Loading...

Construction Safety Equipment

Construction Safety Solutions

Checkers Safety offers a variety of workplace safety solutions designed to protect employees and assets. To help you find the construction safety equipment best suited to your needs, here is a look at workplace safety equipment that is ideal for use in the construction industry and an outline of various use cases.

Construction Safety Equipment

Cable Protectors

Cables, extension cords, and hoses are common in construction areas. A cable protector is designed to secure loose cables and hoses and offer safe crossing for pedestrians and vehicles. Not only will cable protectors reduce trips and falls, but they will also help protect sensitive cables and hoses from being damaged by vehicles.

Wheel Chocks

Wheel chocks are designed to ensure a safe working environment by securing vehicles while they are at rest. If a rolling vehicle collides with a staff member or piece of equipment, the results could be disastrous. Wheel chocks can be easily deployed in construction areas to prevent vehicles and heavy equipment from causing injuries or damaging property. 

Ground Matting

When vehicles or heavy equipment need to traverse lawns or agricultural zones, ground protective matting provides reliable temporary access that helps prevent damage to sensitive areas. Outrigger pads offer a safe, non-conductive working platform that will not absorb water for vehicles with an outrigger arm.

Warning Whips

Construction zones can be loud. High noise levels are potentially dangerous for personnel working around heavy vehicles or equipment because they may not hear them in time to avoid a collision. Warning whips are designed to alert employees to the presence of vehicles in all weather conditions and from great distances. Checkers’ whips feature a high-visibility design that helps protect your staff.

Find the Construction Safety Equipment That is Right for You

Checkers is the industry leader in workplace safety equipment. We have a range of safety products that will keep staff and assets protected. From warning whips that alert personnel to the presence of heavy equipment to ground protection matting that safeguards sensitive agricultural zones, Checkers has the tools you need to get the job done. Take a look at our extensive product inventory and find the construction safety equipment that is right for you.

Industry Data & Statistics

According to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction-related injuries have risen every year since 2007. In 2019—the last year that reporting information was made available—there were a total of 1,061 fatalities reported in the construction industry. Because of the high rate of workplace fatality, the BLS identified construction as the deadliest occupation compared to all other industries.

The prevalence of work-related injuries among construction personnel makes it  imperative that you ensure the safety of your staff. Using proper safety equipment in a construction zone can significantly reduce the possibility of an accident. Beyond hardhats and safety vests, there is a range of construction safety products designed to maintain workplace safety in construction areas.

Safety Risks

There’s no doubt that the construction industry is a vital part of the world’s economy.  The U.S. is one of the largest construction markets in the world, with expenditures reaching over 1,293 billion U.S. dollars. In 2018, the industry employed almost 11.2 million people in the U.S.. With the industry continuing to grow, it’s important to understand all the safety risks in construction.

Safety risks in construction include:

  • The "Fatal Four"—This is the leading cause of deaths in the construction industry. The “Fatal Four” are: falls from heights, being struck by an object, electrocution, and caught inside or compressed by equipment or objects. These accidents were responsible for more than half the construction worker deaths in 2018.
  • Slips, Trips, and Falls—This is among the most common causes of injury in U.S. workplaces in general. Construction slips, trips, and falls are mostly caused by uneven surfaces, obstacles, trailing cables, wet or slippery surfaces, and changes in level.
  • Falls from heights—According to the CDC,  more than 300 construction workers die each year and more than 10,000 more are seriously injured by falls from heights. Falls generally occur from unprotected edges or openings, roof work, unstable materials, from ladders, from scaffolds, from places of work on an existing facility, and on stairways.
  • Falling objects—This includes falling objects from an upper level, equipment, or from the collapse of structures and debris from a trench collapse.
  • Electric shock and arc flash/arc blast—Poorly maintained electrical equipment or work near an overhead power line put workers at risk.
  • Machinery—Risks include roll-over of large construction equipment, objects falling onto the equipment, and malfunctioning safety and other warning devices on large vehicles.
  • Failure to use personal protection equipment (PPE)— PPE protects employees against falling objects, debris, chemical and biological exposure, and moving vehicles.
  • Repetitive motion injuries—These are temporary or permanent injuries to muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons caused by performing the same motion over and over again.
  • Noise— Loud, repetitive, and excessive noise causes long term hearing problems, such as deafness and tinnitus.

Preventing Injuries

Close to 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day. Ensuring construction site safety will keep your workers healthy and your business profitable. Here are three ways to prevent injuries on your job site:

1. Have a construction safety plan

This is a blueprint for keeping your workers safe. According to OSHA, your safety plan should be a written document that describes the process for identifying the physical and health hazards that could harm workers, procedures to prevent accidents, and steps to take when accidents occur. OSHA recommends that each written plan includes the following basic elements:

  • Policy or goals statement
  • List of responsible persons
  • Hazard identification
  • Hazard controls and safe practices
  • Emergency and accident response
  • Employee training and communication
  • Recordkeeping

2. Conduct construction safety training

Regular training on how to use machinery, safety protocol, and PPE is a vital part of preventing injuries. OSHA’s safety training and education rule (29 CFR 1926.21) states that the employer must train each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury.

3. Construction safety gear

Proper PPE should be worn at all times when on construction sites, and during the use of other safety equipment.