There is little doubt that construction sites really are an incident waiting to happen.
It is not carelessness that leads to 1,000 deaths every year on construction sites – it is often just all of the hazards that are apparent and it could be just one small misstep or a couple of small miscommunications that can cause an incident. While much has been done in recent years to make construction sites safer, there are still many inherent risks that should be addressed as effectively as possible.
[Image courtesy of Flickr user Elliott Brown via a Creative Commons license]The bottom line is that construction sites are indeed very serious in terms of risks to safety among all workers on a site. Scaffolding is just one of the risk hazards, but a strategy that is initiated by project designers and carried out by general contractors can make these dangerous sites safer – and sometimes even small investments in time and resources can reap big rewards.
Start from the Top
As was mentioned in a previous post, there are several levels of stakeholders who have interest in an effective construction project, and some of them aren’t even on the site very often, if at all. And in some respects, the project designer or engineer may be the most important stakeholder in having the most control over the safety of a construction site.
Designers are often focused on the end product, making sure that the final structure is compliant with all local, state and federal codes and regulations. But if the designer can think of the project through its various phases of construction, he or she could embed safety features and risk-mitigation factors into the project itself. Having safety guardrails near open spaces, anchors on roofs or near openings so workers can tie off, and having scissor lifts in areas where scaffolding might be higher risk (such as when installing lighting) are some ideas.
Some other ideas to avoid problems are to incorporate bracing when erecting new floors or roofs, accounting for existing electrical lines on the property or underground and noting groundwater especially near electrical. Designers can also set up the site in such a way that vehicles won’t roll over (such as avoiding slopes) and that contact among vehicles or vehicles and workers are minimal at best, based on where vehicles might travel (supply sheds, storage areas) and workers (job trailers, restrooms).
Contract the Safety
General contractors and subcontracots can also take setps to further mitigate risks during the daily construction work. Both GCs and the subcontractors should conduct regular assessments and inspections of workers and their work on the site and ensure proper training and removal of workers who know the safe way to do things but refuse to do them.
Profit is always important, but it should never be at the expense of safety. Even if it costs a little bit more to add a secure temporary cover on an opening to make sure to prevent falls and injuries, and even if it might cause a slight delay in construction, the little investment is well worth it in the long run. It will cost a lot more in project costs to have an incident than to invest in the proper safety measures, resources and time to ensure a safer site.
It is not out of the realm of the duty of a GC to ask questions of the project designer to ensure that safety features are included in the design of the construction site. The GC has a duty to oversee the entire project both in terms of efficiency and safety to maximize life and profit. It is a balancing act, but if the designer and GC are working together, and the GC knows the steps that are taken in the original design, it will make the job of the GC much better to know the hazards that are being mitigated already and the decisive steps the GC can additionally take with subcontractors to ensure that the same workers who start the project are the same ones that go home to their families when the project is completed.
And that is the ultimate goal for all of us.