With the inherent dangers on a construction site, it’s critical that owners and supervisors of construction companies establish safety procedures and follow these rules and the state regulations to ensure the safety crews and visitors. The following are several practices to maintain a safe construction site.

Properly Maintained Equipment

Equipment working as expected and adequate space to work in are essential practices of a safe construction site. To maintain a safe construction site equipment should never be damaged or not operating correctly. A regular maintenance schedule is the best practice to assure machines and tools working properly. Some safe construction equipment issues to watch for are:

• Worn-out cable
• Damaged harnesses
• Malfunctioning equipment

Personal Protective Equipment

When on the worksite, all crews should wear the correct protective gear for the work they are performing to meet safe construction practices. The personal protective equipment needs to be in a safe, dry place with easy access for workers. Times when workers should wear protective gear include

• Workers should use a back brace for lifting heavy objects
• Wear safety glasses and gloves while working with tools
• Use a breathing mask in poorly ventilated areas
• In an elevated area a safety harness should be mandatory to protect against slipping and falling

Updated First-aid Kit

Unfortunately, even the with the most stringent safe construction procedures, accidents can happen. That’s why it’s critical to keep an updated first-aid kit readily available on the construction site. If the first aid kit is older than five years, it’s time to update it. An updated first-aid kit’s contents should contain:

• Gauze pads and rolls with tape
• Adhesive bandages (band-aids)
• Painkillers and ointment
• Disinfectant
• Sealed moistened towelettes
• Scissors
• Blanket
• Tweezers
• Adhesive tape.
• Latex gloves
• Resuscitation equipment such as resuscitation bag, airway, or pocket mask
• Elastic wraps
• Splint
• Emergency assistance information

Safe Construction Practices Result in Better Projects

With the hazardous nature of construction work, safety is thought of mainly as protecting crews and visitors to the worksite. While this is certainly the top reason to enact a safety program, there are other benefits. Safety-related incidents can cause delays, damage, and legal action that adversely affect schedules and budget.

FI•CON sets safety as a top priority when performing our fabrication and construction services to deliver value-added projects. Contact our experienced team today to discuss your next project at ficonusa.com or (386) 364-7647.