The Basics of Job Site Safety

As a builder or remodeler, job site safety is not an area that offers much leeway. Lost time due to the injury of just one worker is enough to disrupt an entire job schedule. And medical bills, compensation claims and uncontrollable premiums resulting from severe injuries or fatal accidents are often enough to put a small company out of business.

Staying on top of safety takes more than procedures and paperwork. More often than not, it takes vigilance and diligent attention to detail on the part of both employers and employees.

While the subject of safety has received a fair amount of attention, clear and simple guidelines on how to avoid some of the most common on site accidents isn't always easy to find.

This article outlines the Occupational Safety Hazard Administration’s (OSHA) three most cited construction site safety violations covering the period of Oct. 1, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2007—and offers proactive solutions from the  NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook, which site managers can utilize to ensure safety on every job.

1. Scaffolding
Scaffolding violations are consistently the number one most cited violation by OSHA. In 2007 there were more than 10,000 total scaffolding violations issued. To make matters worse, a 2005 Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) study states that 72 percent of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

In order to prevent these types of dangerous mishaps consider the following precautions:

• Provide safe access to get on and off all scaffolds
• Keep all surfaces free of debris to prevent falling materials and tripping
• Erect scaffolds on firm, level foundations
• Ensure that rolling scaffolds have all wheels locked before work begins
• Make sure that each scaffold can support its own weight and four times the maximum intended load
• Do not work from any part of the scaffold other than the platform
• Do not use shore or lean-to scaffolding
• Never use ladders, boxes, buckets, or other objects to raise work height
• Cleat the ends of planks or decking materials
• Make sure that planks do not extend more than 12 inches beyond end supports

2. Fall Protection
Though fatal falls from roofs are reportedly down by from 185 in 2006 to 161 in 2007 according to the BLS, the total number of fatal falls hit a record high of 835 in the same period. Clearly, the need for properly installed guardrails, hazard communication and use of fall protection systems is as great as it has ever been. In addition to these precautions consider the following measures for reducing the instances of falls.

• Train all workers in safe practices before beginning work on roofs, foundations, trusses and beams
• Install guardrails around floor openings if the drop distance is more than six feet
• Ensure that top rails can withstand a 200-pound load
• Make sure that top guardrails are 42 inches high with a mid-rail at 21 inches
• Install toeboards wherever other workers will be working below
• Cover all floor openings that are more than 2x2 inches
• Use fall protection systems such as slide guards and roof anchors when working in any area where a guardrail cannot be installed

3. Hazard Communication
OSHA issued 5,099 citations for improper Hazard Communication in 2007. A recent study conducted in New York City by the Department of City Planning estimates that over 60 percent of all construction workers in the city are foreign born, and that in 2001, 67 percent of all accidents befell immigrant workers. That said, all safety regulations and hazard warnings regarding potential falls or hazardous materials should be posted with total visibility and in both English and Spanish.

If workers seem reluctant to adhere to safety measures themselves, make it your business to post, vocalize and enforce all job site safety regulations.

If you are dealing with a bilingual workforce, you should consider language training during lunch breaks or after work. One useful tool that builders can use to help Hispanic workers learn English is the Sed de Saber program.

Sponsored by Lowe’s, this ESL program was custom-created by the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Home Builders Institute (HBI) to address job site challenges presented by the communication barrier.