Well folks, it’s that time of year again. Spring has…well, yet to make up its mind as to whether it’s fully sprung or not, which means it’s the perfect time for National Construction Safety Week! Also known as Safety Stand Down, this is an annual event that focuses on promoting safety awareness on the jobsite, with a big aim to reduce accidents while on the job and an overall goal of making the jobsite safer for everyone. 

A demonstration of proper safety attire on a jobsite

Each year has a different theme to promote overall safety, and this year’s theme is titled Building a Better and Safer Future for Construction Workers in order to reflect the need for safety measures to become integral and essential at every level of construction. It’s also meant as a call to action for companies to dedicate time and energy into safety measures, and to invest in safety professionals who can create and implement safety programs on the jobsite. Construction workers especially are exposed to dangers such as falls, electrical shocks, and accidents with heavy machinery. Sometimes they’re out working in extreme weather conditions, and occasionally at great heights, which means safety measures are absolutely essential.

Be sure to check off as many of these as you can to ensure maximum safety on the jobsite

Investing in safety tools and equipment should also be integral in construction safety. Things we may take for granted as obvious might not be so for others, and ensuring everyone on the jobsite is wearing proper protection for their heads with hard hats or other head protection; eyes with things like safety glasses; ears with things like earplugs; hands with things like cut resistant gloves; face with proper respirators, face masks, or welding helmets; body with electrical or flame resistant clothing; and feet with the proper safety boots, as well as harnesses or other fall protection where applicable. Training can and should be conducted by trained safety professionals in order for everyone on the job to be better equipped in case of difficult or dangerous situations, and safety committees can be formed in order to customize safety programs to fit into your specific industry or jobsite; they can help to monitor practices and search for any gaps or flaws in the design.

Safety committees can be formed to create and implement proper safety procedures on the jobsite

Communication on the jobsite is paramount when it comes to safety measures, both in between employees and from the management levels on down. Two-way radios can be used for employees to communicate between each other throughout the day, and some manufacturers even produce headsets to go along with their hard hats for hands-free communication. Regular safety meetings should be held to help everyone stay informed of any potential new risks, dangers, or hazards, as well as to maintain vigilance while in the field. It may not have to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds as they go about their day, but watching out for each other is not only a practice in safety measures, but also just a nice thing to do in general.

Regular safety meetings should be held to communicate any new potential hazards

Be sure to reach out and thank your safety professionals if you know or work with any for all they do to keep us safe throughout our days, and feel free to reach out at 614-481-2111 with any comments, questions, concerns, or fun safety stories. Catch up with us on all the various social media sites to stay up to date on all the latest news, announcements, deals, and more, and have a wonderful National Construction Safety Week!