Construction sites are a necessary part of building the infrastructure and modernity of this country, whether on a regional or national scale. However, for the amount of people they employee and the necessity of the job itself, there is a high-rate of danger when working on a construction site. The common reasons for such danger comes down to a mixture of these jobs require a great deal of physical movement and strength, along with workers having to handle and use heavy machinery around fellow employees.
Basic statistics show that construction workers often walk more than 30,000 steps per day (compare that to the average of 10,000), and that most employees spend $70 or more on basic protection for the feet. In 2015 alone, there were almost 5,000 construction employees killed on the job, averaging out to around 13 deaths per day in the U.S.
As a construction company manager or owner, you want to ensure that your workers are safe while on the job. It is for this reason that certain forms of protective clothing should be provided and worn on job sites at all times.
Hearing Protection
Permanent hearing loss can be caused by any sounds louder than 85 decibels, especially if they are consistent as background noise. By providing workers with earphones or earplugs, you can effectively reduce noise by up to 30 decibels, protecting the hearing of your employees for the long-term.
Hard Hats
Falling debris can cause serious damage, whether that be to the flesh, the skull, or the brain. Providing each and every employee with a hard hat provides them with protection against falling objects they are likely not to see, ensuring that they have some form of barrier against heavy objects that could cause serious, long-lasting damage.
High Visibility Clothing
Another must on the job site is that of high visibility clothing. Reflective pants, reflective safety hoodies, reflective workwear, high visibility rain jackets, orange safety vest: each item is a means to ensure that your employees are seen on the job site, safe from anyone operating machinery, guaranteeing that they are noticed under low-light conditions.
One of the best options listed above is that of the orange safety vest. Just like with earplugs and hardhats, the orange safety vest is a piece of gear that can be provided to workers and be worn in conjuction with any other outfit. Workers can drape the orange safety vest over whatever shirt, coat, or rain jacket they might be wearing on any given day and have the immediate ability to be easily seen by fellow employees around the job site.