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​​Construction Site Safety

SAFETY DEVICES
5 min read

​​Construction Site Safety

Written by Richard Bedworth, StaySafe

The construction industry accounts for over 3 million jobs – working out at 10% of total UK employment. Due to the nature of the work, it’s one of the UK’s most dangerous job roles with workers being exposed to a higher risk of falls, machinery malfunctions, electrocution, falling objects, and structural collapses – just to name a few.

As an employer, it may be tempting to cut corners to save costs; but with workplace related injuries being the cause of over 2.2 million lost work days annually, it’s in nobody’s best interests to avoid it.

There are a number of ways to improve health and safety in your workplace, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. We’ve put together a list of our top 7 ways to keep workers safe in the construction industry, so everyone has more chance of keeping their body parts…

1. Ensure employees wear the correct protective gear.

Wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) could mean the difference between a minor injury and a long term injury or even a fatality.

It’s important to provide your employees with the appropriate PPE relative to the type of work being carried out. This can include helmets, ear protection, safety goggles, knee pads and hi-vis jackets. If they become worn or unfit for purpose, they need to be replaced immediately. Make sure they wear them, too!

2. Correctly construct and maintain scaffolding

When erecting scaffolding, there should be no shortcuts or improvisations. It should be built on stable ground with solid footing to eradicate the risk of it collapsing. Be sure to maintain and repair any damage or inconsistencies of the structure, as well as ensuring that all employees using the scaffolding to have an adequate level of scaffolding safety training.

3. Health & safety training

Construction workers operating in high and medium risk environments are required to have sufficient health and safety training. They should be fully competent and aware of the risks associated with their actions, especially when working at height, with machinery or in confined spaces. It is also advised that they have an appropriate awareness of first aid, being able to administer basic life-saving techniques if necessary.

The NEBOSH Construction Certificate is a purposely designed Health and Safety course, providing workers with a wide range of skills for use in the construction industry.

4. Display clear signs

Construction sites are full of potential dangers, not just for workers but for the public too. It’s important to highlight any hazards with signs and posters, warning everyone nearby to take pre-cautions. Signs are a cost effective way of reducing accidents, which could indicate dangers such as falling objects, turning large vehicles or presence of gas/chemicals.

5. Use technology

In today’s technological world, almost every adult in the UK owns a mobile phone – a majority of these being smartphones. It’s not all about texting and calling now – with smartphones comes apps and a whole universe of possibilities.

The StaySafe App offers lone worker monitoring, with life saving features including a panic button, check in, ‘man down’ non-movement alerts and low battery reminders. It is an excellent way to monitor your staff’s safety whilst working separately, as well as share risk assessments and to manage projects.

6. Inspect tools and equipment regularly

Construction workers rely on their tools to work efficiently and get jobs done. If their tools are unsafe or broken, there are higher risks of serious accidents including the loss of limbs. Equipment should regularly be inspected to ensure there are no equipment malfunctions or defects. It is both the responsibility of the worker and the employer to highlight issues with defective equipment.

7. Communicate

Communication is a major factor in keeping employees safe. Staff should communicate with each other and with any alternative party if they identify potential risks. Those working onsite should be aware of existing potential hazards but also have a conscious awareness of other dangers. Employees should be regularly asked about what they think could make their job safer and have the opportunity to report any accidents or near-misses.

16 Comments

  1. Finley Moreira

    I have been doing some reading about scaffolding, and I’ve heard that it’s important to inspect your scaffolding each day. In addition to providing adequate safety training like you mention, I think that would be the best way to ensure safety on the job. I’m sure employees would have a better attitude if they know that you take their safety seriously.

  2. Jack Titchener

    I imagine that the equipment should be checked every week, if not every day. If a safety harness or something were to break, someone could get seriously hurt. It is best to make sure that everything is in working order before doing anything too dangerous.

  3. Deb Pearl

    I drove past a construction zone today and saw some workers on some scaffolding. It made me curious about how they keep themselves safe while working on it. I’m glad that they have protective gear that include helmets, ear protection, knee pads and more! Thank you for all the information!

  4. Ken Hwan

    I really liked the advice that all employees should have a safe outlet to report any accidents or injuries while on the job. I don’t work around heavy machinery, but I have always been paranoid about safety ever since I fell off of a ladder as a kid. Do you have any tips for staying safe around construction equipment that could translate to staying safe in the home?

  5. Ridley Fitzgerald

    It’s good to learn about safety in the construction workplace. I like how you said that the workers themselves need to be trained in health and safety. I feel like that’s really the most important step; as long as the workers know how to stay safe, they should be safe!

  6. Carol

    First things we need to keep in mind regarding workers safety in the construction industry is to keep checking the machinery and heavy equipment on regular basis.

  7. Mark Murphy

    I really appreciate your tip on how most construction sites will highlight any dangerous machinery with signs and posters to stop anyone from getting hurt. My daughter told me that she has a field trip to a construction site coming up soon for one of her engineering classes. I will be sure to suggest to her that she should keep an eye out for any signs and posters telling her to steer clear of dangerous machinery!

  8. Bess

    Howdy! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for
    the excellent info you have right here on this post. I am returning to your site for more
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  9. Francis

    The most effective way on a construction company is to make your employees wear protective gear. This is a must since the most priority of every company is its personnel safety.

  10. Bob

    I love your tip about how broken tools are dangerous. That makes sense considering heavy-duty metal can crush people. It would be important for people to bring safety consultants to the site.

    • Victoria Bello

      Hi Bob,

      Thanks for reading our post! Glad you liked it.

      Best wishes
      Victoria

  11. Marylyn

    Hi! This post could not be written any better! Reading this
    post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this.
    I will forward this page to him. Fairly certain he will have
    a good read. Thanks for sharing!

    • Victoria Bello

      Hi Marylyn!

      Glad you liked the post. You can find similar posts on our news and insights section.

      Best wishes
      Victoria

  12. Sandra Patterson

    You make a good point that people that aren’t construction workers can be injured by construction sites as well as the workers. My husband just started a construction business but has been working on building u his networking. I bet this could help him nail down the safety aspect while he also works on finding people to work with.

  13. David Johnson

    Thank you for the advice to use technology. My boss wants to start a new project, but we want to ensure it’s as safe as possible before we begin. We’ll have to look into professional safety consulting.

    • Victoria Bello

      Hi David,

      Glad to hear this, ensuring staff safety should always be a priority 🙂

      Best wishes
      Victoria

Comments are closed.