Construction Safety

Equipments

Apeksha
Hemanth
Nishant
Nikhil
Prajwal
 Why is Safety Equipment needed?
Essential safety equipment for construction worker’s safety is of paramount importance for construction workers because
of the degree of hazards or probability of risk that they exposed to, in their daily work life.

The working conditions are that contain heavy-duty operations enabling the working conditions with frequent or common
injuries. Also, the productivity losses due to such incidents are huge while incurring costs in health bills for the workers
who witnessed such accidents.

Bearing all these concerns in mind, several construction companies have long back rearranged their priority lists in a
construction site, apart from focussing only on the workers’ productivity and timely completion of work.

The safety requirement of every construction company vary even sometimes it varies with the type of construction project
they’ve undertaken.

For instance, marine riggers use different safety gears from that used by the construction riggers. Thus, it is essential to
choose safety equipments based on the type of risks, the construction workers are exposed to.

Safety equipments encompass

• fire detection kit,

• personal protection equipment,

• and life – saving kit.

All these equipments are designed to safe guard the workers from several potential injuries like burns, cuts, vision or
hearing loss, and falls among others
 Construction Accidents
Breakdown of fatalities according to type of accident in
construction industry
Falling Object
56% falls from height Electricity
4%
5% Hot Object
21% trapped by something collapsing or overturning
1%
Machinery
10% struck by a moving vehicle 3%
Vehicle
5% contact with electricity or electrical discharge 10%
Height
4% struck by a flying/falling object during machine lifting of Trapper 56%
materials 21%

3% contact with moving machinery or material being machined

1% exposure to a hot or harmful substance

 Safety Equipments
Here are a few basic personal protection equipments that every
individual construction worker should be provided to wear during on –
site construction related operations.

1) Safety clothing:

Safety clothing is quintessential for workers who are employed in a

potentially hazardous construction site.
The kind of clothing or footwear can be chosen based on the type of
work, every individual worker does.
Some of them include: specially manufactured T – Shirts, vests,
jackets, trousers, shorts and safety footwear.
These clothing protect the workers from
chemical splashes,
welding sparks,
hot water, oil, etc.
One of the important clothing parts is the protective clothing which
should be definitely considered when there is a possibility of fire
accident in the operation.
2) Safety Shoes
The floor of a construction site is always littered with hazardous or hot
chemicals, cement, sharp components which are likely cause burns,
cuts, or bruises to the feet of any worker.
Safety shoes are resistant to slippage while providing a firm grip on the
ground which encourages the workers to do all the activities safely.

Nubuk leather is used at times to manufacture safety shoes. It is tough

material while providing protection to the worker’s feet. With a par of
safety footwear is in place, the probability of getting hurt gets reduced
significantly. Hence, it is very important to ensure appropriate safety
clothing for the workers while working.
3) Respiratory protection

Any typical respiratory protection equipment offers protection in two basic

ways.

The first way wherein the wearer is protected from contaminants present in
the air. Dust pollution is inevitable in a construction site. The respiratory
protection equipments of this kind encompass “gas masks” that filter out
gases and chemicals; and “particulate respirators that filter airborne
substances.

Apart from this, there are respirators that protect the worker through supply
of clean respirator air from a different source.
4) Hearing protection

Generally, the workers are exposed air tools, heavy equipment or machinery,
and common hazards in a construction site.

Apart from the physical risk they are exposed, hearing impairment is also
possible if proper care is not taken in protecting the worker’s ears.

The noise created from the operations of this machinery can potentially
damage the hearing ability of the worker for life.

There are various kinds of hearing

protection equipments like ear muffs,
ear plugs, disposable foam ear plugs
which are very economical too. The
cost of these equipments is around
250-2000 ₹ per pair, depending on
type of product.
5) Helmet Hard hats otherwise known as helmets are one of the most
commonly used safety equipment in any industrial setup. They ensure to
protect the head from bumping into falling or low ceiling objects while
providing a safe cover to the head.

6)Safety gloves
Safety gloves are essential equipment in a construction industry wherein
the workers are required to handle with hazardous and harmful
chemicals or hot substances. Several types of gloves are available for
construction workers that cater different requirements. Some of them
include cotton gloves that are heat resistant are ideal for all basic
operations while chemical gloves and welding gloves among others are
specifically used based on the kind of operation.
7) Safety harness
Some of the important operations in a construction site consist of
painting, maintenance operations, hoisting and other related activities.

This requires the worker to work on elevated platforms which are at a

significant distance from the ground. This necessarily comes with a
huge amount of risk when proper safety measures are not adopted.

Safety harnesses are designed for this purpose which has the objective
to prevent falls and guarantee that safety of workers. With this safety
harness, the worker is connected safely to the lifeline system
8)Safety goggles or glasses
One of the most sensitive parts of a human body is the eyes. Serious
eye injuries are possible when they are exposed to harmful working
conditions on a continuous basis.
Safety goggles or glasses should be worn when distributing or preparing
chemical mixtures, and also at the time of welding operations.

The type of material used in these goggles or glasses varies accordingly

with the type of activity during which these equipments are used by the
workers.
9) Safety Nets
Safety nets shall be provided when workplaces are more than 25 feet above the
ground, or water surface, or other surfaces where the use of ladders, scaffolds,
catch platforms, temporary floors, safety lines, or safety belts is impractical.

Where safety net protection is required by this part, operations shall not be
undertaken until the net is in place and has been tested.

Nets shall extend 8 feet beyond the edge of the work surface where
employees are exposed and shall be installed as close under the work surface.

The mesh size of nets shall not exceed 6 inches by 6 inches.

Forged steel safety hooks and shackles shall be used to fasten the net to its
supports. Connections between net panels shall develop the full strength of the net.
 Ladders
LETHAL LADDERS:

Ladders kill a lot of people. Make sure the ladder is :

• Right for the job, would scaffolding or a cherry picker be better?

• In good shape

• Secured near the top

• On a firm base and footing 4 up – 1 out

• Rising at least 1 meter beyond the landing place OR that there

is a proper hand hold
Always have a firm grip on the ladder and keep a good balance
Ladders kill a lot of people.
 Safe Ladders

• Never allow more than one person on a ladder

• Use tool belts or hand lines to carry objects

• Do not lean out from the ladder in any direction

• If you have a fear of

heights – don’t climb a
ladder

• Do not allow others to work

under a ladder in use
EXCAVATION WORK

If you want to avoid being buried alive apply these rules:

All excavations deeper than 1.25meters MUST be shored or battered.

Excavations deeper than 2 meters MUST have a guard rail or barrier

Vehicles working too close to the side of the trench or rubble piled on
the sides may cause collapse
Vehicles tipping into the excavation must use stop blocks

Make sure the excavation is inspected

daily.
Make sure you know where any
underground pipes and cables are before
you hit them.
REMEMBER: There is no safe ground that
“will not collapse” Trench sides can
collapse without warning
CRANE SAFETY

Very Simply :-

The weight of the load must be carefully estimated.

The crane must be fitted with an automatic safe load indicator (one that
works).
The crane must always work on a hard, level base.
The load must be properly fixed and secured.
The banksman must be trained to give clear signals
 Conclusion
Though unpredictable accidents or potential hazards are
inevitable in a construction industry, these things can be
overcome by providing the workers with the basic safety
equipments mentioned above.

This not only increases productivity but also safe guards the
life of skilled workers who are exposed to these effects