How Safe is Your Site? Common Accidents, Cultural Influence, and Prevention

Common Accidents

The construction industry is essential to the economy and the development of infrastructure. Unfortunately, construction workers have dangerous jobs.

Construction workers make up only 10% of the population. The dangerous job accounts for 30% of fatal workplace injuries.

Accidents cause employees to miss time off work, which can have negative outcomes. Time away from work due to injury is 40% higher in construction than all other industries combined.

OSHA has outlined four of the common fatal accidents that occur in construction. The "Fatal Four" are: falls, electrocutions, being struck by objects, and caught between equipment. The "Fatal Four" leader is: falls, accounting for 36.5% of preventable employee deaths.

Lack of safety implementation contributes to the high fatality rate of construction employees. The risk of neglecting safety implementation on your site is costly. The consequences of an unsafe construction site can be as little as a $14,000 OSHA fine to as large as losing a life. OSHA updates its enforcement page monthly.This includes regulation citations and accident investigations. Within the report, evidence suggests that several deaths a month is typical. Additionally, continuous repeat citations are also common among contractors and businesses.

Cultural Influence

Workplace culture is often overlooked as a contributing factor to workplace accidents. Employees who believe an accident is less likely to happen to them ignore on-site hazards. They are also more likely to engage in risky behavior.

Safety-conscious employees do not engage in risky behavior. This is explainable because they have a mindset that an accident could happen to anyone.

Education is the difference between a safe and risky employee. Provide safety training for employees that explain risks and prevention measures encourage safety. Engaging workers in training, discussion, and implementation can make efforts efficient.

Accident Prevention

Safety solutions at every job site prevent product loss, citations, and accidents. Increasing safety can increase productivity and employee morale. Daily safety checks are essential to maintaining a safe zone.

Knowing where to begin implementing safety can be difficult. Many factors contribute to safety solutions—affordability, maintenance, effectiveness, and employee consideration balance this decision-making process.

Despite various factors, the benefits of implementing an effective safety solution are bountiful.

Step one is to determine hazards that are present. Using OSHA regulations to enhance construction site safety can prevent citations. This can also allow you to achieve safety measures best for your unique job site.

Once you recognize hazards, consider which of the Fatal Four accidents could happen. Fall accidents are the most common, and many fall safety solutions exist.

An effective safety solution is passive prevention.

Workers can have a full range of motion without the restriction of a harness or vest. Safety is still present as they have security assurance with a fall protection net.

Eliminating construction site hazards for pedestrians walking near the site is also essential. Pedestrians struck by debris or tools can face serious injury. Construction netting protects both employees and civilians from potential harm.

Another excellent safety solution is to encourage workers to understand the hazards. This can prevent accidents. Employees should encourage each other to be safe and alert. Understanding the risks on-site can help avoid accidents.

Employees should not consider the construction site as a playground. Supervisors should communicate the consequences of putting another employee at risk. Though it may sound self-explanatory, the number of deaths reported by OSHA prove it is not.

Encouraging safe behavior on-site is everyone's responsibility. Supervisors should lead by example and equip their teams with preventative safety.

Training should be serious and common. Discussion about the topic is also helpful to ensure every worker is on the same page.

Teaching employees the risks involved at work is essential for a supervisor. Asking questions is a great way to ensure the information is being learned. Employees who resist safety training should not continue working at dangerous sites.

Whenever implementing safety measures, always consider the feedback of workers. Determine whether they feel safe going to work. Feedback is a great way to determine how employees are reacting to change.

It takes time to understand what systems will be the most effective for your site. Safety solutions increase productivity and team morale. The investment in safety is well worth the benefits.

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