Working in Construction can be Dangerous
2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Construction Industry
971 Construction Industry Fatalities during 2017
- 366 Were work-related fatal falls to a lower level
- 37% Fatal Falls from a height of 15 feet or less
- $1B Cost per week for serious, non-fatal injuries in the construction industry
- 19 Trench related fatalities 2017, OSHA’s 2019 National Emphasis Program REDUCE
- 97% of workers have at least one significant workplace fatigue risk factor, 80% have 2 or more.
- 100% Number of Construction Workers who should go home everyday
Falls to a Lower Level
What You can Do
Report Guardrails that don’t look safe to your supervisor
- Inspect your personal fall protection equipment frequently
- Know how to identify a safe anchorage point
- Retractable lanyards may not prevent swing falls
- Report floor openings and unsecured “HOLE” covers to your supervisor
- Know who your Fall protection competent person is
- Keep both hands free when climbing ladders
- When working above 6 feet use fall protection
Slips, Trips and Falls on Walking Surfaces
What You can Do
Wear ankle high work boots with non-slip tread
- Keep walk paths clean and free of debris, materials, and water
- Empty trash containers when three quarters (3/4) from the top
- Make sure your work area has brooms and shovels for clean-up
- Make sure the access path to the project are marked and clear of fall hazards
- If you wear bi-focals you are 40% more likely to trip and fall
- Treat and clean-up all spills very quickly
- Make sure any tripping hazards are eliminated or clearly marked
Overexertion from Pushing, Pulling, Lifting, and Carrying
What You can Do
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Avoid lifting and carrying by using mechanical aids
- Keep work at waist level in the power zone between knuckle and shoulder height
- Do warm-up exercises in the morning and after breaks
- When lifting while turning, move your feet and don’t just twist your waist
- Lift comfortably with or without a straight back
- Carry materials close to your body
- Keep walkways clear so a trip while carrying will not end up being a strain.
- Don’t put tools and materials on the floor level that will have to be moved later. Keep objects between knuckle and shoulder height
Vehicle Accidents
What You can Do
Wear your seat belt whenever your vehicle moves
- Maintain safe following distance between you and the vehicle ahead, double the distance in bad weather
- Avoid distractions like cell phone, eating, reading maps, laptop use, and road rage
- When parking always back so you are ready to safely leave quickly if needed
- Inspect your vehicle daily for lights, tire condition, leaks, warning lights, mirrors, and window cleanliness
- Use your horn, lights, and signals to let others know your intentions early
- Look Left, Right, then Left before going through any intersection
- Tap your horn to get eye contact with pedestrians
Trenching and Excavation
What can You Do?
Make sure underground utilities are located and marked
- Know who your competent person is
- If the excavation is more than 4 feet don’t go in it without protection
- Make sure the daily trench inspection checklist has been completed and you have looked at it
- Make sure you can safely get into and out of the trench
- Report unstable or any changes in soil condition to your supervisor.
- Make sure all workers are accounted for before machine work begins
- Make sure you have the right Trench protection
Fatigue
What You can Do
Understand your sleep, rest, and recovery needs
- Go to the doctor if you have a health condition that affects your sleep
- Look out for signs of fatigue in other people you work with
- Reduce fatigue by taking all your breaks and when necessary
- Ride sharing will reduce your driving fatigue, and commuter stress. It will increase your fuel economy
- Drink plenty of fluids. Dehydration increases fatigue
- Fatigue and drowsiness increase after a big lunch or breakfast
- Use the right tool for the job. The wrong tool will increase your fatigue
Fire During Construction
What You can Do
Remove trash and materials from your work area frequently
- Have a Fire extinguisher and know how to use it.
- Know how to get off of the project and where to assemble
- When welding or cutting make sure there is a hot work permit completed
- Make your supervisor is aware of any suspicious activity by vandals overnight
- Know and understand the project emergency plan
- Know the safety rules for flammable liquid storage and transportation
- Smoking only in designated areas
Water Damage During Construction
What You can Do
Have a spill response cart available in your work area
- Have sprinkler head quick stop on the spill response cart
- Know where the water supply shutoff is for each floor
- All drains (floor and sink) in the work area are functional and clean
- Cover up and protect sensitive materials (drywall and electrical components) from water damage
- Keep materials and equipment on carts, pallets, or wood stringers to protect from standing water.
- Know who to contact if water starts leaking suddenly. Know who your spill response team is
- Assume plumbing fixtures and pipe are live and pressurized with water
Runover and Backover
What You can Do
Understand heavy equipment blind spots
- Always use a spotter when backing heavy equipment and trucks
- Wear High Visibility reflective work wear
- Make sure back-up alarms are working
- Only designated people should be around moving equipment and trucks
- Worker foot traffic should be outside of equipment routes
- Watch out for others in harms way
Improve Yourself
What can You Do
Become a Competent Person
- Do a safety presentation for your work group
- Get a construction safety certification
- Dress like a safety minded craft professional
- Learn how to see upcoming risks when reading a schedule
- Learn another language and do research on other cultures than your own. Diversity = a safer project
- Learn how to have tough conversations with your leadership on safety issues/improvements that need to change
- Communication is the key to Safe Work. Study, practice, and learn how to communicate more effectively
Thank You!
Willis Towers Watson – Construction Practice
4-30-19
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