Occupational safety and health challenges and solutions in contracting projects,
Construction sites are dangerous places, and may carry some hazards, such as heavy construction equipment visible.
But there are also hidden dangers of working in construction that, while not obvious, result in injuries every day.
Protecting construction workers and creating a safe building environment requires companies to go beyond minimum safety rules and begin to address these 10 common construction safety challenges.
In this article we enumerate some of the leading causes of injury, illness and death.
Working at heights requires
Building construction, or indeed demolition work, is often what tradesmen work at at high altitudes.
Deaths and injuries involving height-related factors are responsible for many accidents each year.
The risks associated with working at heights are often increased by additional access and mobility restrictions, as training, including safety awareness, is essential for personnel required to work at heights.
moving objects
The construction site is an ever-changing environment, as risks are inherent in this industry and only increase as the construction project progresses, as things rise and expand.
And construction sites can get very hectic with the sheer volume of vehicles constantly moving and people trading including overhead lifting equipment
hauling heavy loads, supply vehicles, and dump trucks everywhere, maneuvering around typically uneven terrain.
Slips, trips and falls
When you think of the variety of activities going on on a construction site at any given time, it seems unsurprising that slips, trips and falls occur on an almost daily basis.
Construction sites are a mixture of holes in the ground, buildings in various stages of completion, scaffolding, materials and equipment in stock: you really need eyes in the back of your head sometimes.
Noise is a major hazard in the construction industry
Excessive, repetitive noise causes long-term hearing problems and can be a serious distraction, the cause of accidents.
Beware, the use of simple earplugs does not necessarily provide complete protection against hearing damage.
Employers are required to conduct and document a comprehensive noise risk assessment, in addition to issuing appropriate personal protective equipment.
Hand-shaking syndrome
Shaky-arm syndrome, or “blue finger” as it is commonly referred to, is a painful and debilitating industrial disease of blood vessels, nerves, and joints.
It is caused by prolonged use of vibratory and ground power tools.
manual handling
Materials and equipment are continuously lifted and moved around the construction site, either manually or using hoisting equipment.
Different trades will involve greater demands, but they may all involve some degree of risk.
Where an employee’s duties include manual handling, appropriate training shall be conducted. When using lifting equipment, appropriate training shall also be conducted
However, it may include some form of testing to confirm competency, and training records should be kept for verification.
collapse
They are actually more of a danger or accident waiting.
Every year the excavations and trenches collapse,
bury and seriously injure the workers in them, so precautions must be planned before work begins.
The risk of accidental collapse is generally associated with demolition work or
when a partially completed building or scaffolding collapses, but still represents a percentage of deaths each year.
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