Staying Safe on the Job Site
Being safe on the work site is all about thinking and paying attention to what you’re doing. Looking out for others is how we can all get home in one piece at the end of the day. And no matter who you work for, we all need to be following the same safety rules—and that’s what we’re gonna be talking about in the next few minutes.
Dress for Safety
Proper Worksite Attire
So let’s start with what you’ll be wearing. You’ve got to be properly dressed at the worksite. At a minimum, that means a hard hat, long pants, heavy-duty work boots with a non-skid sole, a shirt with sleeves, a safety vest or bright colored shirt, and eye protection.
Inspect Your Gear
Check your hardhat to make sure that’s in good condition. If there’s tears in the suspension or holes in it, you’ll need a new one.
Eye and Hearing Protection
Eye Hazards
During the course of a normal work day, you may be exposed to different types of eye hazards including flying particles, sparks, or chemical splashes. You need to be wearing eye protection at all times—that means safety glasses, goggles, a full face shield, or a combination of the three.
Hearing Safety
Hearing protection is essential to protect you from noise. If it’s hard to hear a person three feet away without them yelling, you need hearing protection. There are two types of hearing protection available: earplugs and earmuffs. In some cases, you may need to wear both.
Protecting Your Hands and Skin
You also need the right kind of work gloves. Heavy-duty gloves will protect against rough or sharp edges, abrasive surfaces, and splinters. A lot of people don’t realize that wet concrete can hurt your skin—it can cause serious burns and skin irritations. So you need to wear rubber gloves when working with concrete and also be sure that you’ve got rubber boots on.
Jewelry and Hair Safety
If your hands or any part of your skin comes into contact with wet concrete, you need to wash the area immediately. And if you’re doing anything with acids, corrosives, or solvents, you really need to be wearing the right kind of gloves.
It’s a good idea to remove rings or any kind of jewelry that can catch on a corner and cause an injury. And if you’re wearing a chain around your neck, it needs to be under your shirt. If you’ve got long hair, it needs to be up under your hard hat—both these things so you don’t get caught in any revolving equipment.
Heavy Equipment Awareness
There’s a lot of heavy equipment in use on our projects—all with different hazards. Your safety vest or shirt helps make you visible to equipment operators, and no matter where you are, pay attention to your surroundings. Getting hit by a piece of equipment or a crane load is one of the leading causes of construction site fatalities.
Toolbox Talks and Drug-Free Policy
Toolbox Safety Talks
You’re required to attend weekly toolbox talks to discuss safety on the job. This toolbox talk is for you. If you have a question or a comment about safety, the toolbox talk is a great time to bring it up.
Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy
There are times when a company might require you to take a drug or alcohol test. If you’re injured or involved in some kind of accident, you will be required to take a test. It’s not optional, it’s on company time, and it’s required. If you test positive or refuse to take a test, you will be subject to disciplinary action—up to and including discharge.
Emergency Response Plan
What to Do in an Emergency
The Project Crisis and Emergency Response Plan tells you what to do if there’s an emergency such as a natural disaster, a fire, a hazardous material spill, or some other kind of incident.
Incident Commanders
The people who have “Incident Commander” or “Emergency Coordinator” vests are not only there to assist in the event of a crisis, but also to help answer questions or report potential hazards, quality issues, or near misses. Other than police or emergency personnel, they are the only people who should be giving you directions during an emergency.
Reporting Injuries and Near-Misses
Don’t start doing things unless you’re told by a person with one of those vests on. All injuries need to be reported—that way, we can make sure and get you all the help that you need. Likewise, if you have a near-miss, that needs to be reported so we can learn from it and keep it from happening again.
Respiratory Protection
When to Use Respirators
There’s a lot of tasks that require you to be wearing a respirator. You’ve got to know the materials you’re working with and make sure you have the right respirator for the job. Respirators will protect you from overexposure to dust, mist, and fumes—and must be matched for the exposure.
Proper Fit and Use
If you’re not sure what type of respirator is needed for the task, have your foreman contact the safety department for assistance. The most common respirator you will use is a dust mask. Regardless of the type, the mask has to have a good seal around the face. This is accomplished by being clean-shaven, using both head straps, and adjusting the nose piece to fit your nose.
Fall Protection
The Danger of Falls
Nearly 1,000 construction workers are killed each year on the job—that’s more than three workers every day. About a third of those are because of falls. All of those can and should be prevented.
Guardrails
Any place that there’s a potential fall of more than six feet, you need to be protected. The most common type of fall protection is a guardrail. Guardrails need to be constructed of either wood or wire rope and have a top rail that’s 42 inches off the ground, a mid rail, and a toe board.
Replacing Guardrails
If you remove a guardrail, alternate fall protection must be used. Never leave an area unprotected for any period of time—you must reinstall the guardrail before you leave the area.
Personal Fall Arrest Systems
When Guardrails Aren’t Enough
If you’re working at an elevation where guardrails don’t provide enough protection—such as off a ladder or near an open-sided floor—you also need to wear fall protection gear.
Harness Use and Inspection
Another common form of fall protection is a personal fall arrest system. This includes a harness, a lanyard or retractable lifeline, and an attachment point. You’ve got to inspect your harness daily for cuts, tears, and frayed straps. Buckles, snap hooks, and safety latches all need to be looked at anytime you put on a harness. If anything is broken or damaged, don’t use it. Give it to your foreman so that nobody else uses it either.
At the end of the day, safety is everyone’s responsibility—stay alert, speak up, look out for each other, and make sure every shift ends with everyone going home safe.
