5 Tips For A Safer Construction Site

Construction sites are home to thousands of accidents each year. Some workers even die from unsafe conditions or malfunctioning equipment. How can you go about improving your workplace so that your employees are in less danger? Here are just five tips for general construction safety.

1. Do Your Homework

Whether you’re building or demolishing, make sure that you complete sufficient research about the construction site. A good building condition survey can help you figure out where the flaws are, and in addition to offering valuable insight about the property, you’ll also be able to protect your workers from potential hazards.

2. Wear the Right Gear

Safety gear should be worn on construction sites at all times. This might include gloves, boots, hard hats, and eye visors depending on the type of construction that you’re doing. In addition to being a generally smart thing to do, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) demands it, so don’t cut corners when it comes to gear.

3. Post Signs

Signs are for more than pedestrians and cars. If you want to optimize safety around your construction site, all dangerous areas should be marked and sectioned off. Workers should know exactly what they’re getting into when they walk past that fence, and they should know at a glance what gear to wear to protect themselves while inside.

4. Do Background Checks

Your employees might be lying to you about what they’re qualified or certified to do. If you ever doubt that a worker is truly capable of operating a certain piece of heavy machinery, don’t let them do it. You’ll be risking the safety of your construction site as well as opening yourself up to a potential lawsuit. Perform a background check as an insurance policy.

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5. Protect Yourself Legally

Speaking of insurance, it’s always a good idea to have legal protection around your construction site. This might be handled by your managing company, but it might be something that you have to do yourself, so cross your “T”s and dot your “I”s. Get things like liability coverage. Have your employees sign waivers. Protect yourself and your work.

These are just a few ways to ensure that your construction site is up to code. There are many more, of course, but these should be enough to get you started with a better and safer working environment. Good luck.