The construction industry is among the most dangerous industries. As a construction worker, you expose yourself to risks every day. You work with heavy machinery, at dangerous heights and with electrical equipment. Accidents can happen at any jobsite, but they tend to be more serious when you are working construction. In fact, when it comes to work-related deaths, 20.7% of all accidents are construction accidents.
For decades, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration worked to keep workers safe. The average number of accidents and injuries is lower than it once was. Despite this fact, construction work is still more dangerous than it should be. Here are some important points about construction accidents and construction accident prevention.
What are the fatal four?
One of the most serious accidents that workers can face is from falling equipment. The leading causes of death and injuries in the construction industry are as follows:
- Falls from a height
- Objects falling or striking a person
- Electrocution accidents
- Workers caught between equipment or objects
If you can eliminate these four types of accidents, it could save over 500 workers’ lives per year.
What are the most common violations?
OSHA has standards designed to protect you at work. The most common OSHA violation is a lack of adequate fall protection. Construction companies fail to prevent and protect workers at great heights.
In addition, scaffolding violations are common. Most scaffolds need a guardrail system and personal fall arrest systems.
There are also standards on ladders that often result in violations. For instance, ladders have to weigh more than the worker combined with the weight of the tools placed on the ladder. Ladders must also provide workers with ample height so that they do not have to stand on the uppermost rung.
Your employer must avoid all these violations, and must also ensure that you have received adequate training to understand safety standards and equipment so that you are able to keep yourself and your co-workers safe.
