subject: Civil Construction Safety Requirements [print this page] Working on any construction site requires a degree of Civil Construction Safety training. The sole purpose of this is to ensure your on-site safety and the safety of those around you both co-workers and members of the public.
Courses in civil construction safety are the most important aspect of this by far. Keeping up to date with what your country demands in terms of health and safety legislation is, obviously a key point in maintaining on-site safety. In Australia, this is mostly dealt with by Worksafe, and further details can be found on their website.
Noise levels are a particularly pertinent aspect of civil construction safety, and as anyone who has been woken up by builders in the morning will tell you, the rules aren't always followed. Both social and legal issues can arise from this. It isn't simply a question of ensuring you keep to specified levels though. The times at which you create noise, is a key issue, as well as the calibration of your equipment.
The chances are that you know someone who has been affected by an elecrtical accident. They are very common. Remember that power tools should be equipped with grounded, or three-pronged plugs, and work should not be carried out in a haphazard manner. Remember to use the appropriate work station for the right tool. Even the smallest trip over an electrical wire can lead to catastrophic accidents. It might not always be obvious exactly where the dangers of electricity come from. Not all workers on site are trained to understand the full dangers of electricity, so it's down to correct procedure, signage and communication to ensure maximum awareness on site.
Remember, just because your employer gives you a piece of protective equipment, that doesn't mean that it necessarily increases your safety. In fact, the failure to use PPE, or personal protective equipment correctly is one of the main causes of accidents on site. If you, for whatever reason, fail to use equipment in the way you were trained to, you are unlikely to receive any kind of compensation at all. If you think about that a minute, you can see the implications: namely that your livelyhood could be in danger as a result of PPE.
The key thing about civil construction safety is that being aware of the dangers around you and using the equipment given to you is as much a part of your job as erecting a wall, or laying foundations. None of us want to be seen to be bad at our jobs, so make it your priority to ensure you have the utmost safety on your site.
