Construction workers play an important part in making our society better. Their worksites, however, are often very dangerous and both employers and workers must do their part to protect construction workers from the hazards on the construction site.
Workers Deserve Safety
Massachusetts employers are required by law to protect their workers. The law requires them to have a Jobsite that is free from hazards that actually do cause, or are likely to cause, death or serious bodily injury. There are many potential hazards on construction sites of which employers and employees need to be aware. Some of the hazards include:
- Electric shock
- Falls from high places
- Improper scaffolding
- Injuries from repetitive motions
Employers should do all they can to prevent injuries from these and other hazards. Some things that employers can do is design the job sites so that exposure to certain hazards is far away from where employees will be working and having only certain types of activities happening in one place at a time.
Personal Protective Equipment
In addition to taking measures to make the workplace safer, workers need to be given personal protective equipment because accidents still happen. Pursuant to the rules provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers are required to provide, and assure that workers use, personal protective equipment whenever workers will be working under hazardous conditions. However, depending upon the type of equipment, some is purchased by the employee.
Employers must not only require the use of protective equipment, but they must also train employees to use the equipment properly. In some conditions, the personal protective equipment creates dangers of its own. Employees must learn of these conditions and must learn how to deal with the risks that the equipment itself creates.
Employers must also decide what types of equipment their workers need by performing a serious analysis of what hazards the job creates. Just as under-protection should be avoided, over-protection must be avoided too – which can further complicate things. Examples of common equipment include:
- Gloves
- Bright colored clothing to increase visibility
- Eye protection
- Heavy work boots
- Respirators
- Protection from natural elements
Workers deserve to be protected as construction workers suffer from the highest rates of fatalities, more than the national average of all other industries. If workers are killed or injured on the job because of improper safety, the workers themselves, or their families deserve to be compensated for their needless injuries. An experienced personal injury attorney can help workers or their families get the compensation they deserve.
