Whether you’re a DIY home renovator or a professional construction specialist, working on the site of your latest project can be a dangerous endeavor if certain standards aren’t met.
There’s an inherent risk to using heavy machinery, a series of Final-Destination-like things that can go wrong at the drop of a hat; and as any seasoned construction worker knows, if something can go wrong, it often does.
What’s worse is that you can’t always count on your employers to do their due diligence and keep you safe: while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration does its best to implement codes to keep workers safe, site managers may ignore those codes in the service of getting their project done faster.
While you can rest assured knowing that, should you be the victim of serious injury due to one of these “oversights,” you can take your case to court with the assistance of a personal injury attorney located in queens and be compensated fully for your hardship, many of us would rather avoid the possibility of injury altogether.
Since you can’t necessarily trust those in power over you to make sure of your safety, you need to take the matter of your safety into your own hands, following common-sense rules and regulations meant to protect you in the event of an unforeseeable accident or employer negligence.
Even if you know that your boss is doing their best to ensure your safety, you should still take note of these valuable tips, as they may just protect you from even an act of God.
Without further ado, let’s learn how you can protect yourself and others while on the job.
Table of Contents
Wear Protective Equipment at All Times
While on-site, it’s essential that you wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times, whether you believe yourself to be out of harm’s way or not.
When at a location far away enough from the site, such as a picnic table far outside the bounds of the site on your lunch break, sure, you can remove it. But when you’re on-site, you should act as though the unlikely will occur at all times: keep your hard hat on, wear your goggles, and stay safe.
Keep Your Work Area Free of Potential Hazards
As a business, construction tends to be on the messier side, leaving detritus everywhere and increasing the likelihood of potential trips and slips.
If you notice something on the ground that may present a potential obstructional hazard, make sure to have it moved as soon as possible: don’t leave tools or equipment on the ground, or in spaces where people are likely to stumble on it, and pick up any loose rivets or sharp objects that may be laying around.
Notice Defects, Then Report Them
If anything appears to be not functioning as it should, let your supervisor know immediately; if they do not respond properly, let’s say, let all of your coworkers know that piece of machinery is damaged and could hurt them if they use it.
Also, make sure to let your supervisors know if any part of your project doesn’t appear to be functioning as intended: supports bending or cracking? Report that immediately, and you might save a life.
Don’t Mess With Broken Tools or Safety Equipment
You think you’re an engineer, that you can fix broken power tools or that you should remove the safety constraints on your electric saw? Save that kind of behavior for at home, when you’re likely to have family around to call the hospital when you chop your hands off.
Don’t tinker with machines you aren’t authorized to fix and don’t remove the safety guards on community tools, even if the safety guard obstructs you in some way: remember, they are there for your protection.
Similarly, don’t mess with equipment that’s meant to ensure the safety of your fellow workers, like guardrails or scaffolding ties.
Whether you’re in the residential construction business or constructing a major corporation’s next headquarters, any safety measures put into place by your supervisors are there to keep you safe: best not to mess with them and risk someone else, if not yourself, getting injured.
Keeping everyone safe in the construction industry is a team effort, and should be treated as such. Hold your fellow workers accountable if you see them participating in any unsafe behaviors: while the idea of policing your coworkers hardly seems appealing, someone might thank you later for it. Stay safe out there
