A Construction Site Safety Checklist

There are a number of potential dangers on a construction site - therefore it is helpful to have a construction site safety checklist, such as the reference material here. Potential dangers can occur due to electrical issues, scaffolding and falling. As a branch of the US Department of Labor, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) helps in many ways to contribute to and monitor site safety issues.

Construction Site Safety ChecklistHere is a good construction site safety checklist to help in accident prevention:

  • Forklifts, cranes and other heavy equipment should be operated by experienced workers. If certain vehicles have licensing or certifications for operating available, those should be met by operators.
  • Being around or handling electricity can be dangerous - on a construction site, only electrical devices for heavy-duty usage should be in operation. Only grounded electrical devices and power cords should be used. And the live nearby power lines should be located and identified.
  • Hazardous materials may be on construction sites - and these should be labeled with the applicable warning signs and graphics. Workers dealing with these hazardous materials should be trained for dealing with these in emergencies.
  • Workers should always be wearing face and body safety gear on active construction job sites. Good examples include face shields or safety glasses - these should especially be work when there is nearby welding, nailing, cutting, etc. - activities which could cause materials to hit workers in the face. Additionally, helmets should be worn wherever elements could fall from above. Strong gloves should be worn for most construction site activities. Boots or shoes should be worn with toe reinforcement, such as steel-tipped toes - and should have strong soles as well since loose nails or other dangerous items may be found on the ground of construction sites.
  • Ladders and scaffolding should regularly be inspected to help prevent falls. Such falls can be serious - so you want to ensure manufacturer’s weight limits are kept in check and that the ladders and scaffolding are new enough to still be I’m good working order, and not used during poor weather occurrences. Likewise, scaffolding and ladders should be used more than 10 feet away from power lines.
  • Construction sites may have a lot of areas for potential falls. For example guard rails should be constructed in high open areas. And large holes should be covered to prevent falling there as well.

There are many potential hazards on construction sites. It helps to have a strong construction site safety checklist such as this one. OSHA also provides a lot of resources for construction site safety reference.