Employee safety Responsibilities
You are responsible for the safety of your own actions while on the job. Conduct yourself professionally and with your mind on your own safety and the safety of others at all times; the workplace is no place for horseplay or lack of attention. Serve as a good role model to co-workers for safe work practices and behavior. Maintain your personal work area and common areas in a clean and orderly manner; good housekeeping means a safer workplace. Always wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and Fall Protection required for your job tasks.
Talk with your supervisor about safety. If you have a suggestion to make a process or equipment safer, speak up! No one knows your job and tools better than you. Immediately warn co-workers and notify your supervisor of any malfunctioning equipment, hazardous conditions, and unsafe behavior in the workplace – someone’s life may depend on it. All accidents and near-misses should also be reported to your supervisor because investigating these incidents can lead to a safer environment. If you have a job-related injury or illness, promptly report it to your employer and seek appropriate treatment.
FALL PROTECTION
It may seem that a job can be performed more efficiently without spending the time to protect against falls. However, falls remain one of the top causes of fatalities in construction. Workers have fallen off edges of every description, especially floors and roofs, and through openings in floors, roofs, and walls. Fall protection is required whenever a worker faces serious risk of injury.
To prevent accidental falls at worksites, guardrails and toeboards or other effective barriers to falls should be used. However, there will be areas where guardrails or other barriers are not feasible. In these cases, workers must use approved personal fall protection systems or positioning devices.
PROPER ROOFING PRACTICES
Ensure your safety at heights
Working at heights is always dangerous, but roofing is responsible for a disproportionate number of fall injuries because of the nature of the surface . You have to deal with working at heights as well as on slanted and often slippery surfaces. Several factors combine to create hazardous work situations on roofs, including the pitch, amount of moisture, presence of dirt or sawdust, your foot wear and presence of tripping hazards. Before you begin working, your supervisor should perform an evaluation of the conditions and set up all necessary safety equipment; however, that does not mean your safety is in someone else’s hands . It ‘s your responsibility to take your safety into your own hands, too. In addition to falls, roofing presents hazards to those working below. Practice good housekeeping and never drop anything of the edge of the roof. If you feel conditions are becoming unsafe as you work– Notify your Supervisor immediately.
Scaffold Safety
Scaffolds – such as suspended systems from buildings, supported systems from the ground, and aerial systems on mobile equipment – are common to many construction projects and allow workers to do their jobs at elevated heights. But, those who work on scaffolding systems are at risk for falls or falling objects that could cause serious or even fatal injuries and employers can be cited and fined. However, when workers have received proper training and education in scaffold systems, fall protection equipment, and proper scaffold work practices, they can work safely and feel safe at elevated heights.
Before a scaffold job begins, all workers should inspect Scaffolding system and on any required personal fall protection equipment including its inspection, use, and replacement. Workers should practice safe behaviors on scaffolding at all times.
They should only climb the scaffolding from designated areas on the structure or on properly installed ladders. Good climbing techniques should be practiced including facing the rungs when climbing up or down; using tool belts or approved hoists to carry materials up to the jobsite and thus allow the use of both hands; and establishing solid footing and balance before climbing the structure. Site supervisors should raise scaffold safety awareness and support safe work practices
Always wear sturdy shoes with non-slip soles when working on scaffolding. Do not keep debris or other material on the scaffold where they present a tripping hazard. Use your best judgment in bad weather . Do not use a scaffold in especially stormy, windy or icy weather
