Construction services are necessary for building infrastructure, but they have risks. The industry is notorious for occupational hazards and high injury rates. Construction safety managers must be proactive in creating a safer workplace for crew members and boosting awareness. That said, it takes a layered approach to eliminate risks.
The Nature of Workplace Injuries in Construction
Before creating a construction safety management plan to prevent workplace injuries, it is essential to identify the hazards most likely to occur. OSHA’s Fatal Four are the most common causes of construction worker injury or death and can serve as a baseline for what kind of injuries tend to occur within the sector.
1. Falls, Slips and Trips
Construction sites are hazardous environments with varying heights, which increases the danger of falling. Slippery or cluttered floors can also lead to slips and trips that are common among workers. Even careful crews can still be prone to a loss of balance.
Unfortunately, the outcome of such hazards can be unfortunate. A survey finds that 47.4% of fatal falls, slips and trips occurred in the construction industry. While these incidents can be nonfatal, they often require time off to recuperate.
2. Struck-By Incidents
Projects move fast, and spatial awareness is a key trait when navigating around any moving objects. Struck-by incidents can result in forcible contact and injuries like broken bones.
Neglect is also a part of the equation. Construction equipment or fellow crew members cause 55% of struck-by injuries, while 45% are a result of vehicle incursion. Tasks should be vigilantly planned to minimize this hazard.
3. Electrocution
Construction projects often involve electrical work, which can be hazardous for even experienced crew members. A survey found that 1,940 occupational fatalities were caused by contact with electricity, with 855 occurring in the construction industry.
It is essential to pay attention to overhead power lines and live circuits when allocating tasks. Compensate for improper grounding and prevent fire hazards as well.
4. Caught-In Hazards
Workers may find themselves in situations where they are pinned between two or more objects. These types of injuries can occur from either moving or stationary items on the worksite. Caught-in hazards can also occur on more precarious construction sites, such as where trenches could collapse or there’s risk of an excavated space caving in.
How Does Proper Rigging Prevent Workplace Injuries?
Lifting and moving heavy loads are fundamental construction tasks, but they carry immense risk. Proper rigging is a critical practice that involves securing a load for lifting to ensure it remains stable and controlled throughout the entire process. When done correctly, it mitigates some of the most severe site hazards by preventing catastrophic equipment failures and load loss.
Improper rigging is a direct cause of struck-by incidents, where a falling load can crush a worker below. It can also lead to caught-in hazards, as a swinging or shifting load can pin a person between objects. Therefore, mastering rigging is a frontline defense against the types of injuries that are most likely to be fatal on a worksite.
Given that human error is a common cause of these construction hazards, one of the most effective ways to prepare for lifting operations is through comprehensive, third-party training and certification. People assigned to operate machines or rig loads should be well-equipped with the knowledge and training to maintain safety standards while enhancing worker productivity.
CICB has been serving customizable training programs since 1969 to ensure smooth lifting operations. It gets personnel OSHA-compliant and industry-ready, ensuring everyone understands the principles and speaks the same safety language.
You can also seek out equipment inspections and compliance evaluations. Inspections can minimize costs and ensure machinery is in good working condition. Evaluations study the lengths contractor companies go to in decreasing exposure to risk, accidents and liabilities through their tools and practices.
Additional Ways to Prevent Workplace Injuries
Along with ensuring proper rigging, a comprehensive safety plan requires an approach that addresses the entire work environment. These additional strategies encompass everything from the physical engineering of the site and the equipment worn by workers to the administrative rules and cultural mindset that govern daily operations.
Equip Workers with the Right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Construction safety managers must require their crew to wear PPE. The proper set of hard hats, safety glasses, respirators and gloves can be crucial in preventing injuries like cuts, burns and more.
To maximize the PPE’s effectiveness, ensure you are deploying the right equipment to address the potential risks that workers may encounter. If there is a high risk of fatal falls, it is crucial to use safety harnesses and connecting devices.
Create a Safer Workspace
Address injury-causing hazards by making conscious changes to the construction site. Begin with a comprehensive risk assessment. If you notice specific details, such as how chemical-based materials can create manual handling challenges, consider deploying equipment for their transportation.
You can also integrate specific physical controls. Barriers and guardrails can be effective in keeping workers away from more hazardous zones, such as elevated work areas. Just ensure they are durable and installed correctly.
When working inside structures, respirators can only provide limited protection against contaminated air. Consider using mechanical ventilation, such as fans and blowers, to expel fumes and other airborne hazards.
Create Administrative Procedures
Construction safety managers should take advantage of their administrative power and set up strategies geared toward prioritizing work safety. For instance, creating safe work policies, such as properly organizing the site before and after operations, can make a significant difference in removing clutter.
Intentional job rotation can also help the workforce avoid injuries altogether, since it distributes physical demands among teams of crew members. The less fatigue and exposure to dangerous tasks, the safer workers are to continue operations.
You can also encourage having first-aid kits on-site and establishing emergency plans to mitigate injuries and prevent fatalities. Seek designated contacts for workers to know who to contact in case of an emergency.
Build a Strong Safety Culture
Safety requires ongoing commitment and active participation from both management and workers. Encourage leaders to be vocal about prioritizing safety. Set up daily check-ins and promote supervision during operations.
It also helps to encourage open communication, allowing employees to share any concerns or fears. If there is resistance, consider allowing workers to anonymously report any safety issues through a designated box on-site. Conducting safety seminars and audits on a monthly or quarterly basis can provide workers with information that can help save their lives.
According to the safety training experts at CICB, this cycle of communication and reinforcement is what transforms rules on a page into a true culture, where every worker instinctively looks out for one another.
Combat the Odds with Construction Safety Management
Site hazards are present in construction workspaces at almost any given moment. Managers should prioritize their workers’ safety by recognizing and mitigating risks with various solutions. Industry leaders like CICB have championed this philosophy for decades, emphasizing that a robust safety program is built on overlapping systems of prevention, rather than a single solution. With the right strategies, you can help prevent injuries and fatalities in the long run.
