Safety Training: Construction

Safety Training: Construction

This training guide will help construction workers and those in manual labor jobs understand how to enhance their safety while on the job. By understanding and identifying the Focus Four, a worker can be better ensure their safety on the job site.

The Focus Four refers to the four leading causes of fatalities in this industry, including:

• Fall: common hazards include roofs, wall opening/unfinished walls, holes in the floor, scaffolds with incomplete planking, ladders, and aerial platforms. By using fall protection like railings, harnesses, lanyards or anchorages can drastically improve your safety. Fall protection is required when working 6 feet or higher. Though fall protection helps, any height when working is dangerous. Death or serious injury could still occur at low heights.

• Stuck-by: common hazards include flying objects, falling objects, power tools falling, earthmoving equipment, and swinging objects. Preventions involve wearing high-visibility clothing near equipment or vehicles, being aware of heavy equipment, making sure equipment is up-to-date with mirrors/backup alarms, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and ensuring equipment operators are aware of where other employees are. 

• Caught-in/Caught-between: common hazards include trench collapses, making contact with unguarded equipment (saw blades, etc.), pinched between a turning crane and a fixed wall, and getting pinned between moving equipment, wall, or other equipment. Safety provisions include high-visibility clothing, efficient training with equipment operation, and avoiding pinch points or being put into pinch point positions. 

• Electrocution: common hazards include burns, electrocution, shocks, arc flashes/blasts, fires, and explosions. Causes include worker contact with live power lines, contact with live electrical parts/panels, and the use of damaged electrical cords or power tools. Prevention methods involve locating identity utilities before starting, maintaining appropriate distances from power lines, being aware of overhead power lines, inspecting all electrical equipment before use, and using ground-fault circuit interrupters with power tools. 

With construction being one of the deadliest industries around the world, there have been improvements with oversight, worker conditions, and awareness, but these occurrences are still prevalent. These are not all of the causes of fatalities; they are common ones. By making sure only trained professionals perform certain tasks, workplace injuries or deaths can be drastically reduced.

For more information and a complete overview of the Focus Four, view our presentation.