A Site Safety Checklist

Keeping construction sites safe is a crucial initiative in protecting the safety and health of construction workers. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the construction industry is a highly hazardous industry, where many safety threats pervade. Having a safety checklist in place allows employers to effectively secure the work site.

Personal Protective Equipment

• According to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health, personal protective equipment is a preventative safety measure for construction sites that serves to protect employees' bodies from injury. For instance, hardhats protect workers' heads from falling or flying objects, as well as helping to keep their hair from becoming entangled in equipment. If employees do not wear PPE, they risk suffering severe injuries. Consequently, PPE is a safety item for employers to monitor, so categories for appropriate PPE should be found on a site safety checklist.

  An example of a safety checklist for PPE includes whether employees have hardhats, eye protection (goggles) and ear protection, such as earmuffs or plugs, when working with extreme noise levels. Other types of PPE to check for are facial masks or respiratory protection (especially for projects involving asbestos exposure), as well as full-body suits when working with chemicals.

Safe Equipment

• Construction site supervisors are responsible for ensuring that equipment and machinery are in safe operating order before construction workers utilize them. As such, safety checklists must contain indicators for supervisors to check off whether equipment is safe to use.

  For example, OSHA says that when manlifts are being used on site, their guardrails, steps, motors brakes, illumination, warning signs, limit switches and floor landings must be inspected by a qualified person, such as an engineer, at intervals that do not exceed 30 days. Therefore, these items would be found on the safety checklist.

Fall Protection

• According to OSHA, falls constitute the leading cause of construction fatalities, so it is crucial that site supervisors create safety checklists that evaluate fall protection. One safety standard in particular is that OSHA requires unprotected sides, walls and openings to be protected with guardrails whenever employees are exposed to a fall of 6 or more feet. A safety checklist should contain items for ensuring that the guardrails are in place, and that they comply with OSHA's height, material and weight requirements.

  Personal fall protection systems, such as harnesses, are another kind of fall protection to monitor in construction sites. Safety checklists should look to see that employees are properly harnessed when performing work from high planks and booms or from manlifts.