Basic Construction Safety

Construction workers, due to the high-risk nature of their role, often encounter hazards and risks to their safety, resulting in injury or death. There are, however, a number of basic safety tips that could save lives.

Statistics

• Conour Law Firm reports that one out of 10 construction workers is injured every year, with YouClaim adding that construction deaths represent 20 percent of all work-related fatalities.

Leading Safety Hazards

• Heavy machinery poses a risk of crushing.

  The most common risks to safety for construction workers are falls, electrocution, crushing by heavy machinery, exposure to chemicals and being struck by falling objects.

Training

• All machinery operatives should be qualified.

  Any person who enters a construction site must have adequate training to prove that he is able to identify and avoid hazards that could cause death or injury. Anyone operating a plant or machinery must be fully qualified to do so.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Sufficient PPE should be worn to help avoid hazards.

  Site workers should wear personal protective equipment, such as steel-capped boots, high-visibility jackets, hard hats, dust masks and eye goggles. This allows them to be seen by others while protecting them from hazards.

Communication

• Hazards, such as scattered nails, should be reported immediately.

  Any site worker who notices a hazard should report it immediately to the site manager, who can then take action to rectify the situation.

Take Care

• All power tools should be handled with care.

  Each site worker is ultimately responsible for his own safety. Therefore, whether walking around the site, using power tools or operating heavy machinery, each construction worker should ensure that he is working safely.