Scaffolding workers Safety
The safety of the workers is paramount in any type of construction project. The construction industry is one of the most vulnerable for causing accidents, so it’s very important that construction workers strictly adhere to the right safety procedures to make sure that everyone working on the project returns home safe and sound. The scaffold contractors should also always buy standard quality scaffolding to decrease the number of accidents at the site.
Indeed, swiftness and effectiveness are vital, as every extra day of operation added incurs heavy costs, but it’s imperative that safety at the workplace is never compromised. The accidents and injuries that occur at the construction sites pertain to scaffolding largely. Objects falling from the scaffolds such as tools and work materials fall occurring from heights, electrocution and collapsed scaffolding are all sadly common. Thus, these essential scaffolding safety tips can avert most of these accidents that usually take place on construction sites.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION
Foundations are vital in construction and work must never be executed on bouncy or unbalanced surfaces. The fully levelled ground is required for setting up scaffolding. In order to avert the base from sinking into the hot asphalt or soil, base plates or casters must be always used with a 2x10 wood block under each leg.
INSPECT THE SITE AND DISCOVER THE HAZARDS
When safety at construction is concerned, the most vital safety tip should be performed prior to commencing any work. Technically qualified and expert professionals should inspect the site to see possible vulnerabilities and perform the appropriate solutions. As each day passes by, workers may come across newer hazards, which they aren’t aware of, so it is crucial that the site is inspected every day to find out newer hazards. To avoid electrocution, specifically, electric circuits should never be in close proximity to scaffolding.
CHECK THE SCAFFOLDING ON A DAILY BASIS
Scaffolding Checklist
To make sure the structural reliability of the scaffolding remains intact, it’s crucial that scaffolding is checked and maintained on a daily basis. A professionally qualified expert should check that all boards are integral and that all of the components are efficient and safe before starting work for the day. If you don’t inspect the scaffolding on a regular basis, then it can lead to very risky conditions that can compromise the worker’s safety.
MAKE SURE ALL WORKERS ARE FULLY TRAINED AND QUALIFIED
As per the Australian statute law pertaining to WHS Act, all construction workers who perform their jobs on or near scaffolding should be properly educated and trained in how scaffolding functions. Even easy tasks such as climbing up and down the scaffolding can be hazardous, so it is essential that workers must be appropriately trained so that they can work through all stages of scaffolding equipment including handling critical emergencies with the right action and avoiding falls. In addition, it is obligatory for the workers to wear safety protection gear, such as goggles, non-slip footwear, hard hats, and fall protection equipment etc.
MAINTAIN AN ORGANIZED WORKPLACE
By keeping the workplaces organized and arranged at the work sites, accidents such as stumbles, slips, fall hazards etc. can be lowered substantially. It is vital to keep the tools organized as it not only curtails the menace of tools falling from the scaffolding itself but also it enables the workers to move around the platform effortlessly.
MAKE USE OF GUARDRAILS/ SAFETY RAILS ALWAYS
Guardrails
As per the legal prerequisites, any scaffolding that is higher than ten feet ought to have safety rails (guardrails) on all of its three sides facing away from the structure. Yet with all of these guardrails in place, the side that faces the structure remain unsafe, that’s why it is recommended to have guardrails on all of the four sides of the platform. However, remember that guardrails should never work as a substitute for fall protection equipment, which workers must put on while using scaffolding all the time.
ABIDE BY THE LOAD CAPACITY RULES
Workers not complying with the load capacities for each scaffolding platform are one of the commonest errors when working with scaffolding. Along with workers weight, the weight of the working equipment and materials also add considerable weight to the platform, which can be usually overlooked. Moreover, load capacities differ according to the scaffolding type; thus, it is important to maintain a note for the load capacity for each of the scaffolding to make certain the safety of all the workers on the scaffolding and those below the scaffolding.So always buy durable scaffolding, not the cheap one to decrease the number of accidents.
