Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in America. In 2019, 20% of all private industry fatalities came from the construction industry. As a result, site managers and supervisors have a duty to ensure the safety of their workers.
The cost of an injury on the construction site can be catastrophic, including delaying a project, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and leaving skilled workers unable to perform their duties.
Here’s a quick rundown of reducing the risk of an accident or injury on a construction site.
Table of Contents
Always Utilize Safety Gear
Safety gear is mandatory in the construction business. Therefore, the uniform includes basic safety gear like steel-toed boots, eye protection, and harnesses.
Yet some jobs may require additional personal protection equipment, such as nitrile gloves and masks. Construction employees should be educated on the importance of always wearing safety gear and which types of gear to wear according to the job.
Niche jobs may also require areas to be cordoned off to prevent untrained employees from entering the site. For example, asbestos removal during a demolition job is a particularly hazardous project that requires additional safety gear and protocols.
Enforce Safety Regulations
Health and safety rules exist for a reason. Yet you cannot be everywhere at all times. Dangerous equipment can quickly cause a serious injury if both supervisors and workers do not enforce proper safety regulations.
For example, when working with self-dumping hoppers, construction personnel need to be prepared to give a wide berth, dump in the appropriate location, and ensure that everyone in the vicinity is aware of the dumping process in progress.
Health and safety are so often relegated to a box-checking exercise, and this practice boosts the chance of an accident. Just over a third of fatalities in the construction business were caused by slips, trips, and falls. Many of these incidents could have been negated by the enforcement of established safety protocols.
Maintain Equipment Regularly
Heavy equipment on the construction site is the number one reason why accidents occur. These machines break bones and tear the skin like hot knives through butter.
Many accidents involving construction equipment occur because of a lack of maintenance. Every piece of equipment has its recommended maintenance cycle, which includes inspections and replacing parts.
The responsibility must be delegated to an experienced crew member according to a regular schedule. If problems with a piece of equipment are discovered, the equipment must be removed from the site for maintenance, including if it means delaying a particular task.
Hold and Schedule Regular Safety Meetings
Most construction companies already have a system in place for educating new employees on safety protocols. However, less attention is paid to whether existing employees are aware of updated safety protocols.
Schedule and hold regular safety meetings with your team. Supervisors and team leaders should lead these meetings. Attendance must be mandatory, regardless of skill or experience. Of course, changes happen, but it’s also easy to forget safety protocols without a refresher course.
These safety meetings also demonstrate your commitment to your protecting your employees from harm.
Take a Break
Fatigue is a leading cause of injuries in the workplace. According to the National Safety Council, injury rates peak among workers who work more than 40 hours per week and get less than seven hours of sleep per night.
It’s not uncommon in the construction business for workers to want to forgo breaks, so the workday is shorter. Unfortunately, Overwork also opens up opportunities for overtime, which is why construction workers are notorious for working for extended periods.
Fatigue and a lack of hydration increase the risk of accidents, meaning it’s down to you to enforce regular breaks and lunch breaks.
Install Warning Signs
All construction sites must have sufficient signage to provide a warning for any dangers or hazards that may be in the area. All signs should be clear, provide guidance, and come with ropes, cones, and other barriers to control potentially hazardous zones.
Construction businesses may see warning signs as superfluous, but these are required, and a lack of warning signs can increase your liability exposure if an accident does happen.
Conduct Daily Worksite Inspections
Leaders on the construction site, such as supervisors or dedicated safety teams, must conduct daily worksite inspections.
The purpose of these inspections is to uncover potential dangers and unsafe working practices. Therefore, anything highlighted should be addressed at the time, even if it means temporarily putting a halt to work.
Daily inspections should be done randomly to get the most out of them. The last thing you want is for an employee to cut corners.
Focus on Fall Protection
Falls are not only some of the most common injuries on construction sites but also some of the most dangerous. Falls from great heights can lead to permanent disability and death. Unfortunately, they are also a nightmare waiting to happen for construction businesses.
Even the most experienced construction workers can slip and fall. It only takes a split second for a tragedy to occur on a construction site.
Implement fall protection equipment and monitor the enforcement and compliance with fall protection protocols. Daily worksite inspections should pay particular attention to any work conducted on ladders or scaffolds.
Conclusion
The construction site comes with a myriad of dangers. New and experienced employees must negotiate these risks daily. Therefore, establishing proper safety protocols in accordance with the necessary authorities is non-negotiable.
The enforcement of safety protocols is a job for everyone, including individual workers who can call out unsafe working practices on the spot. Doing so could save someone’s life.
How are you making your construction site a safer place?
