Safety Isn’t a Choice, It’s a Lifestyle

Anyone you ask on a jobsite, especially a heavy-equipment operator, will always tell you that safety is “a year-round job” and it’s always “the No. 1 priority,” and while that’s certainly true, safety is all too often the first line-item to get cut from a budget or pushed down the calendar.

June is National Safety Month, and aims not only to refocus our attention on the safety and health risks operators face every day, but also aims to provide insight into what can be done better to prevent mishaps.

Week 1: Emergency Preparedness

The first week of National Safety Week focuses on safety engagement and developing, and regularly revising, emergency jobsite response plans. Establishing and practicing jobsite evacuation procedures, initiating widespread first-aid training and establishing communication protocols for emergencies like fires, severe weather events and medical incidents, are where you should start.

In addition to being the first week of safety month, the first week of June also happens to be National CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Awareness Week, spotlighting how lives can be saved if more workers on every jobsite knew CPR and how to use an AED.

On any jobsite, time is of the utmost importance, and that goes for project timelines as much as for cardiac-related incidents. Countless studies show that the amount of time it takes a worker to receive treatment after a cardiac event and their chances of survival are correlated, with those receiving treatment on-site 60% likely to fully recover. On the other hand, if treatment is first received at the hospital, the recovery rate plunges to 5%.

Week 2: Hazard Recognition

Week two is focused on roadway safety, with a particular focus on eliminating the next generation of hazards by refining what working safely will look like while finding solutions to help eliminate on-site risks before they become so.

In all safety plans, personal protective equipment (PPE) should be considered the last line of defense against injury, not the first. Protecting the face from splatter, spray or dust is necessary but is frequently the primary cause of an uncomfortable shift. While we all know that life with one eye is far more uncomfortable than a shift wearing uncomfortable PPE, sometimes our commitment to finishing the job causes us to forget about safety.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, close to 20,000 eye injuries occur every year, underscoring the importance of safety eyewear, which prevents more than 90% of potential eye injuries.

Sealed eyewear is a great option if the main hazard is keeping dust and debris out of the eyes. They stay snug on the head and are usually cushioned around the eye, making them feel like they’re not even there. Finding an adjustable pair is key to a snug fit and your best friend when wearing them all day.

Traditional safety glasses are also a tried-and-true way to protect eyes and are available in prescription, or simply slide right over everyday glasses, so sacrificing vision for safety isn’t an issue. Another important feature to look for in eyewear is an anti-fog coating, especially in the summer months with humidity at its pinnacle.

With outdoor jobsites, the sun isn’t just a hazard on the skin, it can severely strain the eyes and compromise an operator’s ability to work safely. Protecting the eyes from fatigue and keeping vision unobstructed is non-negotiable when working with heavy machinery.

Clothing Is Also PPE

Moisture-wicking fabrics can also help keep you cool, dry and protected during long hours in the sun. With increased awareness of sun-exposure risks, UV-protective gear is becoming a popular choice, with myriad brands offering work shirts, hats and jackets with UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) ratings up to 50 to add an extra layer of protection from the dangers of spending a lifetime working outside.

Respiratory Safety

Every face is different, so finding a mask or respirator that can mold to different face structures is critical because everyone knows; if a mask isn’t comfortable, it’s likely no one will wear it.

Respirable crystalline silica can be found at just about every jobsite and inhaling these particles can cause serious health issues later in life without the proper protection. According to OSHA, about 2 million construction workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica in over 600,000 workplaces from coast to coast. Using a respirator is necessary if there is a lot of grinding, cutting or sawing at the site.

While crystalline silica dust is a huge respiratory health hazard, it can also be a hazard to the eyes, so snug-fitting glasses are just as important as a snug-fitting respirator or mask.

Week 3: Risk Reduction

Week three of safety month focuses on risk reduction and given that summer is upon us, there is no area more ripe for risk reduction than heat-related illnesses.

Crane operators, who often work in isolated and inherently dangerous environments, are particularly aware of heat-related illnesses. OSHA reported 2,830 heat-related illnesses in 2022, a number likely underreported due to a lack of awareness and reporting mechanisms.

Sitting in a cab and moving levers may not seem exhausting, but crane operators face significant risks due to direct sunlight exposure, limited shade, and the physical and cognitive demands of their job — your brain only makes up 2% of your body weight but uses more than 20% of your body’s energy, meaning you don’t have to be outside slinging sand to get dehydrated on a jobsite.

Understanding the key symptoms of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can improve safety, morale and will save lives. Heat stress and mild heat exhaustion are fairly easy to treat with a little shade, hydration and rest. However, just as quickly as things can get better — they can turn potentially fatal. Severe cases of heat stroke involve loss of consciousness, seizures and vomiting and require immediate professional medical attention — often requiring life-saving techniques like the TACO method (tarp-assisted cooling oscillation) where an overheated worker is doused with ice water to cool their core as quickly as possible.

The TACO method, just like CPR, is a life-saving intervention and should be administered until help arrives.

Preventative Measures

We know you are probably tired of hearing the word “hydration,” but this should reiterate the importance of simply drinking water throughout the work day and at home. Staying hydrated is the most crucial factor in preventing heat-related illnesses and the easiest precaution to take. Crane operators are advised to drink water frequently, in small amounts, every 15-20 minutes, while avoiding caffeinated beverages, since they can contribute to dehydration.

Scheduling Regular Breaks

Work still must be done, despite the weather. However, schedules should be adjusted to minimize exposure to extreme heat due to the lack of official guidelines.

In a move that was welcomed, but also alarmingly overdue, the Department of Labor says it’s close to publishing official regulations for protecting construction workers from the hazards of heat illness while on the job. With no official heat standard in place, enforcement is murky if non-existent for OSHA and citations fall under the self-policing guidelines of the broad general duties clause.

Week 4: Slips, Trips and Falls

The last week of safety month wraps up by focusing on reducing slips, trips and falls on jobsites across the country — with an emphasis on falls. Falls can happen anywhere and despite decades of improved awareness and legions of tech-inspired prevention apparatus, falls remain the most common form of serious injury on jobsites across the country.

There are few certainties in life: taxes, death and gravity. And few folks are more familiar with the power of gravity than crane operators. As projects stretch higher and higher, the chances of anything falling and becoming lethal also increases.

A recent report from the Center for Construction Research and Training shows the number of fatal falls in the industry has surged over the past decade. An independent analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that 397 fatal falls occurred in the construction industry in 2022 — that’s a 53% increase from 2011 — and a vast majority of those fatal falls (70%) were workers employed by builders with 10 or fewer employees. 

According to the same BLS statistics, there was a 6% jump in construction-related deaths due to falls in 2021 — with one in five workplace deaths, across all sectors, occurring in the construction industry, with more than a third of those deaths attributed to falls alone.

These statistics should immediately underscore what everyone already knows: falls are often fatal, preventable, yet seemingly inevitable. Proactively identifying blindspots within your own organization’s capabilities and protocols while also engaging in meaningful training can not only assist in compliance, it’s the best way to keep the lawyers in their offices and ensure every worker walks home after their shift.

What Lies Ahead

In order to ensure safety training gets everywhere it is needed, many safety training programs, including those offered by OSHA and other industry associations, have started integrating VR and AR to provide more effective training solutions.

Large construction firms are now working with companies specializing in VR and AR training solutions to offer jobsite-specific training in order to stay on the leading edge of keeping workers safe while also exploring what dangers continue to lurk, undiscovered.

As safety awareness continues to evolve, the inherent dangers of the future jobsite will evolve along with them, presenting us with a brand new set of issues to address next year — because, remember, safety is a year-round commitment … just like hydration.