Posts Tagged ‘Site’

Article by Sean Roberts

Building a new house yourself, or having it built for you, is an exciting time. However, amid all the excitement, planning and decisions, you should never lose sight of the fact that a building site is potentially a very dangerous place.

Make safety on your construction site a number one priority.

All of the machinery used on a construction site, from mini excavators, cranes, scaffolding and ladders, right down to ordinary electrical drills, will have it’s own particular safety issue. As well as static machinery, there will generally be a large amount of truck and van traffic moving on and off site, often through confined spaces on rough ground and on rutted tracks.

No matter how small the building project, you should treat the construction site as a professional workplace. If you set a high standard of safety from the very start of your house building project, and demonstrate that you are committed to keeping that standard, tradesmen and construction personnel will follow your lead.

Make sure all the tradesmen and contractors employed by you are properly insured and certified. If you have any doubts, ask to see the documentation relevant to this insurance.

Minimise your exposure to insurance claims, from both building site workers and also from visitors to your new house site.

Ensure protective gear is worn at all times and that notices regarding site safety are prominently displayed on your site entrance and around the site. Move these safety signs around the building to reduce the chance of them being taken for granted and so that they will receive more attention from contractors and visitors to your site.

Do all you can to keep the site tidy. Loose cables and tubing, piles of broken bricks and offcuts of wood should all be regularly removed and either stored safely or else disposed of. As with safety, if you set a high standard of tidyness, construction staff are more likely to follow your lead. If you allow your site to accumulate rubbish, the chances of an accident are increased.

Four areas of particular danger on a house building site are machines, roofs, ladders and electricity.

Make sure machines such as mini excavators are only operated by experienced, and insured, operators. Do not allow children to play around these machines or climb into the cab. These machines are definitely not toys and letting children treat them as such is a serious mistake.

Working on roofs in poor light or bad weather is always accompanied by a high risk of accidents. As with all other construction activities, you should only hire experienced personnel.

Prevent children from climbing ladders or scaffolding. After each days work is completed, make sure that ladders are not easily accessible by putting wooden sheets at the bottom of the ladders.

Electrical work, especially near plumbing or water sources, should only be carried out by registered electricians. Although you may save some money by using someone that claims to be “handy ” with electrical work, if you need to sell your house you don’t want to put off potential buyers with shoddy workmanship. In addition, any significant electrical work will have to be certified so only hire someone that can comply with electrical regulations.

Article by C. Burdick

Are you having a home built and out on the location of your home construction job from time to time, or are you a carpenter, electrician or other manual laborer? When you are out on any type of home construction site, you are subject to a range of mortal dangers you may not be aware of. Here are 3 helpful tips for basic home construction site safety – this information could save your life.

1. Wear the proper gear. Visitors on any home construction job site need a hard hat and some boots if possible. To reduce the chance of eye injury, wear a pair of safety goggles or at least some sunglasses that cover your eye area well.

If you are a construction site worker, then your equipment list will be both longer and even more vital. Be sure to always wear your hard hat, long pants (thick jeans or another durable material), good quality work boots (steel-toed for added protection), gloves, and safety goggles.

2. “Be careful” is an understatement. Great cautiousness can be the difference between life and death on a construction job. On many sites there are unseen dangers and it is necessary to stay on your guard. Be keenly aware of your surroundings at all times – where you step, what is above your head, and of moving objects around you like tractors and cranes. Listen closely to all that is happening around you – wearing ear buds and listening to your mp3 player could be a very dangerous idea on the job site! Be ready to run for your life if you hear something falling above you or if you hear someone yell, “watch out!”

3. Common sense is the most valuable safety gear. Carelessness is typically the #1 reason people get hurt on a construction job site! If there are workers laboring above you, do not walk under them. If there are boards or plywood laying on the ground, do not step on them – many times nails sticking up through plywood are camouflaged by the wood grain. (Also these boards can shift under your feet, causing a nasty twisted ankle.) If you are a worker on a scaffold or a high place, make sure to tie off to a “life line” in case of a slip or fall.

When on a job site for any reason, there are 3 key things to remember: wear proper gear, be extremely careful, and above all use common sense! A construction job site can be an adventurous, exciting place to work or visit, but always keep your head about you.

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