make your construction business to be a success and your site to be a safer place on which to work, that is?
