Concrete is an essential material on most construction sites. Working with construction concrete entails certain hazards that you and your employees need to be protected against to maintain worksite safety.
The following are six safety mistakes to avoid on your construction site when working with construction concrete.
Wearing no eye protection
Eye protection is important for those working with concrete. When it comes to mixing and pouring concrete, wet concrete can potentially splash up into the eyes. With dry concrete, it's possible that concrete dust can get into the eyes and cause irritation or worse.
Wearing safety glasses or goggles is a good idea not only when concrete work is being done on construction sites, but at all times to prevent eye injuries.
Not wearing the right footwear when standing in wet concrete
It may sometimes be necessary for workers to stand in wet concrete as concrete is being poured. Wearing the right footwear is essential when this needs to be done.
Workers need to wear rubber boots that are completely waterproof if they need to step into wet concrete.
Improperly lifting concrete mix materials
Materials used in mixing concrete such as bags of concrete mix tend to be very heavy. Also, concrete slab pieces that workers may have to relocate during concrete construction work are also very heavy.
Workers need to be trained to lift such materials with their legs rather than their backs to avoid injury. They also need to be trained to avoid overdoing it and trying to lift materials that are too heavy by themselves.
Failing to protect the skin from concrete
Concrete can be very harmful to the skin if safety precautions aren't taken. Workers should wear alkali-resistant gloves to protect their hands when working with concrete. They also need to wash wet concrete from their skin immediately and thoroughly before it has any time to dry.
Failing to wear a respirator mask when working around concrete dust
One of the biggest dangers of concrete is silica dust. Silica dust can harm the eyes, throat, nose, and lungs. A worker's chances of developing lung cancer can be significantly increased by frequent exposure to silica dust.
Those working in dusty environments around concrete should wear a respirator mask to avoid breathing in harmful substances like silica dust.
Eating or drinking in areas with silica dust in the air
On some sites, workers develop the bad habit of eating and drinking in areas where silica dust may be in the air. It's important that employees always eat and drink in designated areas well away from silica dust and other construction hazards to stay healthy.
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