It should be obvious that working in construction is a dangerous job. Proper safeguards exist to save the lives and livelihoods of every construction worker, yet accidents do happen. One area of the job site needing special attention is with scaffolding. It’s estimated that 2.3 million construction workers work on scaffolds. Out of these workers, there are an estimated 4,500 injuries and 50 fatalities each year from scaffold-related accidents. Luckily, most preventive measures are easy to address and can reduce the number of injuries and fatalities every year. Here are our top four ways to avoid scaffolding mishaps
- Inspect, Inspect, Inspect – It’s important to check on scaffolding structures before, during and after the shift. OSHA states that a “competent person” must do so, but if you see something that’s unsettling, say something. No one is perfect and anyone could miss a small detail. OSHA even offers a checklist just to ensure everything is up to par. Before climbing up, take a few minutes to look around for potential issues.
- There’s No Such Thing as Overprotection – It’s required by OSHA for all scaffolding to have guardrails, midrails and toeboards, but this is a minimum. Protecting your crew from other hazards such as weather and falling debris ensures efficiency and safety. Strong Man offers many different products to address this, such as our D/12 Strong Wrap and our String-Reinforced Polyethylene Sheeting. Adding these layers of protection is easy and affordable.
- Refresh on a Regular Basis – Holding regular scaffolding refresh sessions may become redundant to your personnel, but it will save lives. By training and refreshing your team’s knowledge in proper scaffolding procedures, you’re creating an environment where scaffolding accidents can end – thanks to awareness.
- Reward Good Scaffolding Safety Habits – If you see someone on your team going above and beyond to be safe on scaffolds, reward them! It can be a simple verbal acknowledgement, or you can even reward them with something. This not only reinforces good safety habits, but it also encourages others to do the same. You can even up the ante by providing lunch for the team for staying safe on scaffolding. The choice is yours.
Injuries and fatalities from scaffolding mishaps are an avoidable occurrence. Inspect everything multiple times each workday to ensure the structure is safe. Consider easy and affordable ways to add layers of protection to your scaffolding. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us; we’re always happy to assist. Hold regular training sessions to keep everyone up to speed on scaffolding best practices. Finally, reward your personnel for implementing proper scaffolding safety. Together, we can reduce the amount of scaffolding-related injuries and fatalities every year.