Construction Safety Management

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Title: Construction safety management
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Statistics indicate that construction industry is among the sectors with the highest death
rates and injuries incidents compared to other sectors (Kim, Cho & Zhang, 2016). Scaffolding, if

Running Head: Construction Safety Management 2
not well if not well managed, is a major contributor to deaths and injuries in the industry. The
identified major categories of hazards in scaffolding are falling hazard, ergonomic hazard, vision
hazard, falling object hazards, partial or full scaffold collapse hazard and tripping hazard.
(Collins et al 2014). It is therefore imperative that all contractors follow the laid out guidelines
by the Occupational safety and Health Act (OSHA) to ensure the safety of workers and prevent
economic loss. This report is a discussion of the six major identified categories of scaffolding
hazards and the measures to mitigate the hazards.
Falling hazard
Falling is s the most prevalent scaffolding hazard. Falling may result to fatality, muscular
injuries, bone fracturing among other injuries (Chen & Yang, 2009). OSHA guidelines requires
that appropriate fall protection measures to be taken for all scaffolds over ten feet. Proper
personal protection equipment to prevent personal fall should be utilized without exception. The
supervisor is responsible to make sure that the workers are properly trained on falling safety
hazard and prevention. It is the responsibility of all to observe OSHA guidelines while working
on scaffolds to prevent falling.
Falling objects
Scaffolding-related injuries also occur through being struck by a falling debris or
construction equipment. Injuries include fatality, concussions, and dislocated shoulders among
others. OSHA requires that guardrails are properly installed and an overlay net set up to prevent
workers or passing civilians being struck by falling equipment. Moreover, workers should be
properly trained on how to safely transfer material and debris should not be allowed to
accumulate to mitigate accidents through being struck by falling objects.