Must Have Protective Gear on a Construction Site

This is a guest post from WIA, provider of construction safety tools and equipment.

© Photographer: Roman Milert | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Construction sites are dangerous places, full of equipment that can fall, heights than can be fallen off, equipment that can be carelessly mishandled. Homes can be dangerous also. That being said keeping home and a construction site at least fairly safe isn't a problem if you know what you're doing. Here are some things you're going to need to have before you even think about setting foot on a construction site (you can also use these tips to be extra safe when working at home).

Hard Hats

This is thing one on any site and not keeping to the standard is actually illegal, but the average person would still be surprised how many people forget, or take them off to scratch their heads and just don't put them back on. These people generally end up injured or worse. So drill it into every head until your employees are saying it in their sleep. Hard Hats must be worn at all times on site.

Outfits

Keep yourself properly clothed from head to toe. As hot and heavy as construction sites are there is a temptation to go around shirtless or bare handed. Gloves, steel cap boots and thick clothing are necessary to work on a construction site safely. Even if you aren't in a place where things are going to fall on you and cut you things like the strong UV light from welding, or wood chips or tiny debris flying around caused by someone else working can hurt you.

Safety Equipment

Welding Safety Equipment is extremely important. Welding gets done a lot on construction sites and unfortunately it's a practice where a lot of corners are cut in safety to get the job done quickly. Anyone, doing any welding, even a few seconds of quick maintenance is going to need the full suite. Welding mask, full clothing, thick gloves and a range of other things. Welding is a hazardous business, be prepared.

Signs

This might seem a little silly but it's important, people need to be reminded of best practice. So put signs everywhere, signs on the equipment telling people how to use it, signs on an area where vehicles go reminding people to look before they move. Putting a level of information that doesn't seem necessary all over the site might just be the reminder that one employee needs to avoid becoming an accident. Or a body.

Fences/Guard Rails

© Photographer: John Hix | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Everywhere, these things need to be everywhere. A fence around the whole site, a fence around the more high risk areas, guard rails on everything above a story up. Falling is one of the biggest killers on a construction site and the only way to stop it is to literally make it impossible. Accidents are sadly common in situations like this
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Safety has to come first if it's going to happen at all. This is just the beginning, the only way to really keep employees safe is to teach them the best way to get the job done, but when the training slips, someone gets lazy, or cocky, or luck just runs out. That's what we make protective equipment for.