You might call them Ten Safety Commandments or you might just call them good sense. But if you remember the following safety procedures, you’ll have a better chance of going home injury free at the end of your workday.
- Know How To Do Your Job Safely: If you are new to a job or task and don’t fully understand all safe work procedures, check it out with your foreman or supervisor.
- Keep The Work Area Clean: Housekeeping is everybody’s responsibility. Working in a disorganized, cluttered environment is bad for crew morale. Poor housekeeping is the cause of many accidents.
- Use Personal Protective Equipment: You shouldn’t have to be told to use safety gear. Wear your hard hat, eye protection, gloves, fall protective gear and other required PPE to avoid having an incident and injury.
- Use The Right Tools: Be sure your tools are always in good repair and use them only for the purpose they were designed for. Defective tools should be tagged and removed from service before they may cause injury to someone.
- Work Safely When Using Ladders: Report defective or broken ladders to your supervisor. Always face a ladder when climbing up or down, keep your belt buckle inside the ladder rungs, and don’t carry tools or materials in your hands while climbing. Many workers fall from ladders, don’t be one of them!
- Handle Materials Safely: Protect your back from injury by using the right lifting techniques, and get help with heavy loads. Taking shortcuts when handling heavy objects can mean lost time and pain in the long run.
- Use Care Around Equipment: Don’t operate power driven equipment unless you are qualified and have been authorized to do so. And never be a hitchhiker—taking a ride on mobile equipment is a foolish gamble.
- Dress For The Job: Loose or ragged clothing may not fully protect your body and can be caught on tools, equipment, or in moving parts of machinery. Sturdy work boots are needed for foot and ankle protection, tennis shoes won’t do it.
- Report Unsafe Conditions: Foreman and supervisors can’t be everywhere at once, so take responsibility for letting them know about any conditions that exposure your crew to hazards.
- Follow The Rules: Job safety rules are written for your protection. Strive to be the best at what you do, but strive just as hard to get home safely every night. It’s up to you!Make It A Habit To Work Safely!