The Best Practices for Construction Safety

by George N. Root III

A construction job site contains many potentially dangerous work areas.

Organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) as well as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) offer guidance on how to keep a construction workplace safe. The
construction company needs to work diligently to enact the best practices for
construction safety.

Safety Meeting
Workers that understand and want to abide by the safety rules are more apt to
create a safe workplace, according to the article "3 Construction Companies
Share Best Practices in Safety" that appears on the construction website
Buildings.com. Rather than just reading state and federal safety laws and
company safety policies during a safety meeting, discuss them with the workers
and help them understand why those laws and policies are in place. Prior to the
start of a job, hold an interactive and detailed safety meeting with all employees
that goes over all of the laws and policies that apply to the job, and encourage
employees to ask questions that will help them better understand the safety
rules.
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a major piece of equipment found on many job sites. It can also be
a source of safety problems if it is not handled properly. According to OSHA,
there are guidelines you should follow to create a safe work environment with
your scaffolding. Scaffolding should be at least 10 feet from any power lines,
and the wooden planks should be secured tightly in place. OSHA law says that a
qualified engineer must examine scaffolding prior to using it for the first time,
and then regularly based on a schedule created by the company safety officer.
There should always be guardrails and toe boards in place to protect people
from falling. Review the complete set of OSHA laws regarding scaffolding to
ensure that you are creating a safe and legal work environment.
Ladders
Ladders are common on a job site, but the safety concerns surrounding ladders
can sometimes be ignored, according to the article "Ladder Safety: Best
Practices" published in "Tools of the Trade" magazine. The safest way to angle
an extension ladder is to pull the ladder back one foot for every four feet of
height. Get a ladder that is rated to carry the amount of weight you will be
placing on it. The weight rating is posted right on the ladder. When choosing a
ladder, use one made of material best suited for the job. Use aluminum ladders
whenever you can, as they offer strength and are lightweight and easy to carry.
Remember that aluminum conducts electricity. So when you are working around
electrical wires, use a fiberglass ladder for safety.
8 Best Practices to Improve Construction Site Safety
Posted on October 25, 2016 by Tyler Riddell
IMPROVE CONSTRUCTION SITE SAFETY

In most workplaces, accidents are a nuisance for the worker and a headache for

HR. However, at construction sites, accidents have the potential to be life

threatening. With every new story about environmental disasters, earth-

shattering explosions, and trapped laborers, construction sites become less and

less appealing even as the population grows and demands new, updated

structures increases.
Regarded as one of the most dangerous professions, construction work on the

job site can be considered anything but entirely safe. Obviously, the employers

do need to mitigate safety hazards to construction workers, but the workers

need to keep in mind a lot of precautions themselves when working in such

hazardous conditions.

Thus, construction industry leaders must strive to safeguard their employees

if not for the ethical reasons, then for the economic ones. Here are eight ways

construction businesses can reduce workplace accidents.

1. Awareness

Before any worker no matter his or her role or experience level can set

foot on a construction site, he or she must be fully cognizant of the possible

hazards. Ignorant workers are perhaps the biggest dangers in any industry, as

their unknowing mistakes put everyone else at risk. Understanding of perils at

hand and sustaining a perpetual state of alertness is perhaps the number-one

best way to prevent accidents. See OSHA Safety Check Lists.

2. Training
Though most of a construction workers skills can be gained on the job, safety is

one skill set that is best learned before works enter the construction site.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other

organizations publish some resources to help businesses train their new

laborers on standard safety and security practices, including pamphlets,

worksheets, training videos, and even on-site training opportunities.

Experienced workers should be expected to refresh their knowledge of standard

safety by attending regular training sessions throughout the year.

3. Communication
Accidents are more likely to occur when workers are unsure what to expect.

Direct communication regarding the days goals and activities will cut down on

surprises that could cause bodily harm. Construction firms would be wise to

equip workers with devices, like smartphones or headsets, which allow fast and

efficient communication among team members.

4. Documentation
There are some legal hoops most construction companies must jump through to

begin building, and it is essential that all proper registrations and licenses are

earned before work begins. Supervisors and contractors who will be charged

with particularly difficult tasks, like blasting, certainly should provide evidence of

their certification well in advance of their employment on the job site. Not only

does this prevent accidents due to improper training, but it protects the

construction firm from legal action and public scrutiny. Also, documenting all

work in the field using cloud and mobile technology is making it easier than ever

before to mitigate future lawsuits.

5. Proper Equipment
Construction workers equipped with improper gear are bound to make fatal

errors. Not only should each piece of equipment on the job site be ideally suited

to the task at hand, but construction firms must make certain that all machinery

and material are well maintained.

Construction companies must also consider equipment that doesnt directly

contribute to the construction project. Workers should have plenty of water on-

site as well as a shady place to prevent dehydration and exposure-related

illnesses. Longer construction projects may even benefit from fabric structures to

store equipment and cover incomplete sites.

6. Supervision
Ideally, construction workers would fully understand the ramifications of

inadequate safety precautions and thus act in a manner to ensure site-wide well-

being but this is not a perfect world. Every site must have a strong supervisor

who is willing and capable of enforcing safety standards with no exceptions. This

foreman must keep tabs on all employees throughout the day and correct those

who fail to commit to proper safety procedures.

7. Innovation
The accident rate would be even higher than it is today if it were not for

construction firms willing to devote extra resources to keep their employees

safe. The development of new practices that will enhance security should
always be encouraged, and companies should avoid speaking against

legislation aimed at improving safety protocols. Perhaps with enough innovation,

all construction sites can be 100 percent accident-free.

8. Transparency
The worst thing any construction firm can do for its reputation is attempting a

cover-up. Hiding accidents from the press and the public not only lowers the

opinion of a single endeavor it paints the building industry as a whole in a

negative light. Ultimately, people understand that accidents happen, and as long

as contractors are doing their best to foster a safe environment for their workers,

any accidents that do occur will only contribute to the growing need to augment

modern safety techniques. Transparency, along with the other seven practices

on this list, will help construction as a whole become a safer industry in which to

work.

Best practices is defined as the policy, systems and procedures that, at any
given time, are generally regarded by peers as the practice that delivers optimal
outcome, such that they are worthy of adoption.
Best Practice is the knowledge that underpins examples of excellence. We can
take this knowledge, share it and implement it throughout the construction
industry. Over the last 10 years there has been a dramatic change in the way
construction activity is being undertaken. This is not only in the form of new
technology, but also into way that construction projects are procured and
managed. This new thinking has been very successfully applied in other
industries throughout the world.

Health and safety in construction is not a matter to be taken lightly. In fact,

health and safety needs to be front of mind in every aspect of construction at all
times.The construction industry is prone to many hazards and accident potential.
Construction materials, tools, machinery and handling techniques all come with
their own dangers. The main types of accidents which cause death or serious
injury on construction sites include falls, incidents with site vehicles, collapsing
materials and contact with overhead power lines.
Most accidents can be avoided by implementing stringent health and safety
protocols and ensuring those protocols are constantly maintained. H&S methods
will ensure the construction site has good design, good planning and uses tried
and tested safety techniques.
There is simply no excuse for slacking or cutting corners when it comes to
health and safety in construction. Poorly implemented health and safety
techniques, design and management can result in accidents, illness and even
death.
To back up the importance of maintaining health and safety standards on
building sites in Ireland strict legislation and regulations have been put in place
including the 2006 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work regulations.
http://www.mbionline.com/sites/default/files/public/Contractors_Best_Safety_Pra
ctices.pdf
http://www.buildings.com/article-details/articleid/8019/title/3-construction-
companies-share-best-practices-in-safety
https://esub.com/improve-construction-site-safety/
https://www.irmi.com/articles/expert-commentary/construction-safety-best-
practices
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/practices-construction-safety-2621.html
https://theconstructor.org/construction/best-practices-in-construction/1901/
http://www.mmp.ie/the-importance-of-health-and-safety-in-construction/
https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/8524_OSHA_Construction_Guidelines
_R4.pdf
https://theconstructor.org/construction/best-practices-in-construction/1901/
http://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2008)134:1(20)
http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000751