Introduction
A construction site is perhaps one of the most likely places for accidents and injuries to occur. We might have come across newspapers reporting news about injuries and deaths that took place on a construction site. Every other day there is news about a construction accident which may have lead to numerous casualties. Workers working at the construction site and even the people passing by a construction site are in danger of getting injured or face serious accidents.
History
The work of construction is a dangerous one. It involves heavy-duty work along with dangerous machineries, and tools increase the probability of a construction accident, which is very high. In this area of work, you’d find people working on towering heights, working with sharp and heavy tools, working around large cranes picking up blocks and working in the carcass of fragile buildings, which may collapse at any time. This dangerous work poses a risk not only to the people working there but to people around as well. That is the reason why the general public is not allowed to casually visit or walk around a site where construction is going on.
Features
The accidents and injuries may range from being small to highly severe. Incidents such as workers falling from a height, falling of unsupported walls, blocks from cranes, collapsing of roofs, explosions and welding accidents are very common at a construction site. Falling is perhaps the most common construction accident. Many workers who are working at a soaring height may trip while doing something such as hammering. Even if a worker slips head down from a short height, an immediate death occurs at the spot. The majority of construction workers die because of falling, that is why it is now a compulsion for workers to wear helmets while working. Collapsing of incomplete roofs is another very common construction accident, which results, usually not in single but in multiple casualties. Many such incidents where the incomplete roof collapses on the workers takes place regularly at a construction site. The falling of blocks from the crane onto workers is a very severe kind of construction accident, which unfortunately is quite common. This occurs due to a mistake by the person handling the crane. Then there is another common construction accident, which is the falling of scaffolds. Scaffolds are temporary poles from used to make the frame for supporting workers, if not adjusted correctly, they may fall causing severe damage. Other fatal accidents include the falling of elevator shafts, explosions and welding accidents, which may result in some serious or permanent damage.
Tips and comments
Due to the high risks involved in construction work, all the possible safety measures are required by many governments to ensure the safety of workers. In many countries, there is a law for wearing helmets and the workers who don’t wear one are fired. To save the general public from any danger, the construction site is usually blocked from civilians, and they are not allowed to pass through the area. Despite all the measures, construction accidents can never be completely stopped.
