Safety protocols aren’t only important for job site managers. Every single worker on a job site needs to be familiar with safety policies. Here is some information about what you can do to ensure safety on your construction job site.

Wear Protective Gear

One of the most important safety tips for construction workers is wearing protective gear such as work gloves. Safety goggles are especially important for workers whose responsibilities include cutting or sawing any type of material, especially wood. A stray piece of wood that flies away during cutting can scratch the surface of your eye. Aside from being extremely painful, some types of corneal injury never properly heal and can cause permanent vision impairment.

Be Careful Working Around High Voltage Electricity

Temporary electrical equipment power to a lot of job sites. While transformers are essential, they can also create safety hazards that could potentially cause serious injury and even death. It’s important to follow all safety protocols when you’re working with Electrical transformers, and it’s imperative that you leave setting up adjustments and connections to professionals. Don’t try to investigate a problem if you’re not a licensed professional. No matter how hurried or pressured you feel to get back to work, you simply have to wait for help to arrive.

Avoid Distraction

Being distracted on the job can cause you to ignore safety protocols or to lose awareness of your surroundings. Avoid talking on the phone while you’re working. Don’t stop what you’re doing on a job site to text or look at social media. It’s especially important to not get distracted by your coworkers, and you need to try to be conscientious about being a source of distraction yourself. Try to stay focused on the task at hand and don’t get caught up in conversations.

Stay Aware of Your Surroundings

In addition to avoiding distraction, you have to make an effort towards staying aware of your surroundings. Projects with a lot of workers, heavy machinery, and a lot of building materials can present a lot of moving hazards. If you zone out for just a minute, you could lose sight of what’s happening around you. Stay conscious of your surroundings and what the people around you are doing. Be prepared to react when moving or falling objects come your way.

Lift Carefully

According to OSHA, back injuries account for one out of five workplace injuries. Using safe lifting techniques is the best way to reduce the occurrence of a back-related injury. If any part of your duties involves lifting and moving heavy objects, you need to follow guidelines for safe lifting. Don’t use the strength of your lower back to lift. When you bend down to pick something up, move your whole body down and use the strength of your body rising up rather than using only your arms or your back.

Be Cautious When You’re Working at an Elevated Location

When you’re working at heights, especially open and unfinished new construction, you have to be particularly mindful about your surroundings. The risk of falling is extremely serious, and when you’re several stories up, a fall could have a fatal outcome.

Have First Aid Equipment Available

In the event that somebody is injured, you and your team need to be able to respond quickly. First aid kits and emergency eyewash stations are indispensable items for every job site. Somebody on every team needs to be in charge of making sure that these items are stocked on every site, and the entire crew needs to know where they’re located.

The Bottom Line

Wearing protective gear, being safe with electrical equipment and heavy machinery, avoiding distraction, and having all necessary first aid materials readily accessible are all important parts of staying safe on a construction job site. Proactive planning for a safe working environment combined with staying conscientious about safety throughout your entire workday will help to ensure that you stay safe when you’re exposed to a variety of different safety hazards.