ABC-SEMI Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 3, 2021

Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 3 2021 13 SAFTEY 5. Follow safety signs and procedures. Follow construction safety signs and procedures. These should be explained to you in your induction. Your employer should ensure a risk assessment is carried out for your activities. Make sure you read and understand it. Control measures are put in place for your safety. Make sure they are in place and working before you start. 6. Never work in unsafe areas. Make sure your work area is safe. Know what is happening around you. Be aware. According to HSE statistics, 14% of fatalities in construction were caused by something collapsing or overturning, and 11% by being struck by a moving vehicle. Don’t work at height without suitable guard rails or other fall prevention. Don’t enter unsupported trenches. Make sure you have safe access. Don’t work below crane loads or other dangerous operations. 7. Report defects and near misses. If you notice a problem, don’t ignore it, report it to your supervisor immediately. Fill out a near-miss report, an incident report, or simply tell your supervisor. Whatever the procedure in place on your site for reporting issues, use it. Action can only be taken quickly if the management has been made aware of the problem. The sooner problems are resolved the less chance for an accident to occur. 8. Never tamper with equipment. If something’s not working, or doesn’t look right, follow rule number seven and report it. Don’t try and force something, or alter something, if you’re not trained to or supposed to. Never remove guard rails or scaffold ties. Do not remove machine guards. Do not attempt to fix defective equip- ment unless you are competent to do so. Do not ever tamper with equipment without authorization. 9. Use the right equipment. One tool does not fit all. Using the correct tool for the job will get it done quicker, and most importantly, safer. Visually check equipment is in good condition and safe to use before you start. Only use 110v equipment on the site. 240v equipment is strictly prohibited without prior authorization from management and will only be used if no 110v alternative available and additional safety precautions are taken. 10. If in doubt, ask. Unsure what to do? Or how to do something safely? Or you think something is wrong? Stop work and ask. It takes five minutes to check, but it might not be so easy to put things right if things go wrong. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Mistakes on construction sites can cost lives, don’t let it be yours. If you need help or further information, speak to your supervisor. By following the 10 tips above, you can ensure that your construction site is a safe and efficient place to be. These are just a few suggestions for workplace safety; there are many more considerations that you should consider when trying to protect your workers. However, no matter what you do and what changes you make, safety should always be your priority. Other safety issues to consider: From wearing your seatbelt and PPE, to following procedures, you can help make your site a safer place to work and prevent accidents. » Always wear your seatbelt when in a vehicle or heavy equipment. Seatbelts are critical to preventing serious injuries and death while driving or operating. Motor vehicle crashes are still the number one cause of fatalities on the job in the United States. » Always use fall protection when working at heights. OSHA reports that excluding highway motor collisions, falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. Guard rails or utilizing a full body harness with a self- retracting lanyard are two common safeguards to mitigate fall hazards. » Stay out of the blind spots of heavy equipment. Struck-by incidents, caught-in between incidents, and run over incidents occur too often when heavy equipment is oper- ating near ground personnel. Always keep your distance, communicate, and use eye contact to ensure an operator sees you when around their equipment. » Never put yourself in the line of fire. Just like being in the blind spot of heavy equipment, there are many other ways you can find yourself in harm’s way at a construction site. Being underneath lifted loads, next to a pipe being cut that has stored energy or working underneath equipment that is not properly cribbed up are three other examples of being in the line of fire. » Make sure chemicals are properly labeled and stored. OSHA issues many citations regarding the hazard com- munication standard every year. Improper labeling and storage can lead to injuries or property loss due to fires, corrosive properties, etc.