Safety Essentials: 7 Must-Haves During A Construction Project

Working on a construction site involves using large and heavy pieces of machinery and equipment, as well as hazardous chemicals and materials. All of which can potentially inflict major to fatal injury if not constantly monitored and without proper training. 

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for the year 2019, approximately 1,061 or 20% of worker fatalities were in the construction industry. This emphasizes how working on a construction site is indeed risky.

Importance Of Employing Safety Measures

Given the nature of the work in construction, employing safety precautions and risk-reduction measures to the workplace environment is of utmost importance, especially for the well-being of yourself or your workers and employees. It is also essential that you prioritize the public’s safety and guarantee that work operations do not endanger the members of the public.

Now, whether the construction project is in a private or public area, you must, in any way, take proper safety measures to avoid putting both the workers and the public at risk. But if you have a project in Australia, for instance, incorporate Site Security & Traffic Control services to easily assist you in protecting your site and developing a traffic control plan.

7 Must-Haves During A Construction Project

With all this in mind, this article will now cover seven must-haves safety essentials during a construction project. This is to help you avoid unnecessary distress, from primary to fatal injury, among yourself, workers, employees, and the public. 

Employ Sufficient Training 

Before beginning the on-site job, your workers and employees must receive sufficient training to ensure they know the project’s scope and the potential danger they would encounter. The said training should cover equipment training, the particular dangers in your worksite, how to mitigate them, first aid and emergency plans, etc. Sign up for first aid training here at Coast2Coast First Aid and Aquatics Inc. so your employees will be fully prepared during any injuries or emergencies.

Establish A Proper Perimeter

 While in the work zone, it is necessary to deploy warning devices such as cones, barriers, and other barricades, contacting a security fence rental company Dallas to install fences for added security within and outside the worksite. It ensures the workers are inside the safe walking areas, material areas, and equipment use areas. 

Smart traffic control systems use technology such as sensors, cameras and connected devices to manage and optimize traffic flow, reducing congestion and improving safety. These systems can detect and respond to changing traffic patterns in real-time, adjust signal timings to accommodate different traffic volumes, and provide real-time information to drivers about road conditions and alternative routes. 

Meanwhile, as for the general public, these warning devices help them to identify and be informed that there is construction going on. It is also for individuals driving along the construction zone to safely move out from the working area and return to the main road.

Wear Proper Safety Equipment

To all workers or personnel on-site, they must wear adequately, at all times, safety and protective gears. These measures are not only in accordance with the safety rules and requirements, but these will also help reduce the likelihood of workplace accidents. Listed below are the following essential safety equipment:

• Head Protection (e.g., hard hats)
• Hearing Protection (e.g., ear muffs, hearing bands, or pre-molded earplugs)
• Eye Protection (e.g., face shields or safety glasses)
• Foot Protection (e.g., steel-toe boots)
• Protective Gloves (e.g., leather or metal mesh gloves, chemical and resistant gloves)
• Reflective/High Visibility Garments

Ensure The Safety Use Of Machineries

Heavy and oversized machinery like excavators, bulldozers, and backhoes should be safely used and managed. Such negligence can potentially inflict harm to other workers and personnel. Thus, both the driver and the operator using the machinery must communicate properly to avoid danger. 

Avoid Blind Spots

On-site, there is a lot of heavy machinery with blind spots, such as excavators and rollers. And if, for example, your worksite is small, both the driver and the operator must have established proper communication and eye contact. This is for the driver to be guided with the various signals indicated by the operator. 

Always keep in mind that the driver has a limited field of vision. If you can’t see the driver, they can’t see you either. Therefore, you should maintain a safe distance or notify the operator and wait until the machinery is turned off before approaching them.

Stay Alert Of Your Surroundings

With the heavy and oversized machinery in place and the blind spots, you need to exercise particular caution when moving around the site to notice any hazards. Things move quickly in a construction area, and being aware of potential hazards can help keep you and your workers and personnel safe.

Employ A Competent And Experienced Person

Without the lead of a competent and experienced person, some things could go wrong. So to avoid such happening, you need to employ a person fit for the job. They should be competent and experienced enough to conduct hazard assessments and regular worksite inspections. 

They should be able to recognize anticipated hazards within the work environment or identify situations wherein it could endanger workers and employees. With the capability of identifying and recognizing such, they should be able to know how to take immediate preventive actions to eliminate them.

Takeaway

Indeed, it is hazardous to work on a construction site due to the nature of the work environment. Thus, if you’re an employer or a worker within site, you should receive proper training and implement the following must-haves listed in this article to avoid potential risks.