So, you’ve just joined a construction site, congratulations! You’re in for a great learning experience. The thing is that working a construction site isn’t like working in your bedroom typing away all day. It can get a little dangerous,if you don’t know what you’re doing. So, we’re going to be taking you through some of the things that you should know going into it.
Tip 1- Don’t start without knowing what everything is. Basically, get inducted. If you begin working without an induction you will probably start the road roller in reverse and drive it off of a cliff or something, you get the idea. You’re working with heavy machinery here, you can’t just “wing it” as they say. Sure, let’s say you know all about the big toys, what about the little ones? Do you know the different hoisting mechanisms out there? Do you know the difference between an eyelet bolt and a turnbuckle? Thought not. Just for your information, a turnbuckle is similar to an eyelet bolt but not really, because it allows you to adjust the tension on a rigging line. If you want to buy some for your own yard, go ahead and check out turnbuckles. They’ve got some fantastic stuff, and very high-quality industrial equipment.
Tip 2- Wear your PPE all the time. PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. Why do you need to wear it? Well, you wouldn’t get in a racecar without a helmet, would you? Or operate on someone without gloves? Or go for a walk on the road without some shoes? PPE as the name suggests exists purely to protect you from danger. A helmet is worn so that a falling object doesn’t completely crush your head, the high vis jacket is worn so that you don’t blend into the construction yard itself, and you wear boots so that when things fall on your feet, you don’t instantly end up in the hospital.
Tip 3- Keep everything tidy. When explaining things like this I like to think of a kitchen analogy. Imagine if you were baking a cake. When you’re baking this cake you make a huge mess of the kitchen, and you accidentally cover the knife with a random piece of newspaper, you then accidentally jostle the knife while working and it falls on your feet. Not fun. Now just imagine the same sort of situation in a construction yard where there is exposed rebar everywhere, you’re mixing up huge vats of concrete, there are controls everywhere. You know, there’s countless ways to get injured while on site.
Tip 4- Follow the signs- There will likely be signs everywhere on site, these signs will indicate that you need to be wearing a helmet, safety glasses etc. By following these signs, you are safe, and the entire operation doesn’t need to come to a screeching halt because you or someone else under your care was injured. So, there we are, just a few tips on how you too can become a very cautious individual on site.
