Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Protect your construction site from falling items

Over a five-year period, there was an average of 2,000 lost-time injuries caused by falling objects in the sectors served by IHSA. This safety talk can help start the discussion around eliminating this hazard in your workplace.

Safety: Protecting workers, the public and clients from falling objects

Safety is a premium on construction sites. Safety is so important in construction that it is more important to work safely than anything else that must be completed on a construction site.

Falling objects have injured an average of 2000 people in the last 5 years in Ontario.

Falling objects can come from workers working on scaffolding, roofers working on a roof, workers in an aerial lift, workers on ladders and cranes and lifts moving material.

The objects can be from as small as a hammer to as large as skids of natural stone. The range of injuries can be from minor wounds to life threatening situations.

There should be steps taken on construction sites when there are workers that are working off the ground while using any of the above mentioned items;

A safety talk should be given at the beginning of the day before anyone starts working, the safety talk will explain what workers should do to stay safe on the site and also to help give them the information to work safely.

Areas with workers that are working off the ground should be avoided by most employees, the less people around the area the less likely anyone will be struck.

Put up safety tape to stop people from walking under areas of concern. Safety or physical barriers like snow fences can stop the public or your clients from walking into an area that might be dangerous to them.

Depending on how high you are working or the size of the area your working on you can install catch nets that will stop anything from hitting the ground or people below.

Warning signs will inform people about the dangers that are posed if you are near the area.

The greatest form of safety on a construction site is information. The more information that are given to the workers on the site the more they will know what to do and not to do.

Remember stay safe.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

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