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Ask any construction worker about a normal day on the job and you will probably hear about the very early mornings, loud and heavy equipment and the long-strenuous hours. Unfortunately, you may also hear a story or two about their on-the-job injuries. A cut here, a broken bone there. Construction workers know all too well that their job does not come easily - and safety must be a No. 1 priority. If not, they might not make it home at night.
Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. According to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), 20.5 percent of deaths in the private industry are in construction. Of those 828 construction deaths, more than half were due to the "Fatal Four," the four most deadly hazards in the construction industry: fall hazards, electrical hazards, struck-by hazards and caught-inbetween hazards.
To increase awareness of these deadly hazards, OSHA has deemed these Fatal Four as the "Focus Four," or four areas of safety for construction companies to target. If OSHA and the private sector succeeded in eliminating the Fatal Four, 508 construction lives would be saved every year.
Fall Hazards
Falls in construction account for the most deaths in the industry. According to OSHA, in 2014, 349 deaths were caused by falls in the private construction sector. In construction, any walking or working surface can be a potential fall hazard - and workers are exposed to these hazards daily.
The most common fall hazards in construction include unprotected roof edges, roof and floor openings, structural steel and leading edges, improper scaffold construction and unsafe portable ladders.
Employers must provide proper fall protection equipment, and the three generally accepted methods of protection include guardrails, safety net systems and personal fall arrest systems.
Because ladders are...