Construction has been and continues to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States according to workplace injury and fatality statistics. In 2005 nearly 717 workers fell to their deaths alone; and that only accounts for a small portion of workplace fatalities. Almost 1200 workers were killed in the United States on construction sites. Reports also found that 6.5 workers in every 100 workers were injured on the job in a significant manner. These rates, however, don’t need to be and shouldn’t be so high. There are ways of preventing injury large, small, and fatal while on construction sites.
Safety Equipment
The biggest way to prevent serious injury on a job site is to provide or require all workers to wear necessary safety equipment. This, in most cases, is an OSHA requirement and workers without the proper equipment should not be allowed on the job site. Safety goggles, Hard Hats, steel-toed boots and safety harnesses are all requirements because they save lives. While cutting corners and “letting it slide” might appear to be a favor to a worker who has worn the wrong shoes or forgotten goggles it could cost him his life or put him at greater risk for serious injury. No worker should be permitted on the premises without the necessary safety gear; no exceptions!
Training
A big part of the problem in the construction injury is a lack of training and refresher courses offered to workers and supervisors. All staff, including those on site and those off site must be trained in safety procedures. These procedures put some responsibility in the hands of the workers. All workers should be educated on the risks they are taking by not following these procedures. It should also be noted that a lack of knowledge or training has been linked to several construction job fatalities. This needn’t happen in an industry that has all the information they need to prepare their workers properly,.
Inspection
Everything on the job site should be inspected to ensure it is up to code and safety standards. Piping supports, guardrails and all fall prevention mechanism should be checked and inspected routinely. Failed safety equipment is often at the root cause of injuries sustained on the job. Checking to ensure the health and wellness of these tools can save lives and many workers from serious injury. Several years ago a string of construction accidents rocked the NYC area; mostly pertaining to cranes. It was later revealed that the cranes, had they been inspected properly, would have been removed from rotation for repair, thus never causing the injuries and deaths they caused.
PHP Systems/Design provides piping supports and equipment support systems to make any commercial building as safe as it can possibly be.