Today, construction is one of the fastest-growing industries. From lucrative salary prospects to high demand – the construction sector is thriving. However, working in this industry is an inherently hazardous activity since the risk of accidents is high. After all, workers have to climb scaffoldings to build skyrise buildings. In addition, they use heavy machinery, exposing them to pollution and heat. These poor working conditions often lead to injuries, illnesses, and different other health problems.
Looking at these consequences, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is enforcing different measures to ensure worker’s safety on construction sites. First, a construction site should have a health and safety program to train the workers. Next up, they should have a first-aid room to handle injuries and reduce health concerns. Most importantly, the contractors must minimize exposure to harmful substances on the construction site.
Setting a few protocols in practice would reduce accidents while improving productivity at the site. If you are wondering where to begin, have a look below. Here are seven ways how to ensure hygiene and keep workers healthy and safe in the worksite.
1. Establish Hygiene Protocols
Most construction sites are always cluttered and messy. The workers have to find their way through all the blocks, cement bags, and tools to get the job done. In addition to delaying work, a messy worksite leads to trips and falls. So, why not establish some hygiene protocols on the worksite? When working in an industrial area, you can develop washing facilities on site. It would allow workers to wash their hands before eating, closing doors for cross-contamination.
However, if you don’t know much about hygiene protocols, you can hire an industrial hygienist. The professionals with an industrial hygienist degree help to deploy savvy hygiene measures. You can even employ housekeeping to clean the job site after routine tasks. It would avoid the buildup of flammable and combustible materials, making the site is safe for workers. Above all, provide access to clean drinking water and place sanitizers beside the water container to ensure hygiene.
2. Provide Health & Safety Training
All the construction workers operating in high-risk environments need extensive health and safety training. Although most workers complete training before joining the workforce, the work roles differ on every construction site. Hence, a week-long training program before the project starts is crucial to ensure safety. It ensures workers are aware of risks associated with their actions, especially when working at heights. Likewise, the workers will learn how to use heavy machinery, reduce the chances of accidents.
Moreover, every worker should get training on first aid techniques. They should be able to administer basic life-saving techniques to protect their coworkers from fatal injuries. Maybe, the training program could educate workers on treating a wound since open injuries lead to infections. Similarly, teach them how to perform CPR since many people suffer from breathing problems.
3. Inspect Tools & Equipment
Unlike old times, the entire construction industry runs on tech-savvy tools and machinery. From bulldozers to tower cranes – workers rely on heavy machinery to get their job done. However, if the tools are unsafe or broken, it can lead to severe accidents and injuries. According to HSE, 2.8% of the workers in construction suffered from an injury in 2019-2020, higher than the all-industry injury rate.
Therefore, you must inspect the equipment and machinery regularly to detect any glitches and defects. You have to bring someone on board who has in-depth knowledge and understanding of construction machinery. Alongside detecting defects, they would repair the equipment to close doors for malfunctioning. Besides this, make sure workers don’t jump on this endeavor themselves. A worker might think he can fix the machinery, but it is always wise to get it assessed by an expert.
4. Follow OSHA Guidelines
Looking at the high accident rate in the construction industry, OSHA imposes a set of regulations to provide a safe workplace for construction workers. Here are some of the basic guidelines that every contractor should follow.
- Ensure the construction site is free from hazards and chemicals since they have long-term consequences.
- Examine the working conditions on-site and make sure they comply with OSHA standards.
- Put some operating procedures in place so that all employees are on the same page.
- Provide safe tools and equipment to workers.
- Create a hazard communication program for the times when employees find themselves in dangerous situations. Understanding how to respond to emergencies will reduce severe injuries.
- Lastly, provide medical exams and training to the construction workers.
5. Use Digital Signs Across the Worksite
Unsurprisingly, the construction sites are full of dangers. Workers constructing on the scaffoldings keep dropping things on the ground, leading to potential head injuries. Similarly, the freshly constructed floors are super slippery that leads to trips and falls. Hence, it is crucial to highlight these hazards with signs and posters on the construction site. It would warn everyone nearby to take precautions, avoiding accidents and injuries.
Thus, get your hands on yellow boards with indicators of different dangers such as falling objects, the presence of chemicals, etc. In addition, you can restrict worker’s entry to high-risk areas. For instance, if electrical work is happening in one place, ensure no one else except for the electricians can access that zone. Having limited traffic on the site will reduce the chances of accidents significantly.
6. Provide Protective Gear to Workers
Believe it or not, wearing personal protective equipment can mean the difference between minor and chronic injury. Therefore, you have to provide employees with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) on the construction site. It would include hard hats and helmets to protect workers against head injuries. Some hard hats even come with face shields and earmuffs for further protection.
During metal or woodwork, you have to provide goggles and protective eyewear to ensure that debris disrupts the vision. Sometimes, the working conditions can lead to breathing problems, and to prevent this, you have to give facemasks to workers. It will protect them from paint spray, pesticides, and other harmful substances that permanently damage the lungs.
Final Words
With rising global concerns regarding work-related injuries and accidents, you have to upscale construction site’s safety protocols. You have to ensure workers follow proper hygiene and safety protocols to avoid hazards. Likewise, upgrade and repair the machinery beforehand to prevent any injuries and disruptions on the construction site. You can also provide PPE to workers, use digital signs, provide training to the workers. Having a few protocols will ensure your construction site is a safe place to work.