Welcome to the club construction rookies! After reading this article, you’ll surely gain more confidence in facing every construction project that comes your way. So sit tight, we’ll tell you all you need to know when starting a career in construction.
Construction for Beginners: Knowing The Hazards
First and foremost, you must understand the line of business that you’re getting into. Construction is known to be one of the most dangerous lines of business. Even if you’re a big person with a strong body built, injuries are inevitable in the world of construction. It also helps to know what kinds of hazards are there in construction for prevention purposes.
- Watch out falling objects – Protect your head and wear your protective gear at all costs. There will be a lot of hard and heavy objects being hoisted to unfinished concrete. Although there are machines to do most of the heavy work, you would have to do manual labor in bringing some of the stuff from point A to point B.
- Ladders and Stairways – You will be working in an unfinished establishment. This will entail walking to unfinished stairways and steep ladders. So remember to watch your footing!
- Be careful with scaffoldings – According to Enjuris, there is an estimated number of 60 people who die everyday from scaffolding related incidents. For beginners, scaffolding the temporary elevated structure to support the unfinished establishment.
- It’s a chaotic world out there – There’s a lot of going ons in the field of construction. Try to adjust to it. At first it might look overwhelming but once you get the routine then you’re on your way to becoming a construction expert!
- Look out for electrical hazards – There’s a major use of power tools in construction. Keep in mind that hazardous situations occur in this line of work. Most areas are unstable and this can cause electric shocks or blasts to the one handling the equipment.
Construction for Beginners: Wear Your Safety Gear!
Your safety is your number one priority. Wear your protective gear at all costs. Remember that a construction site is a hazardous place to work. Your construction gear will prevent critical damages to your body.
What you’ll need:
- Helmets – As we’ve stated above, falling things are inevitable in a workplace. Your head is the number one target of those “falling things”. So be sure to keep your hard helmets on at all times.
- Construction Boots – Comfortability and reliability is what we aim for when it comes to construction footwear. Most likely, you are to spend a lot of time on the field, out in the sun, and doing hard labour. In addition, you will be stepping on uneven concrete. You would need well grounded shoes to feel assured that they won’t fail you.
- Eye protection – Our eyes are one of the most important sensory organs we have. There will be a lot of flying debris, toxic chemicals, and possible use of power tools that may require you to cover your eyes.
- Gloves – Let’s just say that you’ll be maximizing the use of your body when working in construction. Most of all, your hands. Prepare to hold rough surfaces, sharp objects, handle power tools, lift heavy materials, and so on. However, you can provide protection to your hands by wearing protective gloves.
Construction for Beginners: Safety Tips When Handling Tools
It doesn’t take an Einstein to know how to use some construction tools. Some are pretty straightforward. Although, it does help to properly understand each of its proper functions. Having an instructor teach you can be very beneficial. In this way you can learn first hand how it works. For additional information, why not try instructional videos? The internet is at your disposal! In this way, you could handle power tools and hand tools with ease. As a beginner, it’s important to at least know how to handle these tools safely. Here are some safety tips to keep in mind!
Safety Tips:
- Examine the equipment before using. There might be peeking wires that might cause electric shocks and sparks.
- Make sure you’re using the right tool for the task.
- Always wear the required personal protective equipment! (This includes gloves, goggles, boots, and hard helmets)
- Don’t underestimate the power of a construction manual! If you don’t know how to use something, it’s safer to know about it than just winging it.
- Clean up after yourself!
- Don’t leave tools lying around. This can cause trouble with people walking or rushing about.
- Always be awake of your surroundings. Be alert for power lines or obstructions. They could cause unseen hazards to you or your workmates.
- Follow safety measures/instructions provided by your workplace.
- Never use damaged tools.
- Stay clear of machine operated production.
The thing about scaffoldings…
Scaffoldings are the ones that hold up the entire unfinished building. It’s actually one of the most popular places for a construction worker to be. You’ve probably seen one when crossing a construction site. It looks like this…
We hope you’re not afraid of heights! Scaffoldings are usually built-in functionality. They’re usually made up of thin planks and ladders with little support at the side. It can get you to one place from the other. No matter how cool looking it is, its danger is inevitable to one who is not careful.
Safety tips for scaffoldings:
- Scaffoldings must be built on a solid surface.
- Do not cross a scaffolding when it’s overloaded. However durable they seem, it’s still safer to cross it with an average weight.
- Do not build scaffoldings with uneven planks or unsteady surfaces.
- Never use damaged scaffoldings.
- Do not cross if any of the scaffoldings are weak.
- A scaffolding must consist of sturdy guardrails, toeboards, and midrails.
- If you notice loose nails or boards, replace them immediately.
- Never leave debris or tools on scaffoldings. Space is limited, these obstructions can cause injury to other people.
- Never attempt to cross or use scaffolding in bad weather.
- Most of all, watch out for yourself and your workmates! Construction is, afterall a team effort.
Second Hand Knowledge Works Too!
The best way to learn about construction is from a person who has actually experienced it. So if you know someone who has a career in construction, or someone who has worked there before, it’s also good to ask them about it.