Worksites and construction sites are prime locations where employees and contractors are injured on a daily and weekly basis. There are a lot of unsafe construction sites. These site locations are monitored by federal OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) rules and standards that are put in place to keep everyone associated with the work area and construction site safe. These safety rules and regulations are there to ensure the safety of all workers, contractors, and visitors to the sites. If these rules were not in place, there would be dangerous conditions that could injure or even kill people who frequent these sometimes hazardous and often dangerous work areas.
What Types of Hazards Can Be Seen on a Construction Site?
There are ten major categories of hazards and dangerous conditions routinely seen on construction sites. These conditions are monitored by OSHA and are carefully reviewed to ensure that there’s no unsafe construction site and the safety of all workers. The categories are as follows:
- Fall protections – These are rules which will include installing proper guardrail systems, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems to protect the workers from unexpected falling from heights during work at the construction site. It will be important to follow these rules as a worker can be seriously injured or killed from a fall.
- Hazard communication standards – These rules refer to the practice of using clear and proper classification of chemicals using the standards set in the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), Revision 3, with all labels, containers, and warnings on safety data sheets, as well as with employee training in person and in employee manuals for safety. Employees and all workers at the construction site need to know which chemicals are hazardous, and these warnings will save lives at the construction area.
- Safe scaffolding – The rules regarding safe scaffolding includes procedures and protocols that determine how scaffolding can support its own weight up to at least four times the maximum load, correct counterweights, adjustable suspensions, and correct suspension ropes, hardware, and other rules related to safe scaffolding on a job site. All scaffolding must be constructed safely to be used in a way that will not collapse and injure any workers on the structure or who are working on the ground.
- Controlling hazardous energy – This rule is related to the safe work environment near electrical hazards, conductors, or equipment that needs electricity to install in the work site area. This may also include the safe procedures to unjam equipment or to lubricate equipment properly and prevent the unexpected energization or the electrical startup of equipment that can release dangerous bursts of energy. Any worker who has to work near or around energy or electricity needs to be specially trained not to carelessly handle the structures that could be electrical hazards, which can burn someone working in the vicinity of these hazards.
- Respiratory protection – This rule measures the protection of a worker’s respiratory system when using tools or in the area where there is harmful dust, fog, gas, mist, smoke, sprays, vapors, or other chemical fumes. Employees need respirators in these areas to work safely. The respirators need to be provided to the employees working in these areas, and workers should be shown how to properly use this personal protection equipment.
- Safe ladders – These rules for ladders include the safe use of metal or plastic ladders extended at three times maximum loads, using ladders in the proper direction and reach. Employees and workers need to be shown how to place ladders properly on the job site to avoid collapsing the ladders and causing injuries.
- Powered industrial trucks – These rules include reviewing training for all fork trucks, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, and any trucks used industrially with an electric motor or internal combustion engine. All employees who work on trucks need to be trained on the proper use of the equipment.
- Machinery and machine guarding – This includes machinery being operated with safety measures to protect against hazards related to rotating parts, nip points, flying chips, or sparks, adding two-handed tripping devices, installing electronic safety devices, and managing training on all machinery. All employees who work on machinery and equipment need to be trained on the proper use of the equipment.
- Eye and face protection – This rule states that all employees should wear the appropriate eye and facial protection when they are exposed to hazards that could injure the worker from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or any potential damage from light radiation. All employees who work on construction sites need to be trained on the proper use of eye and face protection.
- Proper training on worksite tools – The employees using the tools need to be properly trained on all tools, storage, and electricity issues related to safe tool use. All employees who work on construction sites need to be trained on the proper use of the equipment, tools, and proper storage of this equipment after use.
When Should You “Blow the Whistle” if You Work in an Unsafe Construction Site?
Any time an individual works on an unsafe construction site, this event should be immediately reported to the construction site foreman or site manager. There will be times that someone did not follow the proper protocols, and an unsafe situation will be the result of this inattention or carelessness. These unsafe conditions could result in the serious injury or death of a worker. If you are unsure whether you should become a whistleblower at your construction job, you need to call us right away.
Even though you will have the best interest of the workers at the worksite in mind by becoming a whistleblower, there are usually repercussions for this type of action on the job. Contact the injury and accident attorneys at CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm at (470) 323-8779 or fill this form to schedule an appointment. We are here to discuss any case or claim with you and will help you by answering your questions in a confidential consultation.
