Construction work can be hugely dangerous. It involves a lot of high stakes manual labor and depending on the location of the construction project, can sometimes have a number of additional environmental hazards as well. For one, for instance, a construction worker working on a road in an area that is typically crowded by traffic can be hugely dangerous, even more so than just a normal construction site. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to prevent all kind of construction injuries and even deaths, from the traffic related to any other cause of them. With more than four thousand and five hundred construction workers losing their lives while on the job, any step taken towards prevention is a positive one – and one with the huge potential to have a positive effect.
It all comes down to the proper equipment and proper dress in many ways. From hi vis coats and jackets to cotton safety shirts or even just a construction safety vest, there are many things that construction workers can wear in order to prevent them from sustaining a serious injury (or even the loss of their lives) while one the job. And hi vis coats and jackets, while important and even crucial, are certainly not the only way in which a construction worker is able to protect him or herself. In addition to hi vis coats and jackets, protective footwear should also be worn.
Protective boots are an important addition to hi vis coats and jackets and the high visibility windbreaker even, as footwear is crucial for any construction worker. After all, the average construction worker is on his or her feet for the vast majority of the work day and relies on their feet as part of the job. Whereas the average person will take only around ten thousand steps per day, which is still a large amount, the average construction worker, on the other hand, is likely to take as many as thirty thousand steps before even just the work day is completed. Therefore, it is hugely important for construction workers to have protective and supportive footwear in addition to hi vis coats and jackets, as important as hi vis coats and jackets are. The use of protective footwear has become nothing if not widespread among construction sites, fortunately, and this can be seen by the fact that as much as seventy dollars will be spent per construction worker every year on various items related to protective footwear along.
In addition to protective footwear as well as the use of hi vis coats and jackets, ear protection is also crucial for the average construction worker. With loud noises all too common at the average construction site, ear protection is key if ear damage is to be avoided. As permanent hearing loss is likely after exposure to decibels at eighty five decibels or even more, it is important for all construction workers to wear ear plugs. As ear plugs can reduce the decibels that a construction worker hears by as much as thirty decibels (and typically by no less than fifteen decibels) it is key that ear plugs are worn at all times that a construction is underway and power tools are in use.
Preventing death and injury among construction workers is hugely important and can certainly be done if the proper steps are taken, such as the use of hi vis coats and jackets as well as protective footwear and ear plugs. Though deaths and injuries are all too common at many construction sites, they can be reduced drastically through a variety of measures.