Things to Consider for Occupational Safety at the Construction Site
Occupational safety in construction is one of the most important points to be considered in building projects that create many different areas from our living spaces to our workplaces. In the construction sector, many accidents occur due to the lack of sufficient knowledge of both employers and employees about occupational safety.
Construction sites present a high risk of accidents as well as more complex health and safety risks that vary with the type of construction. For this reason, it is very important to know the hazards that may occur in construction and to take the necessary precautions in order to ensure occupational safety at the construction site. At this point, both the employer and the employee have a great responsibility. The fact that the people working at the construction site have knowledge about occupational safety in construction ensures that the damage is minimized in the face of possible problems.
As Enhar Prefabrik, one of the pioneers of the prefabricated building sector, we will list the obligatory measures to be taken to prevent occupational accidents by talking about the points to be considered in order to ensure occupational safety in construction.
Things to be applied to ensure occupational safety in construction
Construction is an inherently dangerous business with safety risks and hazards. In order to prevent this situation in the construction and building sector, which has the highest number of occupational accidents in our country, since sufficient occupational safety awareness is not provided, employers have to provide occupational safety training in construction to their employees.
Due to the wide and scattered structures of the construction sites, the frequent change of workers, and the diversity of the materials used in the sector, it is necessary to pay great attention to the issue of occupational safety in construction. Although the minimum safety precautions to be taken at the construction sites have been legally specified with the law that came into force in 2013, the wide construction areas do not allow a regular control mechanism.
Therefore, it is very important to create a conscious construction site environment in order to ensure occupational safety at the construction site. However, employers and all employees should pay attention to a safe working area that can be achieved with a good occupational safety training and strict control.
1. Scientific Responsible Should Be At Every Construction Site
In the process after the construction permit is obtained, it is obligatory for each employer to have a technical officer at the construction site who will monitor the construction processes, technical competence and occupational safety. For large construction sites, the technical responsible, which may be more than one, should check whether the employers and employees have taken the necessary precautions, and should ensure that any security negligence that can be done in the same way is prevented by regular controls.
2. The Construction Work Book Should Be Keeped By The Employer
At each construction site, the employer must keep a construction work book on the construction site in accordance with the sample determined by the Ministry of Labor. Each page of the construction work book, which should also be checked by the technical responsible, must be sealed and approved by the Regional Labor Directorate where the workplace is located before the construction starts.
3. Personal Protective Equipment Should Always Be Used
The majority of occupational accidents in the construction and building sector occur because workers do not have or use the necessary equipment. Workers, most of whom work with harmful substances such as parts, materials or tools, are required to wear protective equipment during their working hours.
4. Warning Signs Should Be Placed All Around the Construction Site
Another point to be considered when it comes to occupational safety in construction is the warning signs that should be placed on the construction site. Signs that must be placed in hazardous areas in an explanatory way prevent these points from being used by workers. In this way, the restricted areas are prevented from creating a safety hazard.
5. Every Detail Should Be Examined While Scaffolding Is Established
Scaffolding, which is one of the most important points when it comes to construction, can be built in different types. If a steel pipe scaffolding is being installed, this scaffold must be grounded so that it does not cause a work accident caused by static electricity. Likewise, steel tubular scaffolds should also have guardrails, which must be supported by enough cross-pipes so that they do not swing to the right or left under any circumstances during construction.
6. Electrical Panel Needs to be Grounded
Electricity, which is one of the most important elements that comes to mind when it comes to occupational safety at the construction site, does not take place in a safe location like in a completed building. For this reason, an insulating material such as wood or rubber mat should stand at the base of the construction site electrical panel, which is specially drawn for the construction project.
7. First Aid Supplies Should Be Available at the Construction Site
Finally, materials that can be used in first aid interventions such as bandages, alcohol and cotton should be present in the first aid cabinet in all construction sites. Thanks to this cabinet, which should be located intermittently in construction sites with large and scattered areas, first aid can be performed quickly on the injured person in case of a possible accident. Another point that should not be overlooked at this point is that in addition to the occupational safety training that will be given to the employees before the construction process begins, first aid training should also be given.
