Work Hard, Stay Safe: Safety Tips for Construction Sites
Are you a construction worker, supervisor, contractor, or employer? Follow these 10 safety tips in construction site accidents compiled by the Law Offices of Elan Wurtzel to keep yourself and others safe from construction site accidents.
Construction Site Safety Tips in New York
Causes of Construction Site Accidents
The top causes of construction site accidents include electrocution, slips and falls, scaffolding, head injuries, and more.
Scaffold Law: Section 240
Section 240 is a unique NYS Labor Law that protects construction workers.
OSHA
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is part of the Department of Labor and releases statistics on the health and safety of 130 million American workers.
Worker’s Compensation
Insurance provides benefits and coverage for workers who become injured or ill as a direct result of their job.
Damages
New York State law states that construction accident damages include loss of earnings, medical expenses, compensation for pain and disability, and more.
Section 32 Waiver Agreements
Section 32 Waiver Agreements mean an injured worker can never file for future benefits or medical expense coverage.
Construction Site Accident Statistics
OSHA reported that fatal falls accounted for almost half of all construction deaths in New York City and New York State.
Construction-related Deaths
In 2018 there were 5,250 fatal work injuries, an increase from previous years.
Adequate Legal Representation
Experienced personal injury lawyers are trained to get the compensation the injured party deserves and will hold the responsible party accountable.
What are the Top 10 Safety Risks in a Construction Site?
It is vital to follow safety tips at construction sites to prevent accidents. Here are the ten most common safety hazards on a construction site:
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1. Working at Heights, Ladders, and Stairways
- The restriction of mobility, negligence, bad equipment, and harsh weather are factors that contribute to a fall accident at a construction site. To minimize fall accidents, workers will require adequate safety training and personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times.
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2. Scaffolding Dangers
- OSHA estimates that 2.3 million people frequently work on scaffolds yearly and about 4500 injuries are inflicted each year from scaffold-related accidents. Without a doubt, scaffolds place workers at some of the greatest risks in the industry.
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3. Slips, Trips, and Falls
- According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 40% of construction injuries in a year are attributed to slips and trips. With proper work area management, more than 1000 injuries can be prevented in a year.
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4. Moving Objects
- Construction accidents can be unpredictable with a lot of motion in different quarters. Without proper signs and adequate safety training, workers could get injured when hit by moving vehicles, cranes, and other mobile equipment.
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5. Hand Arm Vibrating Syndrome
- When continually exposed to vibrating machine tools on a construction site, workers risk a debilitating blood disease that causes an uncontrollable hand vibration.
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6. Noise or Hearing Damage
- Machines that are excessively loud could cause long term problems for the hearing capabilities of a worker such as partial deafness or total deafness. Every worker employed in a construction site prone to loud and excessive noise ought to be provided with adequate PPE to prevent hearing damage.
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7. Trenches
- Unprotected trenches have caused dozens of injuries per year and each trenching system ought to be verified by a professional engineer.
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8. Fall of Objects or Debris
- Between 2016 and 2017, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that 137 workers were killed as a result of an object collapse. Workers around excavation areas are at constant risk and protective equipment can prevent a lot of fatalities.
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9. Electrical and Accidental Electrocution
- Without PPE, many workers face a high risk of being accidentally electrocuted on a construction site. Improper work area management is also a contributing factor to the rise of injuries sustained.
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10. Asbestos
- Materials used in producing asbestos when airborne, poses a great danger to the health of workers (e.g. the lung disease – mesothelioma). Adequate training and provision of containment facilities are needed to restrict the damage to construction workers.
What Are the Most Important Safety Rules in Construction?
Learn the most important safety tips at construction sites for every worker or person:
- Wear your Personal Protective Equipment at all times on the construction site.
- Keeping the work area tidy to prevent slips and trips.
- Follow safety signs and procedures.
- Avoid tampering with equipment.
- Avoid operating defective equipment and reporting such defects.
10 General Safety Precautions at a Construction Site
Making a construction site as safe as possible depends on the training and education of workers, employers, and contractors on the safety procedures that must be engaged before work is carried out.
Safety Tips in Construction Sites for Workers
- Scaffolds should always be erected on solid footing with the supervision of a scaffolding engineer. It must be able to carry four times its weight without being displaced.
- Always use the designated tool or equipment for every task.
- Placing safety signs and procedures to prevent slips and trips.
- Ensure trenches are designed by a certified engineer and have the prescribed sloped according to OSHA guidelines.
- Giving adequate safety training to construction workers and other persons present in a construction site.
- Always inspect a ladder or stairway before making use of it.
- Avoid getting on a crane without proper training, care, and a helper.
- Always wear a breathing mask in an asbestos environment.
- Using electric tools that are only connected to a G.F.C.I. grounded power supply.
- Being aware of the surroundings and objects placed on a construction site.
How Can You Be Safe on a Construction Site?
Being present at a construction site already poses danger to your physical well-being. To have the best protection possible in a construction site, it is important you follow safety tips for construction sites to prevent accidents by all means possible.
The Law Offices of Elan Wurtzel looks out for the safety of every construction worker in New York. Hopefully, by using the above safety tips, the construction industry will witness fewer accidents.
If you get injured as a result of the negligence of another party, you can contact an experienced construction accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Elan Wurtzel to help you discuss your legal rights and options.
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