Construction sites continue to be the most dangerous job sites and there is good reason for this. With the large amounts of people all moving quickly in a confined space, handling dangerous heavy equipment and lots of noise, accidents of every type and method proliferate. They vary from not paying attention, equipment failures, disregard for safety rules, and other causes that can lead to serious injury or even death.
In the US there are tens of thousands of workers injured on construction sites and 1,000 deaths each year, causing the construction industry to lead leads the nation in workplace injuries and fatalities. Avoiding injury and death is the goal of every construction executive like Dean Kirkland Vancouver WA based commercial real estate developer. He knows that with these sobering statistics, those who work on construction sites need to always have half their focus on their job and half on safety issues.
Here are things construction workers need to do to keep themselves safe while working:
Stick to the Worksite Regulations
Regulations on a construction site are mandated by the government and each year the list of regulations on construction sites increase and get more specific. The government keeps track of all accidents that occur on constructions sites around the country and modify regulations based on the accidents that see occurring regularly. In other words, regulations come about from actual health and safety issues that are occurring. Those in charge on the constructions site have a legal obligation to adhere to all regulations and demand workers do the same. Too often however regulations get overlooked or someone gets lazy. When this happens there is an increased chance of an accident. However everyone needs to adhere to regulations or for the sake of everyone on the site, be removed from the site immediately.
Morning Meetings and Constant Communication Matter
The long days on a construction site can easily cause laziness and lethargy. This is why processes need to be put in place and adhered to regarding safety on the site. An essential tool for managing a construction job is great communication every day and all the time. This starts with morning meetings every day, where the specific goals for that day are discussed and agreed to. This briefing gives superiors a chance to check on the status of the project and the workers, and to insure all is in proper order. Any deviations from regulations should be discussed during these meetings with immediate fixes discussed and implemented.
Having a specific plan for communication during the work day is also critical. It is noisy and frantic on a construction site and often even the loudest people cannot be heard over the noise. The use of walkie-talkies and a system for alerting people during an accident is crucial. There should also be an accident plan in place and a reviewing of these plans gone over regularly.
Always Protect your Head, Feet and Hands
Construction workers should always have their heads, hands and feet protected while working. These are the most vulnerable parts and the ones most likely to be injured while working. This means hard hats all the time, and padded gloves and steel toed boots as standard dress for all workers on the construction site.