Proper safety equipment is essential for workers in any industry, but it’s especially important for construction workers as it is a dangerous occupation. When working on high-rise projects, industrial sites or industrial processes, construction workers are expose to several hazards. These hazards can cause long-term damage to their health if they aren’t wearing proper safety equipment

According to MC Mutual, through a manual prepared in 2006, all workers must:

• Know its correct use.
• Use them compulsorily where and when they are necessary.
• Do not share or lend them to other workers.
• Keep them in perfect condition.
• Ask to change them when they are damaged.

Construction can be a dangerous occupation, especially when you’re working at heights. But here in Van Nuys construction workers have a saying: When you’re up, tie up! If you or your workers are working from heights that require fall protection equipment—whether it’s a platform lift or scaffolding—wear it. In fact, wear it every time you go up there

In fact, wear it every time you go up there. We also highly recommend that you use safety harnesses to secure ladders and other tools to keep them from falling off if they’re knock loose by accident.

Even if nobody is hurt, your company can still end up with a multi-million-dollar lawsuit on its hands if someone face  injury while using one of your tools without proper safety precautions in place. There is simply no excuse for not following standard protocols and providing basic safety gear for workers on high-risk jobsites like yours.

In all works, the following equipment will always be mandatory:

• Safety helmet

Protects the head of the worker in case of falling objects, blows and projections. It will be replace immediately in the event that it has suffered violent impacts, even if it has no external damage.

• Safety footwear

Protects the foot against bumps, cuts or punctures. It will have a reinforced metal toe cap, as well as a non-slip and imperforate sole.

Common types of safety equipment

Here are some of the most common types of safety equipment that you should be looking into when shopping for industrial grade protection. In addition, depending on the job, the following protective equipment will be used:

Safety gloves

They protect the hands and, depending on the type, they will do so against impacts, cuts and punctures (in those works of handling materials and tools, such as formwork, scrap metal, etc.), to avoid contact with specific dangerous occupations substances’ (such as, for example, cement, lime, plaster, etc.) and electrical insulators (in works with electrical current).

Safety glasses or screens

They protect the eyes and face, respectively, against impacts when working with tools that carry the risk of particle projection. If the worker needs corrective lenses, they can be supply with protective glasses with the appropriate graduation or others that can be superimpose on the worker’s own prescription glasses.

Respiratory masks

They will be used when large amounts of dust, gases, smoke, etc. are produced, such as in the opening of trenches, excavations, demolitions, etc. These masks will have the appropriate filter for the existing pollutant, although the most used is the self-filtering type. This filter will be changed when the worker does not breathe well or when it is observe that the mask becomes dirty inside.

Fall arrest safety harness

When working in places where there is a risk of falls from a height, the use of this equipment is mandatory, consisting of a good harness with an energy absorbing device, always having to be checked before use. It is important to monitor the safety of the anchor point, the rope and the carabiner.

Hearing protection

Protects the ear and will be use when the noise level can cause injury. It will be used in jobs that generate a high noise level. It includes  (pneumatic hammers. heavy machinery, stone or steel cutting, etc.).

High visibility wardrobe

In the case of work in areas of circulation of machines and vehicles, the use of high visibility garments (suits, vests, etc.) will be mandatory for a better location and visualization of the worker in such dangerous occupations.

Wardrobe for bad weather.

When the work is carry out under extreme atmospheric conditions (cold, rain, snow, etc.), the worker will use garments that protect him from such situations (coats, jackets, rain suits, raincoats, etc.). In the case of working in areas of circulation of machines and vehicles, they will also have to be of high visibility.

The Final Verdict…

Construction sites can be dangerous occupation. With equipment being move around, scaffolding being use and possible material falling. There is a lot of potential for a construction worker to get hurt on a site. Construction workers need to make sure they’re wearing safety equipment at all times in order to stay safe on site. It happens especially when they’re working at height. As well as preventing injury, safety equipment can also reduce costs by minimizing time off work if an employee face injury.

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