The Most Essential Safety Gear for Any Construction Site

 

Construction is one of the most necessary and in-demand industries. But as a result of power tools, heavy machines, and potential hazards, there are plenty of ways construction workers can get hurt on the job. To minimize accidents and injuries, forepeople need to ensure everyone has the most essential safety gear for any construction site. Here’s what they need to provide.

Personal Protective Equipment

At the most basic level, workers must have OSHA-approved PPE gear. This includes protective apparel like hard hats, high-visibility clothing, closed-toed boots, safety gloves, eye protection, and more. While items like hard hats are self-explanatory, some people may not realize why aspects like high visibility receive so much emphasis. When workers are operating around heavy machinery or on highways, it can be difficult for operators or drivers to see workers against the background. High-visibility gear ensures everyone is easy to see.

Workplace Safety Features

Out of the most essential safety gear any construction site needs, hand and guard rails are the most important. Slips, falls, and trips are common sources of injuries in any workplace, and they can be especially dangerous in construction due to heights. Hand and guard rails will act as an easy safety buffer to stabilize workers and ensure no one accidentally falls from a high place.

Communication Equipment

Lastly, communication is always key. Between long distances and loud machinery, workers, forepeople, and managers need to be able to keep in constant contact with one another. This ensures everyone knows what's going on around the workplace so that they can take steps to keep themselves out of harm’s way. While some companies will try to provide this communication via devices like cell phones, two-way radios are more beneficial. Examples of these include walkie-talkies and earpieces. They’re more durable with longer-lasting batteries. Furthermore, two-way radios allow individuals to communicate with the entire crew rather than requiring them to call up one person at a time.