OSHA Defense

Reasons Why Construction Workers Are Getting Hurt on Your Site

Construction work is physically demanding. Workers are often required to use powerful machinery, work at high heights, work along roadsides, and work long hours. These and other factors make the profession dangerous. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all employers to provide their employees with a safe workplace. If your workers are getting injured on the site, it is time to evaluate why this is occuring to prevent serious injuries in the future.

If you need legal counsel regarding safety, reach out to an expert OSHA defense attorney for more guidance to ensure you are complying with local, state, and federal safety standards.

Inadequate Planning

Many project problems can be traced back to deficiencies in planning which lead to issues such as inaccurate estimates and poor risk management. Planning is not just about creating a construction schedule, but it is also about conducting a risk assessment, developing site safety plans, and establishing contingency plans among other pertinent components of the project. Poor planning can make work productively and safety a challenge. If hazards are not evaluated properly during the planning stages, hazards can be left uncontrolled, which can lead to serious injuries, illnesses, and in some cases death.

Complacency

Complacency is never a good thing in any organization, but complacency in construction can be dangerous. It is easy to fall into complacency after performing the same tasks over and over for many years. Once complacency sets in, your workers place themselves and others at risk as they began to take shortcuts to complete their work faster. Deviations in safety-regulated work activities can adversely impact your company in various ways; however, the most concerning include safety accidents on the job site.

Poor Housekeeping

No matter how busy your crew is, you cannot afford to be careless about housekeeping. Housekeeping is actually a major problem in some workplaces and increases the likelihood of hazards on your job site. Common injuries that happen on job sites include slips, trips, falls, lacerations, sprains, and strains. Poor housekeeping often is a signal that there are larger safety issues at hand. Read these ongoing housekeeping tips to stay OSHA compliant and keep your employees safe.

Distractions

Distractions on the job such as mental distractions, noise levels, clutter, phone use, and inattention can lead to many different injuries. Pressure to meet production goals is also another form of distraction. For instance, if something gets stuck in a machine, a worker may decide to stick their hand or another object in the machine to retrieve the item instead of following important safety protocol. It is important that you identify and minimize distractions to help reduce injuries.

If you would like to speak with an OSHA defense lawyer please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.