Cranes, trucks, welders, power tools … there is a lot going on at a construction site, which creates the potential for many safety hazards. Mixing humans with heavy equipment also increases the risk that something will go wrong, which is why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires adequate and up-to-date construction safety training. In fact, New York City requires workers at most major construction sites to undertake OSHA 10 safety training, as well as some additional training under NYC Local Law 196. Additionally, since 2020, the number of serious and fatal incidents has continued to rise in New York as the construction industry recovers from the Pandemic Years.
Training is important to ensure the safety of all workers, as well as making sure everyone on site knows what to do in the event of an emergency. In fact, many lives could have potentially been saved if the proper emergency procedures had been understood and performed correctly.
To illustrate the importance of safety protocols, OSHA investigated a situation an auger operator died from injuries sustained in what was a highly preventable accident. The man’s death came about for a number of reasons, each of which might have been avoided if more attention to detail was paid by the operator and those around him on the job site.
The operator was putting in holes for posts on a construction site. All the holes were dug except the final one, which was also the only one to be dug on a previously landscaped area of the land. No one took the time to check out what lied beneath the mulch, and when the auger operator started to drill the auger became quickly entangled in fabric meant to prohibit weeds from growing. As a result, the operator lost control of the machine and then lost his own footing. His legs were both amputated by the auger which continued to operate, and he was not able to be saved in time, later dying from his injuries.
In addition to the dismissal of basic safety protocol in inspecting the area to be drilled, the operator was operating an auger that was supposed to be mounted on a platform to keep him off the area where the hole was being drilled. Had the operator been on the platform, he may not have lost his legs let alone his life.
It just shows how quickly things can go wrong on a construction site and why even basic safety instruction should be reviewed and practiced often. Construction work can be a lucrative, rewarding career but not worth risking your life over. Stay safe!
