Falls on construction sites are a common and serious hazard. Many of the supervisors I've worked with run their sites with meticulous regard for safety. But, then again, others don't. When I visit their sites, I shudder at all the hazards I spot.

Let me tell you about 10 of my biggest pet peeves. I'm not talking about technical OH&S problems here. I'm talking about matters of simple common sense.

Clarifying Our Terms

For simplicity's sake, in this article, when I refer to an "opening" I'm talking about an opening in a floor, deck, roof or any area a person might stand on. When I say "leading edge" I mean any edge that a person might fall off.

With that out of the way, let's cut right to the top 10 list. I group the list into two categories: The obvious and not-so-obvious hazards. If you have any of these hazards on your construction site, you're asking for trouble.

The Obvious Hazards

The obvious hazards are the ones that can be discerned with the naked eye. They look dangerous. This group includes:

1.  Unguarded openings such as:

• Skylights
• Holes created for utilities such as H-VAC
• Elevator shafts and stairwells.

2.  Work performed over leading edges, such as at the edge of a floor level, roof, stairs, window openings or working over water, etc., without proper fall protection.

3.  Unguarded gangways, walkways, scaffolding, etc.

4.  Incorrectly shored excavations and trenches.

5.  Unsecured or damaged ladders.

6.  Poor housekeeping.

The Not-So-Obvious Hazards

The not-so-obvious hazards are in some ways more dangerous than the obvious ones because they don't look dangerous. They create a trap by giving people on the site a false sense of security. This group includes:

7.  Improperly constructed guardrails that look secure but really aren't.

8.  Inadequate temporary flooring or opening covers, such as covering an opening with a piece of rigid styrofoam board that can't support the weight of even a small person.

9.  Misuse of or improper PPE.

10.  Misuse of aerial lifts and fork lifts.

Conclusion

I could go on, of course. But these are the hazards that I see the most. And the sad thing is that they are all so easily rectified. Encourage your workers to look around and communicate what they see. If someone on the site spots a hazard, they must let someone know. For one thing, if it's learned during an investigation that someone knew of a hazard and didn't take every reasonable step to prevent it -  including report it - that person could be held accountable or partially accountable. But putting aside the legal obligations, there is a moral obligation. We have to look out for each other!

PEARLS OF WISDOM FROM SAFETY JOHN

Comfort Leads to Compliance

Safety John

My company manufactures pasta. Thank goodness, the low-carb diet fad is in the past and "comfort" foods are back in. (I've got a secret for you - comfort food enjoyment never left!)

Speaking of comfort, do you ever think about how comfortable the earplugs and safety eyewear are that we provide our employees? What's comfortable for one person is an irritation for another. Picture your diverse employee base - round faces, long faces, broad noses, narrow nose bridge, little ears, big - you get the picture.

If we want our employees to comply with our PPE policies, the first step should be to think about their comfort!

"Safety John" L. Lowrie, CPP
Safety and Security Specialist
Lowrie_John@yahoo.com

THEY SAID IT

Leadership Quiz

General George S. Patton: Used fear to motivate.

Match the following quotes with the person who uttered them:

1. "Management is nothing more than motivating other people."

2. "They'll lose their fear of the Germans. Just hope to God they never lose their fear of me."

3. "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

4. "If you want to cut your own throat, don't come to me for a bandage."

5. "Never tell a man to go to hell unless you're damn sure you can send him there."

Choices:

Vince Lombardi
Lee Iacocca
Margaret Thatcher
Lyndon B. Johnson
George S. Patton

Answers

1. Iacocca; 2. Patton; 3. Lombardi; 4. Thatcher; 5. LBJ

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