Strategies to prevent accidents on a construction site in Africa should be in every contractors mind.Construction sites or building sites can be a very dangerous places with hazards from falling material and electrical faults as well as the dangers from power tools. In Africa, reports of accidents in a construction site has led to deaths and serious injuries.
Risks can be from commercial to small-scale residential construction sites though no one would like to happen that’s why contractors try all they can to see all their workers are safe and give them a bit of small training that will see them take high precautions and avoid accidents happen.
What all contractors should keep in mind is to explain to their workers that no matter how safe the site looks accidents and incidents are inevitable.
In Africa alone according to Deloite report on safety there is about 200,000 injuries occur while on site.
With 130 million construction workers on the job at any given time, this number is likely to rise. Of the construction site injuries that take place each year, nearly 5,000 are fatal.
In order to prevent accidents on a construction site in Africa ,there are some common accidents you can watch out for:
Trips and fall
This is one of the common accident that occurs in many construction sites. However much constructors try to avoid it, the problem continues unabated.
This occurs because in most construction site uneven terrain, tripping hazards, and conditions that require work on ladders, scaffolding, and roofs are regular therefore increasing the chances of falls.
Machinery/Vehicle Accidents
There are a lot of moving parts to a construction site, including machinery, vehicles, and large trucks on and around the job-site.
Falling Objects
Workers up high don’t always pay attention to what’s going on down below. This could result in injuries and fatalities due to falling objects and debris.
Exhaustion
Construction work usually requires hours of manual labor in the outdoors. This can quickly cause exhaustion and when workers are tired, it can lead to mistakes and an increase in construction site injuries.
However, the good thing is, accidents at a construction site can be prevented.After getting to understand the subjects that lead to construction accidents there is need to take every precaution that is needed to ensure that don’t occur on your construction site.
Here are just a few ways to avoid accidents at your construction site:
Mandatory Safety Meetings
Holding a safety meeting at the start of each day will ensure all workers are on the same page. In the safety meeting, you can mention changes to the construction site as well as what machinery will be used in different areas of the site throughout the day.
Safety Gear
You should require everyone on the job site to wear the proper safety gear including hard hats and eye protection. Likewise, harnesses should be used for all workers working on rooftops and scaffolding.
Reflective Clothing
You should provide all workers with high-visibility apparel including reflective vests. This will reduce the chances of workers getting hit by vehicles and other machinery.
Regular Breaks
Make sure all workers take regular breaks to reduce the chances of accidents due to exhaustion.
If you don’t want your construction site to be an accident waiting to happen, then put the safety pointers above to good use.
