Construction Safety Plan

Construction Safety Plan

Construction Safety Plan

Background

The main examples of heavy equipments are excavators, loaders, graders, rollers, forklifts and bulldozers. Using and operating heavy equipment properly is highly important in order to avoid injuries, disabilities or death. The use of heavy equipment should not be considered a trivial issue because it poses serious threat to a person's life as well as others lives. The heavy equipment and machinery should be operated by people who have the proper training and skills. The safety plan on the construction site needs to be developed keeping in mind the rate of injuries and hazards that are more frequent and all the necessary precautions should be explained. It is very important to ensure that effective and smooth operations are carried out on the construction site with minimum injuries and deaths. The safety plan should be based on short term and long term plans to ensure contingency planning and safety. The safety plan can be developed through effective implementation and monitoring which will be discussed. Moreover, on the construction site, these heavy equipments are used and involve various functions which need to be used under proper authorization and vigilance. The need to follow safety standards and procedures in operating heavy equipment is a serious concern which needs to be given major emphasis.

The Main Dangers of Construction Equipment

Usually, the safety of both the construction site and the actual equipment are linked together and could be called inseparable variables. It is because unsafe equipment means an unsafe construction sit and vice versa. According to this, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has given the following major hazards associated with construction sites:

Accidental Falls: this is a major hazard or danger which can occur on the construction site. It is very important that the construction site provides basic safety precautions and measures for falls from heavy equipment or other higher dangerous places

Stairways and ladders: this hazard is similar to the fall hazard but refers to falls on the stairways and ladders specifically.

Scaffolding: This is also related to falls and if the heavy equipment is not put properly put together than injuries can occur and even death. Both the stationary and the moving heavy equipment are dangerous and can result in scaffolding.

Electrical: this is related to the hazards posed by the electricity where electric shocks, fires, blasts, and explosions on the construction site can pose serious dangers. This requires proper electrical safety both at the construction and the heavy equipment.

Trenching and excavation: this is another major hazard category which occurs due to several causes such as electrocution, explosions, lack of oxygen, water drowning and asphyxiation. OSHA has developed a highly effective E-tool which helps in giving safety training and tips for constructions workers on a site.

Motor vehicle and Driving: this is another major hazard which relates to heavy moving equipment on the construction site. The safety here is required because usually moving and operating the heavy equipment leads towards injuries and ...