Construction sites are sometimes dangerous places to earn a living, but implementing effective safety rules and protocols helps keep everyone safe.
The first step in ensuring safety at your construction site is conducting a thorough pre-work site evaluation to identify any potential safety risks workers may encounter on-site. Once you identify potential construction site hazards, you should develop effective strategies to eliminate or minimise them.
With the wide selection of workplace safety products available, you may struggle to determine which ones should be in place at your construction site. Here are some essential safety products to consider for your construction site.
1. Barrier systems
Installing barriers at your construction site creates an effective traffic management system that allows you to control movement within and around the worksite.
Site safety barriers, such as temporary mesh fencing, help keep workers safe from equipment and traffic. They also encourage the general public to keep off your site as they may encounter potential hazards.
2. Safety signage
Barrier systems must be visible to effectively warn the public of the potential dangers associated with your site.
Fitting these barriers with the correct safety signage will ensure they remain visible to passers-by, including pedestrians and drivers. For instance, attaching bunting or hazard tapes to construction site fencing helps communicate warnings about potential dangers and prevents unauthorised access to your site to improve safety.
Also, use traffic cones on your site because they can help warn the public about ongoing works from a distance.
3. Safety lighting
Never ignore the importance of having good lighting at your construction site. Good lighting allows workers to get work done quickly without compromising their safety. If adequate natural light isn't available to ensure the safety and security of your construction site, install additional lights to meet the minimum lighting requirements.
Many lighting options, including luminaires, overhead lights and flood lights, are available to increase lighting, even if you need to work all day and night.
4. Personal protective equipment
Provide all construction crew members with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimise exposure to hazards that may cause serious occupational injuries and illnesses.
Some common types of PPE construction workers use include:
- Hi-visibility workwear – is used to ensure workers remain visible on the job.
- Hard hats and hard-hat accessories – are used to protect workers from head injuries.
- Eye protection gear – such as safety glasses and goggles, are used to prevent eye injuries.
- Respiratory protective gear – such as disposable respiratory masks and respirator fit test kits, are used to prevent inhalation of harmful substances like concrete dust.
- Ear protection gear – such as earplugs and earmuffs, is used to protect the ears against loud noises that can cause hearing problems.
- Face protection gear – such as face shields, is used to protect workers from flying debris that may cause serious facial injuries.
- Sun protection gear – such as sun hats, are used to protect workers from health risks, such as migraines associated with prolonged sun exposure.
- Ergonomic safety gear – such as back braces and knee pads, are used to protect workers from ergonomic hazards associated with heavy lifting and other physically demanding construction tasks.
When choosing PPE for your construction crew, remember that different product combinations may be required to optimise worker safety. Every construction job is unique and different, so it's imperative to get PPE supplies that match your specific safety requirements.
At Ace Workwear, we offer a wide range of site safety and PPE products to improve the safety of workers across many industries, including steel manufacturing, metal fabrication, landscaping, automotive, cleaning, construction and more.
Contact us to discuss the diverse range of products we offer to help with your project.