Construction is one of the most injury-prone industries. The people involved work with many threatening elements like height, heavy machinery, sharp objects, etc.
Due to all this, every year there are approximately 150,000 construction-related injuries reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We can avoid many of these accidents by taking the required precautions beforehand.
Let us talk about the leading sources of injuries and their solutions.
Height
Most of the time, the building to be constructed has over one floor. This means that the workers would deal with height. As the number of floors increases, so does the risk. Falls can happen because of carelessness, slipping, or dizziness.
Solutions:
- All the employees should have adequate training with ladders and scaffoldings. This makes it easier for them to control themselves on it. Not just that, they should know how to work with equipment at that height.
- The equipment like ladders should be of excellent quality. In case of falls and crashes, here’s a guide to deal with it.
- Minor changes to the worksite can reduce the risk. Use safety nets when working at a fatal height. This precautionary net catches the person and reduces their speed of falling. Floors do not initially have a railing. Make temporary guardrails and put them around the perimeter of incomplete floors.
Transportation Of Materials
We constantly transport materials around the site. They are in raw or semi-finished form. Depending on the material, it can cause cuts, stabs, and even falls (because of impact).
Solutions:
- Have designated routes to move the materials. Carefully map them on the site so that it has minimal interference with the ongoing work. Your employees should strictly follow these norms to protect themselves.
- Have enough people to work on transportation. If the materials are too much, either increase the number of trips or increase the number of people. This splits the workload, decreasing the chances of errors.
- Use a simple combination of equipment like pulleys and levers throughout the working area. This increases efficiency and reduces risk.
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS)
This is a syndrome developed in people who use power tools for a long duration. Power tools produce a level of vibration. Tools that give out high power usually have more vibration. While it just jolts the arms in regular use, continuous and prolonged use can cause Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. This affects the joints, nerves, and blood vessels.
Solutions:
- Invest in high-quality equipment. These have dampeners inside them, which reduces the vibrations that the user feels. You can use equipment renting services if you do not have the capital to buy these.
- The staff operating these kinds of machinery should have an added layer of protection in their uniform. Shock dampening gloves are high-grade gloves that have multiple layers of protection. They have treated leather to provide oil resistance, Kevlar blended fibers for protecting against cuts, flame-resistant coating, and heavy padding to reduce vibrations.
These are a few of the many control actions to keep the employees on their toes. Taking these precautions will save your staff from major injuries. This will keep the project on schedule.
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