If you had to guess the leading cause of death on a construction site, what might you say? Would you deem Heart disease from a poor diet the culprit? Or maybe brawls amongst employees? You might be surprised that the four leading causes of death on construction sites are being struck by an object, getting caught between two objects, falling and getting electrocuted. Construction safety training is a good way to minimize the risk of a material handling position.
Construction safety training usually involves fall protection courses, crane training, knowledge around using rigging supplies and education around high risk construction activities. In fact, OSHA sets clear guidelines for workplaces to follow that help foster a safer work environment. OSHA also inspects equipment on job sites to ensure that all workers are using equipment that is in good condition.
With all this great training out there, one might ask why construction accidents still happen? The simple answer is that not all accidents are 100% preventable and even for the items that are preventable, human error is inevitable.
For example, equipment may be faulty in between inspections and cause an accident. Many accidents happen because of faulty equipment such as old rigging supplies. Also, there are materials for handling heavy items such as web slings and chain hosts. If employees try to bare heavy loads on their own, they could easily be hurt.
Rules in the construction place may complicate things or make things take longer, but they are truly imperative to follow. Construction zones are high risk areas and the best way to avoid being a victim of said risk is to follow rules, get to know OSHA guidelines, take advantage or trainings and check equipment on a regular basis.
