Construction Safety Courses - Safety Through Experience

| Monday, September 5, 2011
By Ben Pate


On the construction site, safety is everyone's job. While there's always someone ultimately in charge, construction sites become exponentially safer with everyone working together to create a hazard-free environment by wearing construction safety vest and following some rules.

Regulations

Construction site safety is a serious issue - which some rather staggering statistics go to show - and that's why there are specific rules and regulations surrounding conduct on the site. There are plenty of responsibilties assigned to the various people in charge on site, but construction safety training is an absolute must. Workers are obligated to know what sort of hazardous material they will be working with, if there are any hazards on the site itself, and other hazards involving the construction site.

Team Work

A construction site can become infinitely more safe with the help of everyone on the team. There are a lot of different jobs on a construction site, and engineering is one of them. They make sure the scaffolding required to build is secure and able to support the work. If safety training is needed, certified trainers can be hired, or classes can be taken. These instructors go over the risks and dangers of a construction zone, and how workers can properly avoid them. One of the most important things is making sure you are in possession of an acceptable safety reflective vest, something required by the Federal Highway Association, or the FHWA.

Safety Education

One very important thing is being certified to operate the machinery on site. Many will blow this thought off and say they learned everything they need to know from experience, but knowing how to operate something and knowing how to operate something correctly are two very different things. Official certification is required and criteria need to be met for the both the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and the MSHA Mine Safety and Health Administration, as well as the Tort Law, which is a type of private law that covers personal liability. If these requirements aren't met, the construction company could get into trouble with the law. The training to operate machinery often comes along with the purchase of the machine, but if not, it's important that the training comes from somewhere else. This training often entails work in a workbook, watching videos, and taking a final quiz in order to acquire the Certificate of Completion.

Think about it, who would feel safe with their lives in the hands of a machine operator who has never taken the proper training for that machine? The machines themselves are potentially deadly, and that's obvious. Don't risk legal troubles, injuries, or even lives by skipping out on proper training. Construction is dangerous enough without having under-trained workers operating heavy machinery.




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