Category Archives: Safety Tips

Knowing how to respond when you find a person on a job site is having sudden cardiac arrest, or a heart attack, can improve the person’s chances of survival.

Immediately call 9-1-1, or have someone nearby call 9-1-1, and immediately begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Before beginning, make sure the person is unresponsive – not breathing, no pulse and, when you shake the person and shout at them, there is no response. Sometimes a person who is having cardiac arrest makes a grunting or snoring type breathing sound for several minutes.

If the person is not breathing normally, coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Push down 2 to 2.4 inches in the center of the chest...

As contractors more frequently use mechanical means to lift loads overhead on job sites, the health and safety of nearby workers needs to be considered when operating forklifts and cranes.

Also, workers who are performing tasks near overhead equipment should also be aware of overhead hazards. A falling load can cause serious injury or death.

Crane and forklift operators must remember these basic safety rules to prevent accidental injuries or deaths:

• Forklift loads must be carried close to the ground
• Use tag lines on loads whenever possible
• Use only one signal person
• Be sure the signal person can clearly see the load and operator at all times
• Never hoist a load over other workers
• Keep the hoist area clear
• Be sure...

To increase awareness of the fall hazards, OSHA is recommending that construction-related companies nationwide participate in the National Safety Stand-Down during the week of May 8-12 to raise awareness of preventing fall hazards in construction. Nationwide, more than one million workers are expected to participate in this year’s Fall Safety Stand-down.

Nearly one in four fatal falls in construction involve ladders, according to the latest statistics provided by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Second only to automobile accident deaths, fall hazards pose the greatest risk to construction, agricultural, transportation and manufacturing industries. OSHA and the National Safety Council are encouraging companies to take a few minutes during the week to recognize fall hazards.

Suggestions...

Runways and ramps are commonly used on jobsites to gain entry to areas where people are working or loads of material needs to be moved. Runways are usually narrow pathways of boards laid on the ground, between scaffolding or spanning the ground of a building wall or foundation. A ramp is an inclined runway.

Although ramps and runways are an integral part of every jobsite – making it easier to move material, work in elevated areas and gain access to work areas – when not properly constructed, the systems can be a potential hazard to workers and can damage materials.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that any ramp or runway at...