Using safety equipment that's appropriate, well maintained, and in good shape can keep minor accidents in home construction from turning into serious - and costly - injuries. The National Association of Home Builders and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration offer these safety tips for residential builders:
Head Protection
- Make sure that your workers wear hard hats when overhead, falling, or flying hazards exist, or when there's a danger of electrical shock.
- Inspect hard hats routinely for dents, cracks, or deterioration.
- After a hard hat has taken a heavy blow or electrical shock, replace it even if you detect no visible damage.
- Maintain hard hats in good condition. Don't drill, clean with strong detergents or solvents, paint, or store hats in extreme temperatures.
Eye and Face
- Workers must wear safety glasses or face shields for welding, cutting, nailing (including pneumatic), or when working with concrete and/or harmful chemicals.
- Because eye and face protectors are designed for particular hazards, be sure to select the type that matches the danger.
- Replace poorly fitting or damaged safety glasses.
Foot
- Make sure that residential construction workers wear shoes or boots with slip-resistant and puncture-resistant soles (to prevent slipping and puncture wounds).
- Require safety-toed shoes to prevent crushed toes when working with heavy rolling equipment or falling objects.
Hand
- High-quality gloves can prevent injury.
- Gloves should fit snugly.
- Glove gauntlets should be taped for working with fiberglass materials.
- Workers should always wear the right gloves for the job. For example, they'll need heavy-duty rubber gloves for concrete work and welding gloves for welding.
Fall Protection
- High-quality gloves can prevent injury.
- Use a safety harness system for fall protection.
- Use body belts only as positioning devices - not for fall protection.