The construction industry is one of the big profitable industries in the world. But profits notwithstanding, it is an industry with the highest rates of injuries and fatalities globally. The chance of meeting an accident at the construction site is always ever-present and high.
Even with the best preparations for a construction job, there is always the risk of unexpected accidents and disasters occurring at the site, even when not working or eating lunch. However, you can ensure the safety of your construction workers so long as you religiously incorporate safety precautions.
Here are seven safety precautions every construction company should follow to create a safe working environment for construction employees—and keep everyone on their site safe and healthy.
1. Install portable toilets
A construction site has a lot of physical activities that needed to be done, like digging, hauling, carrying, etc., that workers engage in throughout the day. Long hours spent working these and other manual labor jobs on raised and elevated surfaces contribute greatly toward the workers’ fatigue and a chance of injury. The work site should at least have a portable toilet where workers can relieve themselves and freshen up by splashing water in their face after rigorous activity.
A portable toilet ensures that the workers have a basic facility right at the site and won’t have to venture far for relieving themselves or answering nature’s call. There are portable toilets for sporting events, concerts, and various other functions and events, that aim to provide ease of access to crowds, workers, and employees.
2. Tape off work zones
One of the easiest ways to make sure that your workers are safe is by making sure that they have their work zones demarcated with tape. Clear demarcations help pedestrians, drivers, and others know that they are about to enter a work zone and need to reroute, go back, or if they have to pass, then pass with caution because tools and objects involved in construction work can cause them damage if care is not taken.
The tape also provides safety to the workers at the site. By cordoning off patches of the site where heavy machinery is operated, or where the risk of something falling from the work going on above is higher, employers can ensure that their workers remain safe.
3. Provide safety training
Construction employers should always provide training on all work site-specific drills, tools, and procedures. A training program ensures that everyone is aware of the work site standard operating procedures and understands their responsibility for work-related safety.
By spreading awareness among workers, the training can help reduce workplace accidents and injuries. The safety training aims to equip workers with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors needed to perform a given task safely.
The safety training should be provided by an expert in the field who understands the risks inherent in construction work. They must know about all the potential hazards present at different sites and how they can be avoided.
4. Ensure use of safety equipment
Construction workers must always wear the required safety equipment to keep safe when working on a site. Some basic safety equipment, such as wearing a hard hat, steel-toe boots, and gloves, need to be donned at all times.
The role of safety equipment is to protect workers from getting seriously injured in case of a fall when working at high levels, ladders, or on scaffolding. Safety equipment should not be removed until the worker leaves the job site for the day or when he is off duty for lunch or on a rest break.
In addition, safety equipment must be inspected for damage or wear each time before putting on. The worker must make sure that his hard hat fits correctly and securely on the head and does not have any cracks.
By ensuring that safety equipment is worn at all times on-site, you are creating an atmosphere of safety where everyone is responsible for their own safety and not endangering that of the others.
5. Have daily site inspections and regular meetings
Daily site inspections ensure that no one is working in an unsafe environment. Workers, especially the laborers have to move about the site, carrying, lugging, borrowing, and digging, and, therefore, are constantly exposed to the various kinds of elements.
A daily inspection will eliminate the possibility of unforeseen hazards affecting the workers. While on a daily inspection, you’ll also get to see whether the protocols on safety and safety equipment are being followed on the ground. These inspections are best performed early in the morning.
Conducting regular safety meetings about on-site safety will also ensure that the workers stick to best work practices. Both safety inspections and meetings can be performed at least once a week.
6. Be aware of harmful or toxic chemicals
Many construction workers have to deal with chemical exposures, which can cause long-term internal and external damage. Chemical tanks must be compliant with industry-ordained rules before workers can handle them.
Keep chemicals in ventilated storage units where the air is clean and the chemicals should be kept separate so they don’t mix. When you store chemicals improperly or in tanks that are not industry compliant, it could lead the workers to develop disorders, terminal diseases, or any number of tragic incidents that could occur.
7. Make walkways safe
It is important to keep walkways around construction sites clear of debris, clutter and even tripping hazards like loose floorboards or electrical cords. Workers would rather not have to sidestep piles of trash or dodge a piece of equipment that rolled off a truck when they are carrying something on their shoulders or in their hands.
To make sure your walkway is safe for your crew, follow these tips:
A) Keep it clean.
Always make sure the walkway is free from debris, clutter, and even loose nails that might have fallen from a pallet. A quick sweep with a broom helps keep dirt and dust at bay — no one wants to deal with an accidental slip-and-fall on their way to work.
B) Make it wide enough.
The path should be at least four feet wide for workers to get around comfortably. If you cannot give them four feet, consider placing cones or tape on the ground to mark off areas where they will need to walk.
C) Make sure it is visible.
At night or in bad weather, you will want to make sure that workers can see the walkway clearly so they would not trip over something they cannot see. Install lights along the path or buy some reflective tape and post it along the edges of the walkway to illuminate the path.
Conclusion
Construction workers are the most at-risk professionals of any industry. The physical dangers of the job can be fatal and many injuries and workforce fatalities occur either due to the workers’ own mishaps or gross negligence in providing safety on part of the employers. Regardless, workplace safety should be ensured with the provision of proper safety equipment, training, facilities, and tools.