Able Safety Consulting - Mitigating Construction Site Safety Risks

Minimizing health and safety risks will always be a huge factor when working in the construction industry. Workers on construction sites perform many tasks and are often exposed to hazards that could cause worksite accidents, illness, or fatalities if not executed properly. Regardless of whether you’re a construction project manager, or just an apprentice, every team member’s top priority should be to avoid health and safety hazards on the job site.

Here at Able Safety Consulting, we’re dedicated to reducing accidents in the workplace and equipping you with the safety training and certification courses you need to stay compliant on the construction site. If you’re not sure what to look for, here are some safety risks you should be aware of on the job.

Assess the hazards

In order to create a safe and healthy work environment, you need to be able to properly identify and assess hazards. However, identifying health hazards can be harder than identifying physical safety hazards. Safety hazards can sometimes be obvious but hazardous substances can present in any form such as gasses, liquids, or solid materials, making them harder to identify. Any substance classified as being hazardous risks the health of humans or the environment and should be handled with extreme caution and only after receiving proper training.

One of the biggest construction site safety risks is being exposed to asbestos, a common fire retardant that was used in older building materials. Asbestos was banned over 40 years ago and was classified as a health risk once it was known to cause mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Astonishingly, about 1.3 million construction workers come into contact with asbestos each year on the job site. Keep yourself and your team safe by properly identifying asbestos on the construction site, so you can limit the risk of exposure to hazardous substances.

If you’re working on a construction site where you’re exposed to asbestos, lead, or another hazardous substance, OSHA safety training is mandatory. The HAZWOPER training courses can satisfy safety training for any worker who handles, stores, transports, or disposes of dangerous goods or hazardous by-products. Whether you need of qualified safety professionals to help your project be more productive, or you’re looking for certified OSHA, SST, EPA, or NYC DOB training courses, at Able Safety we can help you learn to identify and assess construction site hazards, so you can do your part to help mitigate job site risks.

Use PPE

PPE, or personal protective equipment, is the last line of defense in minimizing a worker’s safety risks. Depending on the hazard, the type of PPE used can vary from anything to head and body protection to respiratory and ear protection. And while PPE can help reduce accidents, it cannot help prevent them. Providing construction site workers with regular safety and compliance training can help maximize the effectiveness of PPE as well as mitigating the risks of injury.

Avoid the fatal four

Many people think that safety is an activity which you do. But, in fact, safety is something that happens as a result of proper work behavior, safety knowledge, and practical application. Construction workers are constantly faced with the risk of falling and tripping on sharp objects, among other safety hazards. On the job site, beware of OSHA’s Fatal Four safety hazards, which account for the majority of fatal construction site accidents each year:

● Fall Hazards
● Caught-In or Between Hazards
● Struck-By Hazards
● Electrical Hazards

Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, with 351 fatalities in 2020 alone, according to OSHA. However, fall risks are completely avoidable when a team has a sustainable safety plan in action. Fall protection training is mandatory for construction worker safety training. Requirements can be met with our OSHA 30 Hour training course, which gives students a strong understanding of construction safety and health principles, as well as place an emphasis on the most hazardous areas using OSHA standards and regulations as a guideline.

Invest in Training

It’s important to prioritize workplace safety education before workers set foot on the construction site. Workers need safety training to make sure everyone understands and adheres to safety protocols. Accidents at work can lead to hospitalizations, low morale, lost productivity, and money paid out in lawsuits and compensation settlements. A lot of worksite accidents are preventable and potentially avoidable with more caution, proper equipment, and a workplace policy that puts safety first.

There’s no shortage of risk on a construction project. And although it isn’t possible to predict every safety risk on a construction site, at Able Safety, we have the tools, experience, and certification to help you and your team manage your project site safely and within regulation.