In the 21st century, we are progressing towards a fast-paced world with the need for excellent infrastructure. As the population increases and more drivers hit the road, the demand for streets and shelters is growing too. Thus, with the booming construction industry, many people are stepping into this field for lucrative opportunities.
However, people are often skeptical about their decision due to the safety concerns in regards to construction. After all, worker’s safety is one of the most overlooked factors on construction sites, but fortunately, things are changing now. The emergence of labor safety laws is encouraging employers to mitigate the safety hazards for construction workers. Being a contractor or project manager, you have to take on this responsibility.
Let us take you through seven essential construction site safety rules to ensure optimal work practices:
Create a Site Safety Program
The circumstances of every construction project vary. Similarly, the safety precautions will also differ when building high-rise projects and constructing roads. Therefore, you have to create a ‘site’ safety program that meets various construction site’s characteristics. Begin by identifying the hazards – power lines, on-site traffic, and pedestrian walkways when constructing a road.
Likewise, include plans to tone down damage, schedules for inspection, emergency responses, and medical care availability. Moreover, to know every tiny detail, finding yourself a home in corporate housing near the construction site will help tremendously. If something goes wrong, you would be able to reach the site within a few minutes and see what went wrong.
Ensure Workers Wear Protective Gear
Construction work is all about lifting heavy objects, transferring them from one place to another, and working with heavy equipment. In this hazardous environment, protective equipment can make a significant difference between a minor injury and a long-term fatality. Alongside the yellow helmet, provide your workers with safety goggles, knee pads, hi-vis jackets, and ear protectors to combat noise pollution. If safety kits get damaged or become unfit, replace them immediately with new ones.
Health & Safety Training
The majority of the construction workers are operating in low, medium, or high-risk environments. Do you think they can manage such situations by themselves? All workers must participate in safety training. Make them aware of risks associated with their actions, especially when constructing high-rise buildings or handling heavy equipment.
Likewise, teach them the necessary safety protocols and how to use scaffolding correctly. Restrict entry to dangerous areas by giving access to only those workers who work there. Once everyone gets the knack of the safety protocols, it would curtail the chances of accidents.
Use Technology
With sprouting technological inventions, every person has a smartphone in their pockets. So why not benefit from these innovations? Alongside making communication easier with workers, you can ensure safety also. Several safety apps offer lone worker monitoring with impeccable life-saving features. For instance, if a worker is in danger, they can click the panic button, which will alarm the authorities. It could be an excellent way to monitor your staff’s safety while observing work progress at the same time.
Inspect Equipment Regularly
All construction workers rely on their tools to get the job done. Junior workers use hammers and drills, but senior workers expose themselves to heavy equipment. If these machinery or tools break down, the chances of accidents and injuries could go up. At times, it becomes life-threatening too. Instead of ignoring minor glitches, fix them at your earliest. Likewise, inspect all the equipment once a week to identify potential malfunctions or defects. Indeed, it is both the manager’s and worker’s responsibility to highlight such issues, but ultimately burden falls on the managers.
Control Traffic Flow
A poorly organized construction site is nothing less than a fish market. The construction workers are at risk of getting hit by the incoming and outgoing traffic. That is the most common problem when constructing roads because motorists are likely to come near the site, resulting in accidents. Hence, put a warning sign so people can see it is a restricted zone. You can do this by using traffic cones, loads of lighting, and barricades to direct traffic away from the worksite.
Make First-Aid Accessible
Despite taking all safety measures – accidents and injury do happen. As a safety measure, you have to ensure that all your workers are cognizant of necessary first-aid measures. Firstly, you have to place the first-aid kit on a location accessible by everyone on the site. Secondly, teach them about the various first-aid instruments and how to use them in emergencies. With these simple tips, workers will know about to use first aid on a deep cut, back strain, or a burnt mark, healing injuries quickly.
Conclusion
Safety on construction sites is one of the leading concerns among workers because active sites are dangerous. It results in numerous accidents and injuries throughout the year. Thankfully, increasing awareness is making contractors take safety concerns seriously. As a result, they promote a safe working space for all construction workers.
- This is a guest post not written by this websites’ owner.