Safety Procedures at Construction Site
Construction site safety is critically important. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 1,000 construction workers die every year during their construction dutes. In fact, OSHA has revealed that one out of every 10 construction workers are injured, amounting to over 150,000 injuries.
Of those who were injured or succumbed to their deaths, nearly 37 percent had falls, 10 percent were struck by objects, 9 percent were electrocuted, and around 3 percent were caught between objects.
Amputations, scarring, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, blindness, deafness, and long term injury involving years of medical treatment can be the result.
And construction injuries can cost an employer thousands of dollars defending against lawsuits. workers compensation claims.
And while accidents do happen in construction, most accidents can be eliminated.
It starts with management
In order to reduce the extreme costs surrounding construction sites, management must be on board. In particular, construction managers should show as much care about the safety and the training of a company’s employees as much as they are rated for getting the job done, and at cost.
Every construction manager should be required to draft a plan on exactly how injuries should be minimized.
This may include fall protection, scaffolding, the wearing of respirators, protective gear, the wearing of hard hats etc.
Ultimately, the construction manager and the front line supervisors are responsible for setting a safety tone throughout the construction site.
First, every worker should go through a thorough safety training program before being allowed to work on site.
Next, front line supervisors should survey their working area each day of work and then brief the workers on pending hazards.
If workers get the idea that safety is job number one at the site, and believe that management is fully on board, then then accidents will be minimized.
Proper equipment
Supervisors should check daily that every worker has the proper safety equipment, and refuse to tolerate any activity in which workers ignore proper procedures.
In addition, everyone should be advised that the company has an open door regarding any problems with any type of equipment.
Also, companies should avoid going on the cheap by buying used.
Getting outside help
Survey after survey of large construction companies with minimal accident rates show that most of them associate themselves with various safety organizations.
Consider that type of association and welcome their coming to your construction site in order to make suggestions on things the company may have missed.
Appoint a safety director
There should be at least one person at a construction company whose sole job is to be concerned about safety. He should be responsible for overall Construction site safety.
He (or she) should come from the ranks of employees, if possible, to gain the respect of the workers, and should carefully review every site safety plan.
If a fall or accident happens
In the event of a fall or accident, the safety director should make a thorough analysis of what, if anything went wrong.
Maybe training needs to be instituted again. Maybe new equipment needs to be ordered.
If accidents happen on the construction site but nothing takes place to change it, workers will simply shrug their shoulders and think “maybe the company doesn’t really care.”
Falls and injuries will happen on the best of construction sites. It’s the nature of the beast. But falls and injuries can be greatly eliminated if a thorough safety plan is in place.
