Construction is a risky industry. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, contractors and supervisors of construction work consistently rank among the top 10 most dangerous professions. They tend to  have high annual fatality rates compared to other professions. By implementing thorough safety practices within your company, you can keep your employees safe and limit the costs associated with accidents. In addition to team member injuries, job site accidents also cause downed production time. Companies end up having to spend extra time and money to hire and train replacement workers and repair damaged materials.

Construction Industry Work Risks

According to data from OSHA, construction accidents typically fall into one of four categories. These are known as the “Construction Focus Four” hazards.

Construction Focus Four Hazards:

• Caught-in or caught-between: This type of accident occurs when an employee is caught in a piece of machinery or heavy equipment, or when an employee is pinned between a piece of heavy equipment/machinery and another machine, tool, vehicle, or environmental fixture.
• Electrocution: The construction site is flowing with electricity:from lighting fixtures to power tools. Without proper handling of electrical equipment, employees are at risk of electrocution.
• Falls: Many construction projects require working in high places;whether this is via ladders, scaffolding, or another apparatus. Falls are the most common cause of injury on construction sites.
• Struck-by: This final type of accident can occur in four different ways: struck-by flying objects, struck-by falling objects, struck-by swinging objects and struck-by rolling objects. A flying object can be a misfire from a nail gun or a piece of a saw’s blade that chips off during use. Falling and swinging objects typically come from overhead work and suspended loads. Lastly, rolling objects can include vehicles and heavy equipment.

Construction Transportation Incidents 

It’s important to note that OSHA’s Construction Focus Four doesn’t include transportation incidents. This is a separate category, but transportation incidents account for a significant number of fatalities and deaths in the construction industry. 

Benefits of Industrial Safety Programs & Training

 Developing thorough safety protocols that support and encourage safety culture within the workplace has many benefits. Safety programs that are geared towards your industry and your unique work environments help give your team the knowledge they need to perform their jobs safely. Frequent training that is easily accessible ensures everyone has the most current and accurate information. 

Benefits of industrial safety programs and trainings include:

• Increased employee awareness
• Decreased injuries & illness
• Limits potential hazards 
• Prevents jobsite accidents
• Promotes strong safety culture
• Boosts job productivity
• Ensures ongoing safety compliance 

Safety Programs for Construction Workers

There are many safety programs that you can adapt to your construction company to protect your employees while working on construction sites. At Industrial Compliance & Safety, we will look at the specifications of your hiring client, the nature of your work, and the regulations of OSHA to write a series of custom safety programs for your company to get you compliant with ISNetworld®, CSS, or other safety pre-qualification companies. 

Here are some of the most common safety programs required within the construction industry: 

• Fall Protection and Prevention
• Scaffolding Safety
• Trenching and Shoring Safety
• Demolition Safety
• Material Handling

Informal checklists for training new employees, or training your contractors on the job, as they work with new materials and tools is not a safe or efficient work practice. Written safety programs ensure that every employee is working on-site with the same base of information. This way, every employee knows how to handle materials and tools safely, and they know how to monitor their environment to prevent accidents. On the other hand, disorganized safety training leads to inattentive employee behavior which inevitably leads to workplace accidents.