Safety

The top four causes of construction fatalities are: Falls, Struck-By, Caught-In/Between and Electrocutions.

Prevent Falls

• Wear and use personal fall arrest equipment.
• Install and maintain perimeter protection.
• Cover and secure floor openings and label floor opening covers.
• Use ladders and scaffolds safely.

Prevent Struck-By

• Never position yourself between moving and fixed objects.
• Wear high-visibility clothes near equipment/vehicles.

Prevent Caught-In/Between

• Never enter an unprotected trench or excavation 5 feet or deeper without an adequate protective system in place; some trenches under 5 feet deep may also need such a system.
• Make sure the trench or excavation is protected either by sloping, shoring, benching or trench shield systems.

Prevent Electrocutions

• Locate and identify utilities before starting work.
• Look for overhead power lines when operating any equipment.
• Maintain a safe distance away from power lines; learn the safe distance requirements.
• Do not operate portable electric tools unless they are grounded or double insulated.
• Use ground-fault circuit interrupters for protection.
• Be alert to electrical hazards when working with ladders, scaffolds or other platforms.

Construction_Hazards_PDF

Fatalities and serious injuries can occur if cranes are not inspected and used properly. Many fatalities can occur when the crane boom, load line or load contacts power lines and shorts electricity to ground. Other incidents happen when workers are struck by the load, are caught inside the swing radius or fail to assemble/ disassemble the crane properly.

• Cranes are to be operated only by qualified and trained personnel.
• A designated competent person must inspect the crane and all crane controls before use.
• Be sure the crane is on a firm/stable surface and level.
• During assembly/disassembly do not unlock or remove pins unless sections are blocked and secure (stable).
• Fully extend outriggers and barricade accessible areas inside the crane’s swing radius.
• Watch for overhead electric power lines and maintain at least a 10-foot safe working clearance from the lines.
• Inspect all rigging prior to use; do not wrap hoist lines around the load.
• Be sure to use the correct load chart for the crane’s current configuration and setup, the load weight and lift path.
• Do not exceed the load chart capacity while making lifts.
• Raise load a few inches, hold, verify capacity/balance, and test brake system before delivering load.
• Do not move loads over workers.
• Be sure to follow signals and manufacturer instructions while operating cranes.

Crane Safety PDF

• Identify all potential trip- ping and fall hazards before work starts.
• Look for fall hazardssuch as unprotected floor openings/edges, shafts, skylights, stairwells, and roof openings/edges.
• Inspect fall protection equipment for defects before use.
• Select, wear, and use fall protection equipment appropriate for the task.
• Secure and stabilize all ladders before climbing them.
• Never stand on the top rung/step of a ladder.
• Use handrails when you go up or down stairs.
• Practice good housekeep- ing. Keep cords, welding leads and air hoses out of walkways or adjacent work areas.

Fall Protection PDF

When the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, several heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and the more severe heat stroke can occur, and can result in death.Factors Leading to Heat StressHigh temperature and humidity; direct sun or heat; limited air movement; physical exertion; poor physical condition; some medicines; and inadequate tolerance for hot workplaces.Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion

• Headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting.
• Weakness and moist skin.
• Mood changes such as irritability or confusion.
• Upset stomach or vomiting.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

• Dry, hot skin with no sweating.
• Mental confusion or losing consciousness.
• Seizures or convulsions.

Preventing Heat Stress

• Know signs/symptoms of heat-related illnesses; monitor yourself and coworkers.
• Block out direct sun or other heat sources.
• Use cooling fans/air-conditioning; rest regularly.
• Drink lots of water; about 1 cup every 15 minutes.
• Wear lightweight, light colored, loose-fitting clothes.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks, or heavy meals.

What to Do for Heat-Related Illness

• Call 911 (or local emergency number) at once.

While waiting for help to arrive:

• Move the worker to a cool, shaded area.
• Loosen or remove heavy clothing.
• Provide cool drinking water.
• Fan and mist the person with water.

Heat Stress PDF

Lead is a common hazardous element found at many construction sites. Lead exposure comes from inhaling fumes and dust, and lead can be ingested when hands are contaminated by lead dust. Lead can be taken home on workers’ clothes, skin, hair, tools and in vehicles.

Lead exposure may take place in demolition, salvage, re- moval, encapsulation, renovation and cleanup activities.

Avoid Exposure

• Use proper personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, clothing and approved respirators).
• Wash hands and face after work and before eating.
• Never enter eating areas wearing protective equipment.
• Never wear clothes and shoes that were worn during lead exposure away from work.
• Launder clothing daily; use proper cleaning methods.
• Be alert to symptoms of lead exposure (e.g., severe abdominal pain, headaches, loss of motor coordination).

Use Respirators

• Wear appropriate respirators as directed.
• Conduct a user seal check each time a respirator is donned.
• Be aware of your company’s respiratory protection program; understand the limitations and potential hazards of respirators.

Prevent Further Exposure

• Ensure adequate ventilation.
  • When outdoors, stand upwind of any plume.
• Use dust collecting equipment, when possible.
• Use lead-free materials and chemicals.
• Use wet methods to decrease dust.
• Use local exhaust ventilation for enclosed work areas.

Lead in Construction PDF

Eye and Face Protection

• Safety glasses or face shields are worn any time work operations can cause foreign objects to get in the eye. For example, during welding, cutting, grinding, nailing (or when working with concrete and/or harmful chemi- cals or when exposed to flying particles). Wear when exposed to any electrical hazards, including working on energized electrical systems.
• Eye and face protectors – select based on anticipated hazards.

Foot Protection

• Construction workers should wear work shoes or boots with slip-resistant and puncture-resistant soles.
• Safety-toed footwear is worn to prevent crushed toes when working around heavy equipment or falling objects.

Hand Protection

• Gloves should fit snugly.
• Workers should wear the right gloves for the job (examples: heavy-duty rubber gloves for concrete work; welding gloves for welding; insulated gloves and sleeves when exposed to electrical hazards).

Head Protection

• Wear hard hats where there is a potential for objects falling from above, bumps to the head from fixed objects, or of accidental head contact with electrical hazards.
• Hard hats – routinely inspect them for dents, cracks or deterioration; replace after a heavy blow or electrical shock; maintain in good condition.

Hearing Protection

• Use earplugs/earmuffs in high noise work areas where chainsaws or heavy equipment are used; clean or replace earplugs regularly.

Personal Protection PDF

Inspect scaffolds and scaffold parts daily, before each work shift, and after any event that may have caused damage.

• Check to see if powerlines near scaffolds are deener- gized or that the scaffolds are at least 10 feet away from energized powerlines.
• Make sure that tools and materials are at least 10 feet away from energized powerlines.
• Verify that the scaffold is the correct type for the loads, materials, employees, and weather conditions.
• Check footings to see if they are level, sound, rigid, and capable of supporting the loaded scaffold.
• Check legs, posts, frames, and uprights to see if they are on baseplates and mudsills.
• Check metal components for bends, cracks, holes, rust, welding splatter, pits, broken welds, and non-compati- ble parts.
• Check for safe access. Do not use the crossbraces as a ladder for access or exit.
• Check wooden planks for cracks, splits greater than 1/4 inch, end splits that are long, many large loose knots, warps greater than 1/4 inch, boards and ends with gouges, mold, separat- ed laminate(s), and grain sloping greater than 1 in 12 inches from the long edge and are scaffold grade lumber or equivalent.
• If the planks deflect 1/60 of the span or 2 inches in a 10-foot wooden plank, the plank has been damaged and must not be used.
• Check to see if the planks are close togeth- er, with spaces no more than 1 inch around uprights.
• Check to see if 10-foot or shorter planks are 6 to 12 inches over the center line of the support, and that 10-foot or longer planks are no more than 18 inches over the end.
• Check to see if the platform is 14 inches or more away from the wall or 18 inches or less away if plastering/stucco.
• Check for guardrails and midrails on platforms where work is being done.
• Check for employees under the platform and provide falling object protection or barricade the area. Make sure that hard hats are worn.
• Use braces, tie-ins and guying as described by the scaffold’s manufacturer at each end, vertically and horizontally to prevent tipping.

Supported Scaffold PDF

Workers being struck by vehicles or mobile equipment lead to many fatal work zone injuries. Work zones need traffic controls identified by signs, cones, barrels and barriers.

Drivers, workers on foot, and pedestrians must be able to see and understand the proper routes. Construction project managers determine traffic control plans within construction/demolition worksites.

• Traffic control devices, signals, and message boards instruct drivers to follow paths away from where work is being done.
• Approved traffic control devices, including cones, bar- rels, barricades, and delineator posts, are also used inside work zones.

Work Zone Protections: Various concrete, water, sand, collapsible barriers, crash cushions, and truck-mounted attenuators can help limit motorist intrusions into con- struction work zones.

Flagging: Flaggers should wear high visibility clothing with a fluorescent background and made of retroreflec- tive material. This makes workers visible for at least 1,000 feet in any direction. Check the label or packaging to ensure that the garments are performance class 2 or 3. Drivers should be warned with signs that there will be flaggers ahead. Flaggers should use STOP/SLOW pad- dles, paddles with lights, or flags (only in emergencies.)

Lighting: Flagger stations should be illuminated. Lighting for workers on foot and for equipment operators should be at least 5 foot-candles or greater. Where available lighting is not sufficient, flares or chemical lighting should be used. Glare should be controlled or eliminated.

Training: Flaggers must be trained/certified and use authorized signaling methods.

Driving: Seat belts and rollover protection should be used on equipment and vehicles as the manufacturer recommends.

Work Zone PDF