Builders should always take the correct precautions to ensure their safety on building sites. This article includes a few guidelines which you should follow as a builder to ensure your safety on a construction site. Please note that this article provides some general guidelines only and are simply recommendations from the author. For more comprehensive safety guidelines you should consult your building company.
Ladders
Builders acquiring injuries from falling off ladders are not uncommon. As a builder don’t be tempted to be macho. It is important that you anchor the top end of your ladder to something secure and avoid taking risks with old broken ladders.
Scaffolding
As a builder don’t be afraid to request extra scaffolding or refuse to work on it if you think it is unsafe. Scaffolding is a relatively cheap process and a lack of it is not a risk worth taking. Also don’t try to take shortcuts and rearrange the scaffolding if necessary.
Lifting
Back injuries are one of the most common types of injuries experienced by builders. Back injuries are easily avoidable by using the correct lifting techniques and by avoiding trying to lift heavy loads alone. Always ask somebody to help you if the load is too heavy as you don’t have to be macho just because you are on a building site. It is better than ending up with a slipped disc.
Head Injury protection
It is a common criterion of building companies working on large sites to have all their builders wearing hard hats at all times. However on small sites it is rare to find even a single hard hat available, let alone a builder wearing one. The main reason for this is that most builders working on small sites feel that hard hats are for the ‘big boys only’ who work on larger developments on and hence shun them at all times. However smaller sites are no less dangerous than larger ones and therefore it is certainly worth making the effort. At very minimum they should be available on the site so that they can be utilized during works where there is a risk of obtaining a head injury.
Steel toe-cap boots
Broken or bruised toes can be easily avoided by wearing toes with steel caps. Most builder merchants offer a variety of steel cap shoes which should be an essential part of any builders working outfit.
First aid kit
All builders should have a first aid kit available on site. Most injuries received on a building site are thankfully minor and can usually be fixed with some TCP and a bandage.