HOW TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one out of every
five workplace deaths is a construction worker. Construction, however, can be a safe
occupation. Workers must be aware of the hazards, and use an effective safety and health
program.
Here are some more specific ways construction employers and employees can prevent an
accident at a construction site.
1. Provide safety training for all employees. Employers should educate employees on all
workplace safety standards and the hazards that they may face while on the job. Workers
need to review the health and safety policies for each job they are called to do. The written
safety policy should include procedure and the name and location of a trained first aid
responder. Employees should not operate any equipment they are not qualified or trained to
use.
2. Hold frequent crew safety meetings. At some workplaces these meetings should be held
daily, for example, if high-risk work is being done. Employees should be reminded to stay
focused and relevant issues should be addressed. Real-life factual and job specific safety
information tends to be more motivating for workers.
3. Utilize protective clothing and gear. Workers should always wear the recommended
safety equipment for their jobs. This may be a hard hat, high-visibility clothing, goggles,
gloves, steel-toed shoes, or a protective suit. In the summer, outdoor workers need wide brim
hard hats, nape protectors, and long sleeve-lightweight shirts to protect them from the sun’s
rays.
4. Keep the workspace clean. Keeping work areas clean and free of debris will lessen the
chances of construction worker injuries and help prevent worksite accidents such as slips,
trips, and falls. Employees should store tools and materials when finished with a job.
Walkways should be kept clear of debris to prevent accidents that include slips and falls.
5. Maintain the equipment and tools. Before using a piece of equipment or machinery,
workers must ensure it is in proper working order. Tools and machinery should be kept on a
regular inspection schedule. Workers have been known to get trapped in or under heavy
equipment that was not working properly. Broken parts and malfunctioning gear can also
cause serious injuries and deaths.
6. Prevent falls. Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. It is
important that workers are protected from falls on the job. The installation of fall protection
systems can protect construction workers. These systems should consist of such items as
guardrails, toe boards, screens, canopy structures or nets. Scaffolding can prevent falls, but
must be installed properly to make sure it is constructed well enough to hold the intended
weight load. After it is put up, scaffolding must be inspected regularly.
7. Recognize the hazards and make a plan. Before any project starts, the site should be
inspected for any unusual hazards. A risk assessment can protect workers’ health and safety.
After completing the risk assessment, a list of preventive measures should be made and
implemented. It is important to ensure that all workers receive appropriate information,
education, and training.
8. Be careful with vehicles. Many fatal accidents on work sites involve vehicles. Defensive
driving, parking and backing should be practiced.
9. Use equipment in the manner prescribed. If construction tools or equipment is used in
ways for which it is not designed, the manufacturer’s built in safety features can no longer be
relied on. Misusing equipment may also damage the equipment and cause employee injuries.
The equipment itself should meet OSHA standards.
10. Follow OSHA guidelines and report any dangerous working conditions. Employers
and employees who cut corners on the procedures and rules of OSHA increase the risks for
construction site injuries. Any incidents or violations of OSHA regulations should be
recorded and reported for the safety of all involved.
TYPES OF INJURY

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) reports that there were 3,945
worker fatalities in private industry in 2012. Of that number, 775 or 19.6% were in
construction. There are many causes of an accident on a construction site. The top causes of
construction worker deaths on the job were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution,
and caught-in/between. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for nearly three out of five of
the construction worker deaths.

Many accidents may be attributed to some type of negligence and may involve unsafe work
site conditions, improper use of tools and-or equipment, and lack of protective safeguards.

Some examples of construction site accidents are more common than others. Below is a list
of the more common ones starting with the Fatal Four.

1. Falls. Falls accounted for 278 out of 775 (36%) total deaths in construction in 2012,
according to OSHA. An injury of this type may occur when a worker near an open-
sided floor steps backwards or sideways without looking. Falling hazards also
commonly occur on stairwells with no guardrails. Since high elevations often play a
role in these falls, the results can be catastrophic to workers who sustain serious
injuries. The main cause of death in construction occurs where inadequate or no fall
protection is provided.
2. Struck by object. Seventy-eight construction workers died as a result of being struck
by an object in 2012. A number of these deaths may have been prevented if the
workers had undergone proper training and used equipment and machinery properly.
Employees must remember to use parking brakes on nonmoving vehicles, reverse
vehicle alarms, tool guards, personal protection equipment, debris nets, catch
platforms and more.

3. Electrocutions. In 2012, 66 workers (9%) were seriously injured or killed by

electrocution. Electrocution is when a person, tool or piece of equipment comes into
contact with power lines or exposed electrical sources. Sometimes, these types of
accident occur because workers are simply unaware of all energized power sources,
from overhead and underground power lines to damaged receptacles and connectors.
As an example, a construction worker carrying a metal ladder may strike an overhead
power line.
4. Caught-in/between. Although it seems obvious to never stand between a piece of
heavy equipment and an immovable object, sometimes workers concentrating on their
jobs find themselves in unexpected danger. Caught in/between accidents are when a
worker’s body part is caught, crushed, squeezed, compressed or pinched between two
 or more objects. Examples include cave-ins or collapsing materials, body parts caught
in the moving parts of an unguarded piece of machinery, equipment rollovers and
getting pinned between fixed objects, like a wall, and piece of heavy equipment.
5. Slip and falls. These are among the most common accidents on a construction site.
These accidents may be linked to unsafe conditions conditions including uncovered
holes or trenches and exposed stakes.
6. Ladder accidents. This is one of the leading causes of injury and long-term
disability. Most ladder accidents, including falls, happen because workers use the
wrong type of ladder for their job or they set up the ladder improperly, perhaps on a
slippery or unstable surface, and the ladder unexpectedly shifts or slips. Workers also
may experience a foot slip, or they may lose their balance, or overreach. Ladders may
also be defective or improperly maintained.
7. Scaffolding accidents. Despite strict regulations, scaffolding accidents occur. In a
Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) study, 72% of workers injured in scaffold
accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the
employee slipping or being struck by a falling object. In a general sense, most
scaffolding accidents are caused by improper construction or negligent maintenance.
8. Power tool and machinery accidents. Power tool and machinery injuries may occur
for reasons that include mechanical defects, electrical failure, inadequate training and
failure or lack of proper safety equipment. A significant number of injuries are caused
by the use of power tools and large equipment.
9. Musculoskeletal disorders. A leading cause of injuries, disability claims and medical
costs in construction are sprains and strains of the muscles. Construction work can
also cause injuries to the joints, bones, and nerves. These injuries often stem from job
demands that constantly wear and tear on the body.
10. Vehicle Accidents. Dangerous construction site vehicles include forklifts, graders,
backhoes and dump trucks. A common forklift accident occurs when the vehicle is
turned or maneuvered with the load raised. Large trucks all too often back up and hit a
pedestrian. Another hazard on construction sites is falling from a vehicle.
While construction sites may appear to be dangerous, many of these accidents can be avoided
through common sense and protective measures. Prevention begins with adequate awareness
and a properly maintained working environment that is safe and secure.
SAFETY PROCEDURES TO PREVENT ACCIDENT

1. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

These are to be supplied to all the personnel’s working on site and even for the personal who
are temporarily visiting to the site.
According to the constructor magazine, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can be
classified as: Minimum Personal protective equipment (PPE) and Additional Personal
protective equipment (PPE). They include the following;
 Hard Hat or Helmet
Hard hat or helmet is issued to each and every personnel working on site. It has to be worn all
times at job site.
 Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are required at construction site every time debris is filled in air due to
activities on site.
 Hand Protection Gloves
Hand gloves are supplied to all personals to protect against cuts when handling material or
equipment’s, during cleaning operations, cutting metal studs or similar works.
 Safety Vests
Safety vests also called as high visibility shirts. Purpose of safety vest is to keep the person
always clear in view, even in the dark and he should be visible to everyone.
Safety vests are of different bright colors like red, green, yellow so it’s easy for workers to
see and locate each other
 Proper Clothing
Shirts, long pants and hard soul shoes, a 6-inch-high boot is recommended.
 Hearing Protection
It is compulsory to wear hearing protection equipment near any equipment, tool or machinery
which makes loud noises. As per standard practice if you are 2 foot away from somebody and
you need to shout to talk, putting hearing protection is necessary.
 Respiratory Protection
Sometimes as voluntary respiration policy dust mask is supplied, any employee looking for
additional comfort or safety while working with fiber glass, fire proofing, cleaning the floors
or handling debris.
 Face shields
A full face shield should be worn along with safety glasses when working in a high debris,
operating grinder or any spark producing activity or similar activities or when done on site.
An approved welding shield is compulsory to wear during all welding operations.
 Safety Harness
The safety harness is an attachment between a fixed and mobile object and is usually
fabricated from rope, cable and locking hardware.
Full body safety harness to be used as a procedure for fall protecting system, ignorance can
result in severe physical harm. Safety harnesses keep workers safe and are helpful in freeing
their hands for work even while hanging on the side of a building.
2. MATERIAL STORAGE
Material on the job site should be stored properly when not in use to prevent injury and
wastage of materials. Ensure proper storage and good housekeeping.
Proper storage can prevent the falls of the materials leading to material damage and
accidents. Weight of the material stored should be within safe loading limits of the building
floor.
Keep the passageway always clear for walking of personal and prevent injuries. Always store
the material away from traffic.
Store material at least 6 feet away from the openings in the floor and 10 feet from the edge of
the floor if the wall is not built on edge of floor.
3. MANUAL MATERIAL HANDLING
The personnel should be aware of his weight lifting capacity and if required take the help of
another person if required instead of taking all load himself and use proper lifting techniques.
Always need to wear the safety equipment’s while working on construction site.
4. MECHANICAL MATERIAL HANDLING
Mechanical material handling also requires same amount of safety as in case of manual
material handling. Equipment Operator needs to take care of the weight lifting capacity of the
equipment like forklifts, cranes and other similar to avoid accidents.
Ground personnel should be in machine operator’s vision always and should be aware of the
safety procedures while working around the heavy mechanical equipments.

Basic Safety Precautions at Construction Site

In any construction project for basic safety precautions to be implemented are:
 Guard rails to be installed at open scaffold areas, all openings in the building floor, in
the excavated areas, at mobile elevated platforms.
 
  Yellow stickers with safety notes to be pasted where necessary.
 
 All the working platforms should be stable, properly braced, should not be overloaded
and safe for the working personnel.
 
 All the working areas and passageways should be free from waste or debris or any of
obstruction like stored material.
 
 The site should be clean all the times and the material should be stored safely.
 
 There should be proper arrangement of collection and disposal of waste materials.
 
 First aid should be available at all times on site for cuts burns or any mishaps.
 
 Fire extinguishers to be placed on site on proper locations in case of any fire.
 
 That should be proper lighting arrangements on the site especially when the work is
carried out during the night stand.
 
5. HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING
In order to promote safety awareness on maintenance site, the operators of the site at all
levels should be trained for the safety and health on site. This training programme are to be
arranged at least once every month and must be compulsory for all site operators.
The issues to be treated are listed below;
 Causes of accidents
 Cost of accidents
 Accident preventions
 Health and safety regulations
 Duties and responsibilities of participants
 Emergency procedures
 Machine and equipment testing, inspection and maintenance
 
6. HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
This a legislative instrument put in place to ensure that at all times , the safest and healthiest
working conditions is provide at a work site using measures of international standard. It also
states the responsibilities at the top management to the general to the general workforce.
Health and safety methods will ensure the construction site has good design, good planning
and uses tried and tested safety techniques.
The H & S policy should include the following;
 The management will make known all the risk and health hazard as far as the
construction site is concerned.
 
 The management of the firm will ensure a qualitative training of personnel as regards
safety on site.
 
 The maintenance manager / safety manager will identify the main hazards on the
construction site and set additional rules and regulation.
 
 In the case of accidents, the procedure laid down for accident reporting will be
followed and the result of accident analysis will be available to management and the
health and safety committee.
The top ten risks and hazards from working on construction sites are:
 Working at height.
 Moving objects.
 Slips, trips, and falls.
 Noise.
 Hand arm vibration syndrome.
 Material and manual handling.
 Collapsing trenches.
 Asbestos.
 Electricity.
 Airborne fibres and materials.

Working at Height
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that, in 2015/16, just over a quarter of worker
fatalities were from a fall from height. This put working at height as the most common cause
of fatal injuries to workers.
Suitable training is required for all employees who work at height. Employees should be
trained in working on different pieces of equipment and surfaces, such as how to work safely
on scaffolding, ladders, and roofs.
The law requires that all employers must assess the risks from working at height. A plan
should then be devised to ensure all work is carried out safely. The employee must have
received the correct training in working at height, and must be aware of the safety procedures
they should follow when doing so.
Working at height must be properly planned and supervised, and certain approaches and
precautions should be adopted. These are:
 Avoid working at height where possible. For example, if something can be assembled
on ground level, do it there.
 Use equipment with an extra level of safety to reduce the risk of a fatal fall. For
example, a scaffold with a double guard-rail.
 Minimise the consequences of a fall, for example by providing a safety net.
Moving Objects
A construction site is an ever-changing environment, and construction hazards continue to
increase as construction is underway. There are many moving objects commonly encountered
on construction sites. These include overhead lifting equipment, supply vehicles, and diggers,
all of which move around a usually uneven terrain.
Reducing risks should always be a priority. Workers should always:
 Avoid working close to the moving object.
 Be vigilant of their surroundings, especially if the object does not have lights or
beepers.
 Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as a high visibility jacket, to ensure
they are seen.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls can happen in almost any environment. As construction sites often have
uneven terrain, buildings at various stages of completion, and unused materials on site, it is
unsurprising that slips, trips, and falls are a common hazard.
HSE reports that several thousand construction workers are injured every year following a
slip or trip, and that most of these could be avoided by effectively managing working areas
and access routes, such as stairwells and footpaths.
Those in control of construction sites must effectively manage the site so that workers can
move around it safely. Risks should always be reported and sorted to reduce the chances of
injury.
Some causes of slips and trips and how to prevent them include:
 Uneven surfaces – The risk of these can be reduced by providing walkways that are
clearly designated as walkways, having good conditions underfoot, and being well lit.
 Obstacles – Instances of slipping and tripping over obstacles can be dramatically
reduced by everyone keeping their work and storage areas tidy and designating
specific areas for waste collection.
 Trailing cables – Cordless tools should be used where possible. If this is not possible,
cables should be run at high levels.
 Wet or slippery surfaces – If a surface is slippery with mud it should be treated with
stone, and if it is slippery with ice it should be treated with grit. Any areas that are
slippery should be signposted, and footwear with a good grip should be worn.
Noise
Construction is noisy and, as a result, noise is a common construction hazard. Loud,
repetitive, and excessive noise causes long term hearing problems, such as deafness. Noise
can also be a dangerous distraction and may distract the worker from the task at hand, which
can cause accidents.
It is the employer’s responsibility to carry out a comprehensive noise risk assessment, and
provide appropriate PPE where necessary.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is a painful and debilitating disease of the blood
vessels, nerves, and joints. It is usually caused by the prolonged use of hand-held power
tools, including vibratory power tools and ground working equipment.
HAVS is preventable, however once the damage is done, it is permanent. HSE reports that
nearly 2 million people are at risk of developing HAVS. Damage from the disease can
include the inability to do fine work, and cold temperatures can trigger painful attacks in the
fingers.
Construction workers should be given appropriate protection when using vibrating tools, and
equipment should be well maintained.

Material and Manual Handling

Materials and equipment are constantly being lifted and moved around construction sites,
whether this be manually or by equipment. Either way, handling carries a degree of risk.
Where duties involve manual handling, adequate training must be provided. If an employee
is required to use lifting equipment, they must be trained in how to use this and a test should
be taken to check their ability to use the equipment safely.

Collapsing Trenches
A common occurrence on construction sites is the collapsing of trenches with workers inside.
Further, a building that is being demolished or under construction can suddenly and
unexpectedly collapse, which can seriously injure, or even kill, those inside.
Precautions for collapse need to be taken before work starts. If the project requires a trench,
site managers should:
 Consider the kind of support that is best suited for the trench.
 Ensure the trench is fully secure.
  Regularly inspect the trench both before and during the work shift.

Asbestos
Asbestos refers to a set of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals. When materials that
contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, these fibres are released into the air. Inhaling
these fibres can cause fatal and serious diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural
thickening.
Asbestos kills around 5,000 workers per year, and an average of 20 tradespeople die every
week as a result of past exposure. An estimated 500,000 public buildings in the UK are
thought to contain asbestos.
If there is asbestos on the construction site, workers must be informed where it is. They must
be trained in what to do should they come across suspicious materials that may contain
asbestos.

Electricity
It is harmful to be exposed to electrical live parts. Harm can occur either by touching live
parts directly, or indirectly by a conducting object or material.
HSE reports that 1,000 electrical accidents at work are reported every year. Most of these
accidents arise from contact with overhead or underground power cables and electrical
equipment/machinery. Electric shocks are a common cause for falls from ladders, scaffolds,
and other work platforms. There is also a growing number of electrocutions involving
workers who are not qualified electricians, but who are carrying out electrical work on
construction sites.

Airborne Fibres and Materials

Unsurprisingly, a lot of dust is produced on construction sites. The dust on construction sites
is often an invisible, fine, and toxic mixture of hazardous materials and fibres. This can
damage the lungs and lead to diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma,
and silicosis.
It is the duty of all employers to ensure protective equipment is used. Simply providing it is
not enough.