There is a constant need for safety in the construction zone. It’s easy to get lax and skirt around the protocols. Even so, when you get too comfortable is when things can go wrong. Every worker should be vigilant and attentive while they are working in order to avoid accidents and injuries. However, the workers aren’t the only thing that needs protecting. The machines themselves cost a lot of money and the tools are necessary for work. Even the ground needs to be looked out for. Using ground protection mats and steel crane pads will help to make sure that the heavy machinery and ground are being properly looked after. Here are a few more ways that you can keep the construction zone a safe place.
Safety Gear
Wearing the correct clothing while on the job site is important. You wouldn’t want to get chips of anything in your eyes or inhale any bad toxins. Use of safety goggles, steel toed boots, clothes covers, reflective vests and hard hats should be a requirement wherever your workers go. If they have to work through the night, there needs to be sufficient lighting. At all times there should be a safety perimeter around the work zone to keep out civilians. Ground protection mats should be under all of the heavy machinery. Knowing how to properly use all of these things is crucial to staying safe, which brings up the next point…
Safety Courses
Workers should be required to sit through safety refresher courses every six months or so. Understanding what can happen if ground protection mats are not used or stabilizers are not checked out is exactly the type of thing that workers need to be reminded of. They can get too comfortable and skip over the safety checks but that’s when things can go wrong. Having a refresher course every so often will serve to keep the ideas and importance of these things fresh in the minds of the worker. It will remind them to not skip over any of the safety protocols even when they are feeling lazy.
Machinery Certifications
Only allow workers that have gone through the classes to operate heavy machinery. Having a certification that proves you can drive and work these machines should be the only reason that you are allowed to get behind the wheel of one. Otherwise, these huge machines can cause a lot of damage not only to the workers and possible pedestrians but also to the work zone itself which would make it an even bigger hard to the people trying to work in it. Without the proper certifications and going through all the right channels there should be no reason why exceptions are made for anyone.
Rule Enforcement
You might not like to be the type of foreman that has to micro manage and that is a good thing. Hopefully you can trust the people that you hire enough to make sure that they are properly doing their job. There’s no point in hiring people that you constantly have to be hovering over. Even so, there needs to be some sort of supervision on the job site in order to enforce the rules. This includes enforcing policies regarding safety. Delegate someone to make double sure that everyone is using the proper ground protection mats, safety uniforms, steel toed boots and following procedures. There is a reason why these procedures are in place and even if a worker doesn’t understand them, he or she is obligated to following them. If someone violates a safety rule, there should be intense consequences. The reason for this is that even if someone breaks a small rule, if nothing happens to them, bigger and bigger rules will begin to be taken advantage of until an accident happens.
Staying safe in a work zone is important. There are so many potential hazards that need to be avoided at all costs. If everyone follows the safety protocols that you can almost guarantee a safe work zone. Even so, one person that decides to be daring, rebellious or even just funny can cause a lot of people a world of hurt. Make sure that your workers are being safe by offering incentives for proper safety management.