Construction Sites
On a typical construction site, heavy mobile machinery and workers are regularly in the same space.
This immediately presents potential safety hazards such as blind spots, moving heavy loads, obstacles and poor visibility, plus human factors such as lapses in attention/ judgement or staff ignoring safety protocols.
As a result, the safe movement of/ placement of items on-site has to be the #1 priority. Introducing safety initiatives or additional safety training can help lower the on-site risks, but still the danger is a real one.
The most common safety hazards on Australian construction sites are:
Forklift/ heavy vehicle related incidents (collisions, tipping etc.)
Machinery/ vehicle noise
Lack of visibility from dirt and dust
Worker fatigue
Strain from manual labour
Falling from heights
Pedestrian accidents
Contact with harmful substances
Airborne fibres and materials
Improper storage of flammable/ dangerous goods
Electric shocks
Are these risks your site can afford?
Load-shifting equipment (powered mobile plant like trucks, cranes, bobcats, forklifts, pallet jacks, trolleys etc.) present pedestrian safety risks such as:
Collisions with pedestrians and/ or loads falling onto them.
Rollovers and the equipment moving unexpectedly, posing a crushing risk.
Vehicles being unable to stop quickly.
Reduced visibility when loaded.
You can consider your sites’ layout and physical barriers to separate pedestrians and vehicles, and put control measures in place to reduce risk such as:
Minimising the cross flow of traffic, intersections and eliminating blind spots.
Clearly defining and positioning parking areas so they can be accessed without crossing driveways or loading dock vehicle paths.
Clearly marking pedestrian walkways or using temporary physical barriers to separate pedestrians from roadways and powered mobile plant operating areas where pedestrians and vehicles often interact based on speed limits, stopping distances and efficient workflow.
Defining areas where powered mobile plant is used as ‘pedestrian exclusion zones’ and excluding powered mobile plant from pedestrian walkways and work areas.
Using line markings and marker posts in docking areas to indicate distances from the dock
Initiatives such as line markings, barriers and verbal/ written notices to stay a certain distance clear of vehicles are only effective so long as your staff and site visitors abide by these directions.
There are also the legal obligations to uphold worker safety.
With these daily risks ever present, could your site use a BodyGuard?
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