WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Construction is a high hazard industry that comprises a wide range of activities involving construction, alteration, and/or repair. Construction workers engage in many activities that may expose them to serious hazards, such as falling from rooftops, unguarded machinery, being struck by heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, silica dust, and asbestos.

WHAT’S THE DANGER?

Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this category for all industries.

Potential Hazards in Construction

• Falls from heights
• Trench collapse
• Scaffold and ladder collapse
• Electric shock
• arc flash/blast
• Failure and/or improper PPE

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Prevention/Protection

Potential Hazards abound in the fast revolving, dynamic construction sector. Preventive and precautionary steps must be taken to avoid Hazards that injure and kill workers.

Scaffolding

Hazard: When scaffolds are not erected or used properly, fall hazards can occur. About 2.3 million construction workers frequently work on scaffolds. Protecting these workers from scaffold-related accidents would prevent an estimated 4,500 injuries and 50 fatalities each year.

Solutions:

• Scaffold must be sound, rigid and sufficient to carry its own weight plus four times the maximum intended load without settling or displacement. It must be erected on solid footing.
• Unstable objects, such as barrels, boxes, loose bricks or concrete blocks must not be used to support scaffolds or planks.
• Scaffold must not be erected, moved, dismantled or altered except under the supervision of a competent person.
• Scaffold must be equipped with guardrails, midrails and toeboards.
• Scaffold accessories such as braces, brackets, trusses, screw legs or ladders that are damaged or weakened from any cause must be immediately repaired or replaced.
• Scaffold platforms must be tightly planked with scaffold plank grade material or equivalent.
• A “competent person” must inspect the scaffolding and, at designated intervals, reinspect it.
• Rigging on suspension scaffolds must be inspected by a competent person before each shift and after any occurrence that could affect structural integrity to ensure that all connections are tight and that no damage to the rigging has occurred since its last use.
• Synthetic and natural rope used in suspension scaffolding must be protected from heat-producing sources.
• Employees must be instructed about the hazards of using diagonal braces as fall protection.
• Scaffold can be accessed by using ladders and stairwells.
• Scaffolds must be at least 10 feet from electric power lines at all times.

Ladders

Hazard: Ladders and stairways are another source of injuries and fatalities among construction workers. OSHA estimates that there are 24,882 injuries and as many as 36 fatalities per year due to falls on stairways and ladders used in construction. Nearly half of these injuries were serious enough to require time off the job.

Solutions:

• Use the correct ladder for the task.
• Make sure that ladders are long enough to safely reach the work area.
• Mark or tag (“Do Not Use”) damaged or defective ladders for repair or replacement, or destroy them immediately.
• Never load ladders beyond the maximum intended load or beyond the manufacturer’s rated capacity.
• Be sure the load rating can support the weight of the user, including materials and tools.
• Avoid using ladders with metallic components near electrical work and overhead power lines.

Trenching

Hazard: Trench collapses cause dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year.

Solutions:

• Never enter an unprotected trench.
• Always use a protective system for trenches feet deep or greater.
• Employ a registered professional engineer to design a protective system for trenches 20 feet deep or greater.
• Protective Systems:
• Sloping to protect workers by cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation not steeper than a height/depth ratio of 11 2 :1, according to the sloping requirements for the type of soil.
• Shoring to protect workers by installing supports to prevent soil movement for trenches that do not exceed 20 feet in depth.
• Shielding to protect workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins.
• Always provide a way to exit a trench–such as a ladder, stairway or ramp–no more than 25 feet of lateral travel for employees in the trench.
• Keep spoils at least two feet back from the edge of a trench.
• Make sure that trenches are inspected by a competent person prior to entry and after any hazard-increasing event such as a rainstorm, vibrations or excessive surcharge loads.

Cranes

Hazard: Significant and serious injuries may occur if cranes are not inspected before use and if they are not used properly. Often these injuries occur when a worker is struck by an overhead load or caught within the crane’s swing radius. Many crane fatalities occur when the boom of a crane or its load line contact an overhead power line.

Solutions:

• Check all crane controls to insure proper operation before use.
• Inspect wire rope, chains and hook for any damage.
• Know the weight of the load that the crane is to lift.
• Ensure that the load does not exceed the crane’s rated capacity.
• Raise the load a few inches to verify balance and the effectiveness of the brake system.
• Check all rigging prior to use; do not wrap hoist ropes or chains around the load.
• Fully extend outriggers.
• Do not move a load over workers.
• Barricade accessible areas within the crane’s swing radius.
• Watch for overhead electrical distribution and transmission lines and maintain a safe working clearance of at least 10 feet from energized electrical lines.

FINAL WORD

Progress is being forged to lower injuries and fatalities in constantly evolving construction business across North America. Prospects are daunting, but achievable provided all preventive and precautionary measures are taken to protect worker. That is the test for the construction matrix to safeguard the most valuable asset – our workers.