Falls are one of the most common types of accidents on construction sites all over the country, and the HSE estimates that almost half of construction-related injuries result from falls from height.
If you’re a project manager or developer, this is something that should always be at the back of your mind. You want your employees to be as safe as possible for their well-being and to prevent disruption on job sites. Having too many accidents could also get the attention of inspectors and leave you open to legal action. Let’s take a look at a few ways that you can prevent falls at a construction site.
Provide Employees with the Proper Protective Equipment
Protective equipment such as mobile scaffold hire can be used to reduce the damage caused by falls and to prevent them from happening. All your employees should be provided harnesses and lanyards. Also make sure they wear hi-vis jackets, non-slip shoes and hard hats. If you want to source these items cheaply, look for PPE Suppliers that sell a wide variety of PPE for construction as they will usually have better prices. Also, check if you can bundle your purchases for a discount.
Clean Up as Often as Possible
You also have to make sure that everyone cleans up their station when they’re finished and that spills are cleaned up immediately. Have signs ready in case a spill happens so it can be identified and easily visible. Make sure that you always have spill-control supplies on hand. And, if there is a specific procedure for dealing with spills, make sure that everyone is well aware of it and that there is documentation available for people to consult.
Make Risk Assessment a Priority
Daily walkthroughs should be performed to make sure that any hazard is identified. This is something that should be conducted by a safety officer or a qualified employee. They should check the state of fall arrest systems, and the integrity and stability of the scaffolding, guardrails, and ladders, among other things.
You should also teach your employees to perform inspections. While they shouldn’t be put in charge of inspection for all employees, this will help them identify issues themselves and correct them before they get to work.
Continuously Work on Training and Recruit Properly
One of the biggest reasons for falls is the workers themselves and having a good workforce that is properly trained will make a big difference. So, make sure that your employees are properly vetted and look beyond their qualifications.
Test their safety knowledge and quiz them on specific situations where they have seen safety issues. Ask them what they did to deal with those situations too. And have a strict continuous training programme that will ensure that your employees are always up to date on the latest safety measures.
These are all things that will allow you to significantly reduce the risk of falls on any construction site. Have all the tools and documentation necessary for employees to work safely, make sure to double-check everyone before your days, and always stay on top of the latest rules if you want to have all of your bases covered.
