Safety Precautions For Construction

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Safety Precautions For Construction

Principal Author / Publisher:Safetyhow Admin

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More than 5,000 workers were killed on the job in 2008 and construction logged the highest number of deaths for any industry, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Besides training people to be safe and to be on the lookout for safety hazards, precautions go a long way toward preventing accidents in construction.

Site Safety

Each construction site has its own unique safety challenges. Sites where a single home is being built have fewer risks than large commercial building sites. Tailor the safety precautions to the site by doing an assessment of the risks. Apply administrative and engineering controls, or precautions, to sites where heavy equipment is operating. Limiting the hours of operation to only daylight hours is an example of an administrative precaution. Setting up designated areas for vehicular and foot traffic is an example of engineering precautions. Use warning signs to alert people to hidden dangers like open trenches and pits. Use lock outs and tag outs to prevent access to equipment controls until it is safe to operate those controls.

Personal Safety

The primary defense against personal injury is administrative and engineering precautions. Eliminating work that is hazardous to people is an example of administrative precautions. Using machines to do the work instead of people is an engineering precaution. Setting up job site ventilation that handles airborne dust is an engineering solution that eliminates the need for the people to remember to put on their dust masks. Use appropriate personal protective devices when engineering and administrative controls do not work, or are not possible. Hard hats protect the head from falling and flying objects. Ear plugs or ear muffs protect the ears from noise levels that will damage hearing. Safety glasses save the eyes from flying wood splinters and metal filings. Wear gloves to protect against cuts and bruises on the hands.

Fall Safety

Falls from heights is the greatest hazard in construction, according to OSHA. The first lines of defense are again, administrative and engineering. Restricting all ladders to a certain height is an administrative control, while attaching ladders to the sides of a building is an engineering control. Other engineering controls would include erecting a barrier along the edge of a roof or setting up a net below a roof line to catch people who might fall. Assigning a safety monitor to crews working in high places is an administrative precaution. Scaffolds are especially dangerous since they are often set up incorrectly. People who set up scaffolds have to be certified to do that and scaffolds should always be checked daily by a certified person to make sure they comply with safety requirements.

Trenches

Locate utility lines before excavating by contacting all utility owners in the area and asking for line markings. Protect open trenches so people cannot accidentally fall into them. Shore up trenches over 6 feet deep so they cannot cave in and have an egress method for trenches more than 4 feet deep. Provide safety controls so items cannot fall into the trench and keep materials and equipment at least 2 feet from the trench sides.

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References

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Safety Precautions For Construction

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