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8 Ways to Prevent Building Construction Site Accidents

Brian Lee BurkeBrian Lee Burke
Aug 31, 2021 5 min read
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8 Ways to Prevent Building Construction Site Accidents

New Construction in Denver, Colorado

The rules and regulations of safety measures at construction sites may be cumbersome at times, but they help prevent accidents that can often be fatal. Being proactive about construction safety not only helps save lives but also increases productivity.

Below are preventive measures and best practices for operating construction projects:

1. Conduct A Real Risk Assessment

       Look for risky worksite issues like uncovered maintenance holes and the incorrect use of ladders.

2. Provide Safety Training

       A lack of communication creates the most hazards and needs to be dealt with first. Fixing this will help prevent nearly all construction site accidents.

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3. Utilize Protective Clothing & Gear

       Prevent roadside fatalities by issuing certified reflective vests and gear.

4. Maintain Equipment

5. Ensure that equipment is working properly (Respiratory Protection)

       Prevent Falls Before They Happen

6. Use preventive measures like nets under scaffolding to prevent workers from being hit from above while working on scaffolds

       Use Warning Signs

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7. Prevent Electrocutions In High-Voltage Areas 

       Worksite Inspections

8. Ensure the project is running smoothly and safely

      Reduce the Amount of Night Work

9. Reduce Vehicle Collisions With Active Worksite Signs

The various accidental injuries above can seem daunting, but there are many ways these workplace injuries can be reduced. Consider contacting a construction accident attorney for a professional opinion if you have questions about your workplace conditions.

Regularly Conduct Real Risk Assessments

Unsafe conditions lead to accidents that halt construction project’s progress. This lack of communication creates the most hazards and needs to be dealt with first. Fixing this will help prevent nearly all construction site accidents. 

Creating an actual risk assessment is the first step in determining what protocols and precautions should be adopted.

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  • Look for hazards in the workplace and then provide a description. 
  • Create a risk rating system (Low, Medium, or High); detail these issues with pictures and notes.
  • Ensure they get followed up on, and the fixes are verified.

Verify All Employees Pass Safety Training

Employees may be unaware of their hazardous environment if they are not provided safety training before starting the project. Verifying that all workers in a construction site are familiar with what to do during an emergency reduces risk. 

  • Employees need to know the locations of emergency stop buttons.
  • Inspect that protective equipment gets worn at all times on site.

Protective Clothing and Gear Is ALWAYS Readily Available

Without the proper gear and clothing, workers are more likely to get hurt on the job. This is a leading cause of construction site accidents. 

Helmets and reflective vests are commonplace, but the most overlooked piece of protective gear is respiratory protection. With the proper safety training, an adequate face mask is easy to identify. 

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These accidents can lead to disability claims and increase the medical costs in construction. The injuries are usually not fatal but comprise sprains and muscle strains. To reduce these common occurrences:

  • Conduct daily inspections to ensure workers are utilizing protective gear and clothing.

Working in construction might also lead to injuries to the nerves, joints, and bones. These injuries of wear and tear often occur from job demands.

The lack of adequate respiratory protection can lead to fines, and it often is among the most violated safety precautions recorded by OSHA.

Ensure That Equipment Goes Through Regular Quality Checks

Only checked equipment can break with warning and stagger progress. Weekly safety accident checks can help ensure all construction site equipment is working and up to regulation standards.

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  • Checking The Integrity of Scaffolding, Ladders, and other supportive equipment.
  • Keeping Inventory Of Tools To Prevent Theft
  • Extended the lifetime of equipment by ensuring they get cleaned with weekly checks

Stay Diligent To Decrease Fatal Falls From Happening

It takes experience to see accidents before they happen. Inspectors like Rick Burns from OSHA, who have been inspecting projects on site for years, have a keen eye for preventing construction site accidents.

A few ways to be more like Mr. Burns is knowing the following:

  • Be proactive instead of reactive
  • Don’t be hesitant to shut down the worksite in the name of safety 

All Warning Signs Need To be Visible and known By All Workers

Incorporating warning signs is part of following through on the risk assessment. They will remind workers about their hazardous environment, and this prevents accidents on construction sites.

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  • Not labeling the construction worksite properly can cause slipping and falling through soft floors.
  • Improper placement of signage that won’t alert on-site hazards is not only dangerous for everyone involved in the construction project but also an enviable violation.

Conduct Random Worksite Inspections To Get A more Honest Building Construction Workplace Scenario.

Using third-party inspections in construction sites can help us find any unsafe conditions that go unnoticed by the workers who are too busy performing their specific roles to notice. Making sure workers know what the proper ladder to use in different scenarios.

The majority of injuries from ladders are because the wrong type of ladder is used, which is a leading cause of injury that can cause long-term disability. If that is the case, victims should consult a construction accident lawyer to secure fair compensation for their losses.

  • Falls happen because workers cannot use the correct type of ladder for their specific job. 
  • Workers improperly set up the ladder, like setting it on an unstable and or slippery surface, and the ladder shifts or unexpected slips.
  • Ladders may also be defective or improperly maintained.

Lower the Rate Of Accidents By of Reducing The Amount of Night Work

Most construction sites end at sundown, but larger projects like road work ramp up when fewer drivers are on the roads.

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Unless the project needs to accommodate the community, such as highway construction, the site is safer to reduce building site accidents when most work occurs at night. Why?

  • It’s hard to see uncovered holes, and one wrong step twists an ankle or worse.
  • Larger vehicles like dump trucks have difficulty seeing where everything is
  • Roadwork collisions are more likely without reflective equipment

Preventing Building Site Accidents In A Nutshell

Accidents are inevitable, but we can reduce them by being diligent. Following guidelines set by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration and using our common sense are the best ways we can reduce accidents that occur in construction sites.

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WRITTEN BY
Brian Lee Burke
Brian Lee Burke
AUTHOR, E-PRO®, REALTOR® BROKER

Brian Lee Burke is the founder and team leader of Kenna Real Estate Group, a real estate team at Keller Williams DTC. A licensed REALTOR® since 2002, Brian helps Colorado buyers and sellers navigate residential real estate, new construction, pricing, and negotiation. He is also the author of The Real Estate Playbook and Mastering Real Estate: Your Guide to Becoming a Top Agent.

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