Safety Tips When Working Around Heavy Equipment

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that about 6.5 million people work at a construction site across the country everyday. Construction involves working around heavy equipment that can cause fatal injury if you are negligent. "The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in the category for all industries," according to the Labor Department.

Training

Whether you are operating heavy equipment or you are simply working around it, you need to receive proper training. Knowing how to operate heavy equipment can be the difference between life and death. You must have the full knowledge of how the equipment you are using functions and the inherent danger of operating it.

Survey Your Work Site

Heavy equipment hazards include electrocution if the equipment you are using contacts any overhead power cables. It could also overturn if the ground is not even. You can avoid such accidents by surveying the area before starting to work, which will help you take precautionary measures when using heavy equipment.

Construction Equipment

There is a correlation between the safety of actual equipment and the safety of a construction site, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Unsafe equipment is equal to an unsafe site. Falls from equipment, scaffolding and high places are always on top of the list for construction site hazards, which is why you need to make sure all equipment, including scaffolding, is properly maintained. OSHA recommends wearing a hat or fall protection if you are using scaffolding. Scaffolding must be properly mounted and sufficient to carry its own weight and four times the maximum intended load "without settling or displacement," according to OSHA.

• ob8b937fa84d3672a016490de844c81008.jpg
• 94bae3a3ff5d10615a1a69c25afa28e235.jpg