Why You Want to Keep Your Hard Hat on at All Times

Construction sites can be very dangerous environments to work in. While the dangers of construction sites are well known, the hazards can often be difficult to control in such constantly changing work environments. The most common cause of death in the construction industry is due to falling. This is followed by electrocution, being struck by an object, and getting caught in between objects.

While those causes of death reflect the physical dangers present on construction sites, there are other less obvious dangers on construction sites as well. Asbestos can cause cancer, as can other chemicals common to work sites, like solvents, which can also cause skin burns. Finally, construction sites are often extremely noisy which can cause hearing loss. Noise can also interfere with effective communication between workers which can lead to accidents.

There are about 1,225 fatal construction accidents every year in the United States. There are also another 481,400 non fatal injuries in construction sites per year on average. In fact, 1 out of every 5 workplace fatalities in the United States involves a construction worker. With 6% of workers in the United States employed in construction, construction work place safety is a big issue.

While it is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of injury or death in the construction industry, there are things that can be done to mitigate the risks. An obvious thing employers can do is to provide construction safety courses to employees to educated them in proper safety training so mistakes are less likely to occur and can be better managed when they do occur. OSHA training for employers and managers is also advised so they can stay up to date on the latest Federal safety recommendations. Construction companies can also invest more money into high quality equipment. Companies who combine state of the art equipment with construction safety training courses have been shown to have a lower frequency of injuries and death. You can search the internet for more information on construction safety courses and ways you can limit your risk of injury on a construction site.