Category Archives: Safety

Expert opinions matters a lot when it comes to safety of heavy equipment

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When you are dealing with an important thing that can make or break your business, you should depend on the advices of the experts. When it comes to heavy equipment, you got to be all the more cautious while dealing with it. Heavy equipment are highly expensive items and you need to be double sure before you do anything that you have not tried afore. It is always advisable that you take the opinions of an expert for everything that you are not sure of. The real problem is how we know a person is an expert in the field of heavy equipment. We can’t really determine that but there are few things that we can follow.

Take advice from experienced people:-

People who are dealing with heavy equipment for the last many years will be in a position to understand your issue and may give you a valuable suggestion. They may have seen several instances and have found a way to get pass through those issues. These experiences of theirs really counts and it will be prudent to put your queries to them. In case, if they do not know the answer, they will at least not misguide you by giving incorrect details. On the other hand, they will check about the particular scenario from someone else and then will get back to you. Alternatively, if you have a mentor in the construction industry or a person who is an expert mechanic can also come handy.

Post your question on the net:-

This is another option you can avail to get your answer on heavy equipment. Here you will get multiple suggestions and opinions of people belonging to this industry for years. All you have to do is put your question on your site (if you have one) and then wait for people to comment on it. You can also ask people to register on your site so that they can often come to your site and give their say on a new topic. In case you do not have your website, you can become a member on someone else’s website and post your question there. The effect will be the same. People who know about the subject will speak on it and shall also provide a link of a website for you to go through. This will save your time to browse the net and search for the topic of your interest. You directly can go to the site and get your queries answered.

Operators can be a big help:-

In case you are having an issue with your equipment and you do not know whom to reach for help, you can take help from the operator of your machine. Operators are the one who work all the time on your machine and therefore can offer you a piece of their mind. Simultaneously, one should also upgrade his knowledge on heavy equipment if they have to regularly deal with it. Nevertheless, an expert opinion always matter in keeping the heavy equipment hearty and healthy.

Construction companies can’t afford to compromise on safety

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The construction industry is one of those industries that do not have any chance of facing a downfall in the near future. This is because of the constantly growing demand of new buildings, offices, residential complexes and so on and so forth, for the growing population all across the globe. However, despite this constantly growing demand, there is always a scarcity of skilled labours or workers in these construction companies. One of the primary reasons behind this is the lack of safety or security for the workers.

Importance of safety in construction companies:

Safety is a major concern not only for the construction businesses, but also for every single business that you run. If there are too many people working together and using tools and machineries, there is always a chance for accidents. When it is a construction business, the chances or exposure to accidents is even higher. This is because, the construction companies use –

  • Heavy equipment and machineries
  • Electronic or power tools
  • Use of fire ad gas cutters
  • Working with concrete
  • Working at an elevated site with great height.

Hence, there is always the possibility that accidents may occur. Hence, it is a must that proper safety measures are taken. Otherwise, this will lead to severe fatal damages or cause lifelong difficulties for the workers.

Safety measures that need to be taken:

As already mentioned, there are so many accident possibilities and health hazards possible in a construction site or for construction industries, they simply cannot afford to compromise on the safety matter. There are a number of things that need to be ensured. These include –

  • Following the rules and regulations:

 

Every state and country has specific safety measure rules and regulations that the construction companies need to follow. Otherwise, conducting the business is an absolutely illegal act. Hence, know the safety rules for construction businesses of your state and country and follow them.

  • Use railings:

 

This is a very basic safety measure that needs to be taken, when your workers are working at a site. Regardless of how elevated the construction site is, using railings is a must. This will prevent a number of falls that are possible to occur at any point of time.

  • Fall prevention tools and measures:

 

Apart from the railings, there are many other fall prevention tools and machines that need to be used by the workers. From using the fall prevention nets to the use of harnesses, there are various tools that can be used and should be used.

  • Presence or water supply and fire extinguishers:

 

Fire hazards can occur at any time and in a construction site, there can be electrical lines, supplies and materials that can spread the fire fast. Hence, having adequate extinguishers and water supply is a must.

  • Proper training:

 

Be it working on an elevated platform or the use of heavy construction equipment, proper training is a must. With proper safety training, a number of accidents can be prevented.

For the wellbeing of the construction workers and also for the successful functionality of the business, following good safety measures is a must.

 

Give importance to the safety of workers – They really worth it

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Safety is considered to be an important factor in any aspect of one’s life and when it is concerned with the construction business, safety of workers becomes all the more important. It has been seen that people pay lot of importance to the heavy equipment they possess, they take good care of their finances to ensure that the money is utilized in the most optimum manner, they give a lot of emphasis to their clients to ensure a continued healthy relationship but what they fail to prioritize is how safe they can make the working environment for their workers. Time and again we get to hear news of accidents happening in a construction site and a worker either ends up losing his life or getting grievously injured in the mishap. There could be two possible reasons why accidents are so prone in a construction site and what can be done to lessen it if it can’t be eliminated completely.

Safety measures not followed by the construction company:-

Many construction houses usually shy away from inducting appliances that can change the face of the existing safety issues of the workers. They simply do not have the money to invest it in introducing safety measures or they are least bothered about their safety and well-being. Well, this kind of approach of the employers should definitely change as there are several laws present in the country that talks about strict penalty if the companies are found not incorporating safety measures for the workers. Construction companies in order to maintain their good reputation should not fall into any legal trouble especially if it is pertaining to the safety of the workers. Other than that, they also have to compensate the worker if at all he becomes a victim to any possible mishap. The amount of compensation is huge and the company should think about modernizing its infrastructure that can reduce the instances of accidents rather than spending the money in paying compensations.

Safety measures not followed by workers:-

People working in a construction site are often habituated working in perilous environments and do not have the practice to wear any safety appliances while at work. Therefore, it becomes the onus of the company to prepare stringent safety parameters which should be followed by all working in a construction site. It should not be only limited to workers but also to people inspecting the work. All have to follow the safety guidelines while they are inside the premises. If possible, companies can appoint a person whose work will be to check if the workers are following necessary safety guidelines and when are into doing some perilous work, are they on with their safety equipment. If at all he finds anybody without his safety gears, he has every right to ask him to wear the stuffs before he gets to work.

Sufficient training should be given to workers:-

It is the responsibility of the company to educate its workers of the safety guidelines and explain them why it is important to wear the safety gears. If the workers understand the importance of the gears, they will not be reluctant to wear them.

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Construction safety – teaching employee CPR

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It is believed that the safety of the employees in a construction site can be achieved only if the employees follow all the safety procedures while working on the site. Therefore it becomes a must to train your employees about the importance of safety while they are there on the jobsite and not just the importance but what all procedures they should follow to ensure that they are safe. It cost a lot of money to the construction company if an accident occurs on the site and they do not want something silly to happen just because the employee was complacent enough to follow the safety procedure. Now there are also certain risks to employees that are not related to their work. For instance, if an employee gets sudden cardiac arrest while he is working on the site. Here nobody is at fault as the employee can get a cardiac arrest even if he is following all safety parameters. But if nobody does anything to save the life of the person then everybody should be condemned.

Now the question arise what can one do when a person working next to them gets a sudden cardiac arrest on the jobsite and a team of paramedics will take nearly 30 minutes to arrive. If nothing is done, then it is possible that the person next to you will lose his life. It is better to do something than just standing out there and being a mere spectator. Well, if you are a witness to such a situation, do not just be a witness but act swiftly to save his life. Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) immediately on the person which will probably bring him back to life or will give him that extra time so that he can take the pain and survive till the paramedics arrive to the spot.

CPR is a live saving technique which is a must to know. Many people suffer from heart related ailments and therefore it is very natural for one to get a cardiac arrest while he is travelling, eating, laughing or simply working with you. Now if a situation like this arises, the first thing you should do is alert the people around you so that a team of doctors can be called. The next thing is to kneel beside the head of the casualty and try to tilt his head a bit backwards. This will allow the airway to open. Check if the person is able to breathe and if he is not then you should start with chest compressions.

You need to interlock your hands and position it in the middle of the person’s chest and compress it for 30 times at a go. After doing 30 chest compressions, you should move the person’s head backwards and breathe in twice after making a seal over his mouth. Make sure that you do not inflate his lungs by breathing more than 2 seconds. Aim for conducting 100-120 chest compressions in a minute time.

These trainings need to be imparted to every employee so that they can not only save the life of a person on the jobsite but also of a person who is sitting right next to them in a restaurant, plane, train or a bus.

Jobsite safety for cell phone usage

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Cell phones have now become an integral part of your lives and there is probably not a single day when you do not make use of your cell phones. Right from staying connected to finding ways on google, it is being used for every small purpose that we can think of. You can get the latest updates of your favorite sport or know about anything going on any part of the world all that is available on your cell phone. Life has become so comfortable with the utility of cell phones but there also lies a danger attached to it. There have been a numbers of accidents and deaths reported of people who were using cell phones and could not detect a possible threat coming towards them. They were so engrossed on their cell phones that they did not realize the threat approaching them and met with an accident that resulted to serious injuries and also caused death to many.

When accidents can become so rampant while you are on the road then imagine how manifolds the danger might increase when the same activity is performed on a construction jobsite. A construction jobsite is a place where accidents happen even when people are aware of their surroundings. Even after keeping their eyes and ears widely open, accidents still occur. Most of the accidents are avoidable and there are very few which are not. Now the main reasons why large number of accidents take place in a jobsite is people not aware of their surroundings and are deeply focused on something that they should not be. The most common is using cell phones.

It has been witnessed that people especially on the construction jobsites uses their cell phones during working hours. Now, some have to use it to communicate with people linked with the job. It may be perhaps part of his job but definitely not at the cost of risking his life. People tend to get lost while talking and are so occupied in the conversation that they forget about what is happening around them and if they are at all standing in front of or beside any substance that can turn into a potential risk to them.

Texting is another dangerous thing that people do on the jobsite. While you are texting something, your entire attention is on the cell phone and you tend to get completely disconnected with the outside world. You try to send some important message but you forget something that is more important than the message and it is your life. While you are talking you someone over the phone you still can see things around and in case if something approaches you, you can swiftly move away but while texting, you have no idea what is going on around you. You can just hear things but can’t see anything other than the stuff you are writing.

The best way out is to create a safe zone for people where they can enter and call people up. Make it a mandate that they can’t use their cell phones anywhere other than those zones. In this way, they can do safe texting.

Construction workers are more prone to risk during extreme cold conditions

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Incidents of accidents have become very common in a construction site and in spite of taking corrective measures by the higher department, these incidents are simply not willing to cease. At some time, it is the workers fault as they skip to follow the safety parameters and go to do work without the safety accessories, thus putting their life at extreme risk. At other times, it is sheer negligence that needs to be blamed for such accidents. The sad part is after experiencing so many unfortunate incidents, the construction workers and the higher management has still not found a way to tackle the menace. Ideally, one can’t adopt a mechanism that will alert them about a possible danger other than being cautious about it. It has been seen that most of the times, construction workers tend to work carefree and gets themselves hurt or killed.

During winters, the situation is worse. Workers have to work on icy roads where there are high risks of slipping while working and this may lead to major accidents. They may also not be able to foresee a possible danger and may go straight into it. Overall, winter is a big pain for both the construction companies as well as for the workers with no real solution around. There are few tips that one can follow to minimize the incidences of accidents happening in a construction site during winters.

Educate the workers about safety parameters:-

In order to save the valuable lives of workers, they should be educated about the safety parameters that are followed by the company. Not many workers may know how to use the devices when there is an emergency. You can’t expect them to know everything right from the very beginning. They need to be trained and should be explained about the various safety rules that one should follow. Concurrently, they should also be trained in how to save one’s life by giving mouth to mouth resuscitation, providing first aid to a fellow worker, emergency numbers to call etc. Once all the workers are trained in this, the number of casualties may decline.

Prevention is better than cure:-

There are workers who unknowingly risk their life to complete a given task. They skip to follow the basic rules of safety and in this process hurt themselves. We all know the saying “Prevention is better than cure”. However, we hardly walk on what we know. This is something that should be stopped. When a worker is given a dangerous task, he should be equipped with all the safety amenities so that in case he falls off the machine, he has something to save his life.

Very cautious while working in the snow:-

While you are working in the snow, there are high chances that you can get deceived by seeing everything white around you. You may fail to see a danger and if you are in a hurry, you may invite trouble. Therefore, you should always work in ease on the snow and take utmost care of your as well as your colleague’s safety.

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Safety tips for heavy equipment

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We just cannot imagine doing work without heavy equipment in a construction industry. They are so important that work can come to a standstill; companies can lose projects just because of unavailability of proper heavy equipment. Alternatively, the construction companies who do not take good care of their machines end up paying dearly for getting them repaired and in this process may even lose the existing equipment forever; which means that they have to buy a new one. It is very important to take extreme care of the equipment knowing that it constitutes a major part for allowing you to earn your daily bread and butter.

When a person buys heavy equipment, he/she is given a list that talks about the safety norms that he/she must follow to keep his machine in good health and working for many years to come. It has been seen that people do not follow the safety parameters mentioned in the list. They use the machine as per their own whims and fancies and when they start experiencing complaints from the machine and then they feel that they should have followed the safety measures. However, it gets too late for them to do so.

We would be talking about few very generic safety tips that one must follow to keep his heavy equipment up and running.

Qualified and trained personnel to work on your machine:-

You may not want to give your machine to any layman to operate. It is recommended that you hire an efficient operator who knows about the machine and also has experience in operating it. Operators who have good knowledge in operating heavy equipment will often guide you when you should be servicing the equipment. They also get to know well in advance if there is anything wrong with the machine and at times can get that fixed without giving a call to the mechanic.

Avoid any sort of collisions:-

Due to lack of communication, operators end up bumping off the machine with other equipment. These accidents are bound to happen. However, if there is proper communication, then a lot of these accidents can be avoided. It is imperative to communicate with the people who are working around you and also to be alert with the things happening around you. There have been instances where the operator has just bumped off another machine lying at a place as he failed to locate the machine there. Well, the operator can’t be held responsible for that as he gets so engrossed with this work that it is possible he may fail to see things that are lying low and may knock the stuff. Had he been communicated or informed that there is something lying down that low and he needs to be careful, the accident could have been avoided leading no injury to the machine.

Regular maintenance of the equipment:-

While you are busy with work, you may skip the thought of maintaining the equipment. However, that does not go well with the machine. It needs regular maintenance and if that’s not done then it can lead to lot of problems later.

 

 

 

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Safety First In Construction Sites

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The construction business is not an easy one. There are a lot of aspects that are to be considered when it comes to successfully executing a project. Among several aspects, the most important thing to be concerned with is the safety. It is to be made sure that no harm is cased to the workers or the environment at the time of the construction. At the same time, it is also to be ensured that the people who are going stay inside the building are safe. Therefore, a construction must be done with adherence to the guidelines of the government. Otherwise, legal hassles can leave a construction company completely devastated.

There have been many instances where people in charge have been slapped with extreme cases by the government due to negligence in this regard. An American project manager was sued by the government with charges of manslaughter when. He had ignored order to stop working. As a result, the construction site saw the death of an employee in the trenches. Another company had received orders to make payments of about one million dollars for the charges of terminating a foreman wrongfully along with two drivers as they raised their concerns regarding the fatigue of the drivers.

These actions taken against the company representatives have been done justly. The worker who had been fired had been compensated. However, the family of the deceased will hardly be ever able to compensate for their loss. The injustice done is not only affecting the deceased but also the friends and the family of the sufferer. Therefore, such damages are compensated easily with monetary penalties. Therefore, it is only natural to penalize the people responsible with stringent punishments for their negligence and lack of responsibility. That is why all companies are expected and ordered to stick to the construction rules stipulated by the corporation.

The occupational safety and health administration has been vested with the responsibility of inspecting the job sites, the unsafe practices in the city. They also levy fines for such activities and can also shut down projects. Some may have complaints about the apparent oversight. However, the devastating incidents are far more significant and prominent than the trivial inconveniences. Supervisors and construction workers who do not pay heed to the unsafe conditions are forced to acknowledge the responsibility by the governing body for their as well as other’s safety.

The operators of tower crane have been given the authority to get a project shut down if they feel that the safe lifts are being jeopardized by the wind speeds. In this way many visible accidents can be prevented. There has been the creation of a new group known as the Construction Equipment Safety. This group has mainly three goals. The first goal is to get all accidents highlighted due to the construction equipment so that others can avoid such unfortunate incidents. The second goal is to encourage discussion regarding the improvement of the safety in the construction sites, the finally goal is to share experiences and strategies so that new ideas could be developed.

 

 

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Follow the useful tips to Operating a Forklift Safely

Construction companies are doing great business for many years. Due to its amazing profits, many new comers are willing to start this business. Well, to run a construction company successfully, you need to purchase good and efficient heavy equipment. Without such heavy machines you and your workers cannot work proper in construction sites. One of the most popular machines that help to serve your works in construction sites is forklift. To maintain this equipment properly you need to use it carefully. Here are few tips that can help you to maintain the safety of forklift during the working hours.  These tips are just the basic safety tips to maintain forklift safely.

  • You need to find out a qualified operator. It is important to appoint a labour who can handle this equipment. There are many operators who are well trained, have great experience in this field and also contain a license to work with heavy equipment. It is always safe to contact such workers.
  • The operators should wear the safety coats in order to ensure their safety. It is important to wear such extra clothes to maintain the safety. Thereby, during your working hour, you need to put on a tight hat, good jackets and safety shoes. You should definitely put on tight fittings clothes. You shouldn’t hold any part of the equipment with grease on your hands. It can cause accident.
  • You need to check the equipment before you start to use it. Well, it is highly important to follow a routine check up on the forklift before you start to work with it. The important things on which you should put your eyes everyday are steering, warning devices, brakes, controls and tires.  If you find any damage or issue with your equipment you should apply proper repairing service on forklift before you start use it.
  • For maintaining the safety you need to find the seats correctly. When you are going to operate this forklift, you have to grab your seat correctly. You have to verify whether the controls of the equipment are in your reach or not. You also adjust the seat position and mirrors. You shouldn’t start to use forklift you are safely wear the belt. You have to seat within the cabin properly and it will help you to operate the equipment perfectly.
  • You have to be aware of the speed of the equipment. It is not good to run the machine with high speed. There is a fix speed limit for the machine that you need to follow and don’t try to cross the limits. It will help you to run the machine.

 

These are the basic tips that you need to follow if you are willing to maintain the safety of your machine. Without following such tips, you cannot work properly with this machine. Forklift is a very useful machine for the construction site. Thereby, you have to take care of it always.

What Are The Various Safety Protocol One Should Follow Inside A Construction Site

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Safety is perhaps one of the most important things that one would not like to compromise on and especially when you are associated with an industry that has high risk involved in it. Construction and mining industries are one such industries where the chances of an accident happening is much higher than compared to any other industry and which is why employees are required to follow the safety measures more stringently. They just can’t compromise on safety parameters and have to make sure that they wear all the accessories that will keep them safe and sound on the field. As a matter of fact, accidents are merely the outcome or carelessness and utter negligence and if that can be curtailed, many accidents can be avoided. It is better to be safe than sorry, this should be the only mantra for workers working in this kind of positions.

Here we would be discussing about the various safety protocols that one could implement in his company to avoid unwanted incidences.

Wearing of safety accessories:-  There are many construction companies which do not pay much heed to wearing of safety accessories and allow their workers to take unwanted risks. The workers on the other hand may not know the importance of these accessories and take the risk not knowing that if anything goes wrong, there is every possibility of them getting killed. It is therefore should be mandatory for every construction company to ask their employees to wear the required safety accessory in order to get the work done. Remember that losing an employee would cost you more than keeping a constant check and ensuring that they are on with their stuffs. Moreover, it will also keep you away from any legal hassle.

Give them the right sort of training:-  A good number of your employees many not even know how to apply first aid to a person who has just had an accident. They would rather wait for the ambulance to come in and pick the person away. That makes the job of the doctor pretty hard and leaves a strong possibility of the person getting killed. In order to avoid this, it makes more sense to train your employees on how to give first aid and also show them some demonstrations. It would be a good option to let them try few of the things they have learnt. Things you learn inside the training room may turn out to be very different when you actually need to do it in practical.

Ensure the supervisor do their job well:-  You should keep able and competent people as supervisors who understands the importance of employees safety and also makes sure that the employees follow the safety guidelines given to them.

Accidents are inevitable but can be largely contained:-  Accidents don’t call up and come and therefore one can’t make sure that they are 100% accident protected. However, by following the safety guidelines, one can definitely bring down the number of accidents and keep the employees in a minimal risk environment.