Author: Jim Wood

CONCRETE PAVING & BID-WELL SAFETY

Posted on by Jim Wood

When working around Bid-Well, Gomaco or other types of concrete slip form pavers, workers need to follow basic safety measures to prevent injuries.

EMERGENCY STOP BUTTON

  • Workers must be familiar with the location of the emergency stop button.
  • Most emergency stop buttons are magnetic.
  • Test emergency stop buttons daily prior to use and position them near the hazard/point of operation.

DAILY INSPECTION

A competent person must inspect the equipment daily before use to ensure it’s in good operating condition and all safety mechanisms are functioning properly.

SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS

  • Workers must be aware of slip, trip and fall hazards during concrete paving.
  • Watch for tools, materials and string lines that can cause trip hazards.
  • Walking on rebar mats with boots covered in wet concrete can create a slip and fall hazard. Watch your foot placement and avoid openings in the rebar mats. Walk where the rebar is joined or tied together.

CHEMICAL BURNS

  • Wet concrete can cause chemical burns.
  • Wear gloves and boots when working around wet concrete.
  • If your skin comes into contact with wet concrete, wash it as soon as possible.

360 AWARENESS

  • Maintain constant awareness of all moving equipment in the work area.
  • Be aware of incoming and outgoing dump trucks, concrete trucks and other vehicles.
  • Train operators and other employees to recognize the hazards of the concrete paving process.

CAUGHT IN AND CAUGHT BETWEEN – ROTATING AUGERS

  • Properly guard all moving and rotating parts. Inspect equipment before use to ensure guards are in place and undamaged.
  • Workers should not wear loose clothing, jewelry or PPE that could be entangled in a rotating auger.
  • Walk around. Do not cross under a concrete paver when it’s in operation.
  • Stop the equipment and shut off the auger(s) during any cleaning operations.

Download a printable PDF and recording form here.

Members can download the audio version of this toolbox talk here.

VEHICLE & EQUIPMENT BACKING SAFETY

Posted on by Jim Wood

Vehicle backing accidents happen too often but are completely preventable. Vehicle or equipment backing accidents can lead to costly damage, serious personal injury or fatality.

STEPS TO AVOID BACKING ACCIDENTS

  • Make sure your path is clear and that any person in the area is aware of your intention to back up before moving your vehicle or equipment.
  • Don’t assume everyone can hear the back-up alarm and will move clear of your path when you are backing up.
  • Park defensively. Choose parking places that allow you to exit easily, like pull-through spaces.
  • Position the vehicle or equipment to exit the parking area in a forward direction. Doing so gives the driver a full forward view of approaching pedestrian or vehicle traffic that they might not otherwise see when backing.
  • Know your vehicle’s blind spots. Mirrors provide limited visibility. A medium-sized truck can have blind spots that extend up to 16 feet in front and 160 feet behind the vehicle.
  • Physically turn your body and look around at your travel path and the surrounding area when backing.
  • Do a quick walk-around before getting into the vehicle or equipment. Inspect the area behind the vehicle or equipment looking for obstructions or space limitations.
  • Know the clearances around the equipment or vehicle. Check for obstructions, low-hanging wires, utility poles or other possible obstacles.
  • Use a spotter when backing to the vehicle’s blind side, which is the right side. The right side of a vehicle typically has larger blind spots.
  • Drivers sometimes must spot for themselves. You need to return to the vehicle and start backing within a few seconds after finishing the walk-around. This will allow very little time for people, cars or other obstacles to change the back-up conditions. Backing without a spotter should only take place after the driver has learned as much as possible about the area they are backing into.
  • As a pedestrian in a work zone, always assume the driver or operator does not see you. Make eye contact before proceeding around a vehicle or piece of equipment.

Download a printable PDF and recording form here.

Members can download the audio version of this toolbox talk here.

EYE & FACE PROTECTION

Posted on by Jim Wood

There is no shortage of excuses for not wearing eye protection: they are uncomfortable; they are dirty, they are scratched; they fog up; or you forgot to put them on. Unfortunately, every day about 2,000 U.S. workers suffer a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. About one-third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms, and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days away from work.

OSHA has identified five major dangers to your eyes.

  • Dust – Common eye hazard that can scratch and cause infection.
  • Flying debris – Eye injuries from debris like cement chips, metal fragments and wood particles.
  • Chemicals – Eye injuries from chemical splashes, mists and vapors (gas and diesel fuel).
  • Optical radiation – Welding and laser activity create high concentrations of heat, infrared and ultraviolet radiation.
  • Penetration – Damage to the eye and face from hand and power tools or objects struck by a tool.

FACE SHIELDS

When using equipment like cut-off saws, grinders, chipping hammers and other power tools, it’s important to wear a face shield along with safety glasses. The face shield helps to prevent cast-off, high-velocity debris from impacting the eye and face. The face shield can also provide face protection should a grinding or cutting blade shatter.

All eye and face protection, such as safety glasses, goggles and face shields must be marked that they meet or exceed the test requirements of ANSI Z87.1-1989, 2003, 2010. The marking is typically located somewhere on the frame of the glasses or the lens of the face shield or goggles.

PRESCRIPTION GLASSES

Regular prescription glasses do NOT have the level of impact protection required under ANSI Z87.1. Those people that wear prescription eyewear must either wear approved safety glasses with prescription lenses, side shields and frames that meet or exceed the ANSI Z87.1 standard or wear approved, ANSI-standard eye protection designed to be worn over their regular prescription glasses.

FIRST AID

Should a particle or other debris get into your eyes, flush the surface with a sterile saline solution from the first aid kit, and seek medical attention. Some particles may become deeply embedded and must be removed by a physician.

EYE INJURY PREVENTION

The most important thing you can do to protect your vision at work is to always wear the correct eye and face protection for the work activity. This can prevent more than 90% of serious eye injuries, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Download a printable PDF and recording form here.

Members can download the audio version of this toolbox talk here.

STRUCK-BY HAZARDS

Posted on by Jim Wood

Struck-by injuries are produced by forceful contact or impact between the injured person and an object or piece of equipment. In comparison, a caught-in or between incident occurs when an injury is a result of the crushing force between two objects. For example, if a person’s hand is pulled into a conveyor and suffers an injury due to being pulled in and caught between the rollers.

Sources of struck-by accidents include:

  • Equipment or vehicles moving in the work zone.
  • Falling tools, equipment or materials.
  • Operating tools or equipment.
  • Moving or lifting unsecured loads.

Vehicle and equipment traffic operating within the project including dump trucks, paving equipment, rollers, and other heavy equipment create a struck-by hazard for contractors working within the project. The equipment’s large size and height creates blind spots for the operator that can extend greater than 10 feet outside the perimeter of the vehicle or equipment.

Important safety measures include:

  • Don’t walk in front, along the side or behind vehicles or equipment when they are moving.
  • Maintain a three-foot perimeter around all equipment. Equipment could move suddenly.
  • Don’t allow work activity to overlap. No work activity should take place within the swing radius of excavation equipment.
  • When one piece of equipment is lifting or putting materials or tools in place, do not place your hands on, or manually guide, the load. Use a tag line.
  • Secure tools, equipment and material to prevent them from falling from heights.
  • Inspect saws, grinders and other tools before use to make sure the guards are in place, the blades aren’t chipped or cracked and are in overall good condition.
  • When you are using saws, grinders and other powered hand tools, always wear safety glasses and a face shield.
  • Coordinate work activity to minimize the possibility for people to be near overhead work activity or moving equipment.

Download a printable PDF and recording form here.

Members can download the audio version of this toolbox talk here.

STRAINS & SPRAINS

Posted on by Jim Wood

Construction is a physically demanding job, and the physical demands can place stress on the body. The physical stresses can result in sprains and strains to the muscles and ligaments. Sprains and strains account for about a third of injuries in construction.

STRAIN vs. SPRAIN

A strain is an injury to either a muscle or a tendon, the tissue that connects muscles to bones. Back injuries are the most frequent strains. Depending on the severity of the injury, a strain may be a simple overstretch of the muscle or tendon, or it can result in a partial or complete tear.

A sprain is an injury to a ligament, the tough, fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. Sprain injuries involve a stretching or a tearing of the ligament.

MINIMIZING THE CHANCES OF STRAINS AND SPRAINS

  • When you are lifting, maintain a good position. A good position means keeping the item being moved or lifted close to the center of your body (waist and midsection). The farther the item being lift is from the center of the body (above the head and neck or below the knees), the greater the risk of a strain.
  • Don’t be foolish. Know your limit. Get help from another person or a piece of equipment.
  • Avoid twisting. Always turn your whole body when you’re changing direction while carrying a heavy object.

RECOVERY

You have to allow your body to recover from the stress you place on it.

  • Rest – a person needs seven to eight hours of sleep a day for sufficient recovery.
  • Nutrition – your body needs a proper supply of protein to allow for recovery. Poor nutrition can slow down your recovery, and some foods can create additional inflammation.
  • Notice warning signs – pain is your body’s indicator, if you ignore pain, it’s more likely an injury will become worse.
  • Do not self-diagnose – some self-treatment methods like Rest-Ice-Compress-Elevate (RICE) are outdated. See the correct person within your company to direct you to proper medical care.

Download a printable PDF and recording form here.

Members can download the audio version of this toolbox talk here.

LADDER SAFETY

Posted on by Jim Wood

Falls continue to be one of the leading causes of injury and death in construction. Among construction workers, an estimated 81% of fall injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments involve a ladder, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SAFE LADDER USE

  • Inspect – A competent person must visually inspect all ladders for any defects before use.
  • Defective Ladders – Remove any defective ladder from service that is tagged as “Do Not Use” or similar language.
  • Maximum load – The ladder must sustain at least four times the maximum intended load.

SAFE LADDER USE – EXTENSION OR PORTABLE LADDERS

  • Extend the top of the ladder three feet above the landing and secure it to prevent it from tipping.
  • Maintain three points of contact (two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand) when climbing or descending a ladder.
  • Maintain a 4:1 ratio between the working height of the ladder and the base of the ladder.
  • Face the ladder when climbing up or descending.
  • Keep the body inside the side rails.
  • Carry tools in a tool belt or raise tools up using a hand line. Never carry tools in your hands while climbing up or down a ladder.
  • Keep ladders free of any slippery materials.

USE A CORRECTLY RATED LADDER

  • IAA Special Duty Rugged is rated at 375 lbs. capacity.
  • IA Extra Duty Industrial is rated at 300 lbs. capacity.
  • I Heavy Duty Industrial is rated at 250 lbs. capacity.

DO NOT

  • Lean or extend out beyond the ladder’s side rails.
  • Place a ladder on boxes, barrels or unstable bases.
  • Use a ladder on soft ground or unstable footing.
  • Exceed the ladder’s maximum load rating.
  • Tie two ladders together to make them longer.
  • Ignore nearby overhead power lines.
  • Use an extension ladder as a horizontal platform.
  • Use a ladder in any way other than what the manufacturer intended.

Download a printable PDF and recording form here.

Members can download the audio version of this toolbox talk here.