Safety Tips: Common Construction Hazards

Given the nature of construction workers, they are bound to face fortuitous encounters every day. Their lives are always in danger, be it an unfortunate accident or due to the negligence of another party or own negligence.

For every workplace where danger can occur randomly, it is important that the workers are fully armed with PPE’s and has the knowledge about the importance of following safety protocols, and know the safety precautions of the workplace. 

Construction Safety Tips

Head Protection

Head protection is a vital construction gear. Falling debris is everywhere and you’ll never know when it’s going to hit you. Wearing hard hats is an important safety protocol in every construction site. Low-hanging hazards, tripping, exposed wiring, and other causes of head injuries are rampant in construction sites. Thus, hard hats are essential even for visitors. 

Head injuries can cause someone’s life. If not, it can significantly decrease the quality of the person. Seizures, memory loss, impaired motor functions, and other mental risks will lead the person into paralysis or other severe brain damages. 

Crane Safety

Cranes are almost menacing to look at given their power and strength. However, cranes are an essential construction hazard. Cranes make the life of construction easier and their work faster. With cranes, they no longer have to go up and down the stairs of the towering building or lift heavy loads of construction materials manually. 

It is a common accident for workers to get accidentally hit by a crane especially if they are unaware of the direction of its movement. Another cause of crane accidents is the lack of focus of the one operating it or the lack of experience. Moreover, electrocution is another fatal danger that can cause many lives in the workplace. For construction sites, inspections are done and thorough investigation of the workplace and its operations are scrutinised to know if the workplace is safe to put up a crane. 

Scaffolding and Fall Protection

Scaffolding is one of the reasons for many falls in construction sites. Improving the safety precautions for scaffoldings and increasing fall protection can help workers feel confident about their work and become more aware of the risks that go with their line of skills. 

It is crucial for constructions sites to get their scaffolding inspected regularly to ensure its stability and security. Workers must be aware of its weight limit and never go beyond that despite any work circumstances. Workers need to follow the right way of transporting materials in an upward direction. If the workers are on rigid quad rails, it is a must to wear a hard hat. Lastly, and the most important safety protocol for scaffolding is that it has to be ten feet away from powerlines. Scaffoldings are conducive to electricity and can cause drastic electrocution. 

Trenching Safety

Trenches are used to create routes that dug to the premise of the construction area. It goes to different depths and power depending on the need and purpose. In this kind of construction machine, unstable soil can easily collapse and cause the machine operator to fall or lose control. Sudden burial and suffocation can lead to death. Hence, it is a concrete example of an accident waiting to happen. 

There are systems designed for the safety of trench operators. Exits are made available in cases of a sudden collapse. A trench safety operation guide must be provided for the trench operator to strictly follow. 

Safety is an essential factor in workplaces that faces danger every day. It is important for construction companies to give functional protective equipment and conduct seminars about workplace safety.