Construction is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous industries that generate high fatality rate every year.
Almost 60 percent of the death rates in the construction industry since 2014 were caused by one of the four famous events in the construction sites. Of course, these types of accidents happen in almost every industry, but according to recent statistics, construction workers are the frequent victims.
The four primary culprits of construction site accidents and fatalities are electrocutions, falls, caught-in/between-object events and struck-by-object events.
Sad to say, these unfortunate events take hundreds of lives in the construction industry every year. The number of fatalities also accounts for more than 50 percent of all construction accidents comprising the non-fatal ones.
Falls
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) explains that falling in construction sites is the most common risk of all. The statistics of death due to fall reach 40 percent last 2014.
The company must provide the following for the worker’s wellness to avoid demise due to falling:
- Supply sufficient safety training and job hazard and put them in clear terms.
- Secure the floor holes with cover to avoid workers from falling accidentally.
- Supply toeboards and guardrails around platforms that are elevated and other walkways.
- Supply all equipment with guard rails.
- Provide lines, harnesses, railings, nets, and other protection tools to prevent falls.
Electrocutions
Cases of electrocutions are not that high compared to the number of falls, but they’re still very significant and contributes 8.5 percent of fatalities.
Here’s what you can do to avoid the hazard of electrocution:
- Supply proper electrical safety training most especially with a lockout or tagout procedures, in brief common language.
- Select appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and give them to workers at no cost.
- Turn off machinery, power tools, and other dangerous electrical equipment when not in use.
- Name and put labels to all electrical hazards in the workplace.
Struck-by-object fatalities
The rate of death due to struck-by-object amounted to 8.4 percent. To avoid such mishap, follow the safety precautions below.
- Create and give safety training in an understandable manner to the machine and vehicle operators.
- Keep the workplace safe for the workers by organizing objects into their proper places.
- Provide and select the right PPE when working around dangerous equipment.
Caught-in/between-object
The fatality rate generated by caught-in/between-object are quite low with 1.4 percent of the total fatality tally. However, this does not mean that it’s negligible.
Below are the safety precautions that you need to abide:
- Conduct a safety training and use simple language that everyone can understand.
- Keep a high vigilance towards moving parts and moving equipment.
- Always use lock or tag out procedures if there are no machine guards.
- Avoid wearing loose clothing and having long or loose hair that could get caught in machinery.
Takeaway
Safety should be the priority when it comes to construction. As much as you want to get your job done, you cannot compromise your safety, especially in a construction site. Construction sites are full of hazards that can impair you if you are not careful.