Table of Contents

1. Understand Every Site Is Different
2. Don’t Go Alone
3. Think About Your Hearing
4. Protect Your Vision
5. Wear Steel-Toed Boots
6. Keep A Hard Hat On
7. Don’t Walk Under When You Can Go Around
8. Don’t Leave Spills Unattended
9. If You See Something, Say Something
10. Listen To Your Gut
11. Stay Safe On A Construction Site

Stay Safe On A Construction Site

If you’re visiting a construction site for any reason, you probably know that you need to take steps to ensure your safety. What you might not be so sure about is how you actually do that. The following will explore a few useful tips you can keep in mind while on a construction site to help ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.

Understand Every Site Is Different

First and foremost, you need to understand that construction sites can vary wildly. The type of equipment, toxins, hazards, and risks present at construction sites can also vary. This means that while the below can help you reduce risks while on a construction site, you should always consider a particular site’s safety precautions in addition to standard advice. If you’re researching this topic because harm has already occurred and you feel like there should have been steps taken to better prevent it, reach out to a construction accident lawyer to discuss legal standards for safety and negligence in your state. The rules vary from state to state about what preventative measures and safety precautions need to be in place.

Don’t Go Alone

When visiting a construction site, you’re hopefully not going to encounter any dangers. This being said, if you do and harm comes to you, you don’t want to be alone. Visiting the site with someone can help ensure there is someone present to perform first aid or call emergency services if those are needed. In addition to this, visiting the site with someone else can provide you with a guide who can break down the appropriate steps for safety and let you know what is going on where.

Think About Your Hearing

There are two opposing safety precautions when it comes to hearing. You will have to use your judgment to determine which one is most appropriate. The first is you don’t want to be doing anything that obstructs your hearing. Headphones with music blaring are absolutely not allowed. You want to be able to hear if someone shouts or a machine turns on. The second is that you want to be protecting your hearing from incredibly loud noises that can cause hearing damage or hearing loss. There are protective headphones that can help reduce the impact of loud noises on your ears.

Protect Your Vision

You’re also going to want to take steps to help keep your vision safe and highly effective. If it’s a particularly sunny day, you might want to use sunglasses to help ensure you can keep your eyes open no matter which direction you’re looking. If you wear glasses to aid your vision, you might need to look into anti-fog options. Further, you might require protective eyewear that can withstand the impact of shards of wood or other materials sent into the air as a result of the work being done. Protective eyewear is sturdier and often protects the entire eye area better than standard glasses. If you need more than one of these options, know that hybrid glasses are available in all different combinations. You can find anti-fog protective eyewear for a prescription. You can find prescription sunglasses. You can also find prescription protective eyewear. Don’t sacrifice any element of your vision while on a site. You want to be able to see things clearly and quickly so that if action is needed, you have the time to take it.

Wear Steel-Toed Boots

It’s pretty common for a construction site to refuse entry unless you have steel-toed boots. While this type of footwear can take a moment for you to adjust to it, given how heavy it is, it can save you a ton of pain and discomfort. When things are being lifted and moved (especially very heavy things), the risks of harm coming to your feet increase. Should something heavy drop and land on your toes, you’re going to be incredibly glad you had protective footwear on.

Keep A Hard Hat On

A hard hat is basically a helmet you wear that protects your head should something fall on you. Of all the injuries you could sustain, head injuries are among the most serious. Head injuries have a higher chance of causing death than other injuries and also a higher chance of producing life-altering results. Even when it doesn’t put your life at risk, damage to your head can alter your personality by making you more irritable or prone to severe anger or other mood swings. Head injuries also might leave you unable to complete mental tasks you could before or struggling with your ability to remember things.

Don’t Walk Under When You Can Go Around

If you have the option to walk underneath work that is ongoing or around the work that is ongoing, you want to go around. Walking beneath construction work comes with the inherent risk that something will be dropped on you.

Don’t Leave Spills Unattended

If you spill something, you might be tempted to run for the nearest mop, so you can clean it up promptly. Don’t do this. Stay with the spill until someone passes by and ask them to fetch the mop or whatever cleaning supplies are needed. Leaving a spill unattended, even for a short time, can result in someone slipping and falling.

If You See Something, Say Something

If something looks like a problem, ask about it. Don’t simply assume that everyone else notices the same things you do and so has approved anything that is going on. It’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to say: hey, is that supposed to be like that?

Listen To Your Gut

One of the most important safety guidelines you’ll find is this: if something feels unsafe, don’t do it. You are legally allowed to refuse work that feels unsafe without fear of losing your job. Even if your visit to the construction site doesn’t have you working, you’re still allowed to refuse any task that doesn’t feel right or safe. Listen to your instincts in this regard and never ignore feelings of unsafety or uncertainty.

Stay Safe On A Construction Site

The above list should give you an idea of the basic things you can do on a construction site to keep yourself safe. Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive. Every piece of equipment and every type of construction is going to have its own risks and, therefore, its own safety regulations. Whatever guidelines are presented to you upon entering a construction site, know that they’ve had to go through several rounds of checks and so should not be ignored. Safety rules have been put in place for a reason: to help improve everyone’s safety.

Thank you for reading!