How To Protect Construction Workers In The United States
Construction workers deal with more perils than the average person when they are on the job, but it is something that most of them are prepared for. From heavy physical and manual labor to dangerous work sites, being a construction worker is not always easy. Fortunately there are steps we can take, such as the widespread implementation of the high visibility jacket and other such protective articles of clothing such as high vis cargo pants or event high visibility button down shirts, to help prevent the number of construction workers who are injured and even killed while on the job.
Construction workers are particularly at risk while working on street construction projects. The deaths resulting from such accidents that are generated by these types of work sites adds significantly to the total number of construction workers who are killed in a year, a number that is frequently higher than four thousand people. This means that more than ten construction workers are killed in just one day of work in the United States.
Fortunately, wearing high visibility clothing such as a high visibility jacket or high visibility work shirts can greatly reduce the risk of an accident and subsequent severe injury or death occurring. If weather conditions are poor, accidents involving construction workers understandably more likely to happen. However, through the use of a high visibility jacket for each and ever construction worker at the site, many of these accidents that be avoided entirely, not just saving lives but saving construction workers from serious injury and what often amounts to a significant amount of time off of work.
Aside for the use of a high visibility jacket, breathable reflective rain gear, cargo work pants with reflective tape and the like, protective footwear is also often essential for any person working on a construction site. Not only does protective footwear prevent serious injury in the case of a serious accident, it can also help significantly to prevent the feet of a construction worker in general. After all, your average construction worker will take an average of at least thirty thousand steps in just one day. This is twenty thousand more steps per day than the average person who is part of the general population may take. Protecting the feet of construction workers is often deemed hugely important, so much so that an annual average of around seventy dollars is spend on footwear and foot protection alone in the United States.
Finally, it is hugely important to protect the hearing of construction workers. Construction workers are likely to be exposed to loud noises throughout the construction process, noises that often exceed the decibel threshold of hearing damage, which is eighty five decibels. In order to prevent permanent hearing damage as well as loss, it is important for construction workers to wear protective hearing devices such as ear plugs or headphones. As ear plugs can reduce the total decibels that a construction worker is exposed to by as many as thirty decibels, they are often very much worth the initial investment.
For construction workers in the United States, going to work can be opening yourself up to a variety of risks. But from a high visibility jacket to regular use of ear plugs, many of these injuries can be avoided. Just the implementation of a high visibility jacket can be hugely important, as it can prevent construction workers from severe injury or even death. Though a high visibility jacket certainly isn’t a big change to make, having each and every construction worker wear a high visibility jacket or other type high visibility clothing can save countless lives and prevent countless needless injuries.