Health and safety should inform pretty much every project in the construction industry in some way. As well as being factoid into the way tasks are planned and people are managed, there should always be some health and safety precautions and emergency protocols in place in case accidents take place.

Essentially, it is a necessary part of everyone’s job, from labourers and operatives to site managers. And despite many people understanding this fact, there is still an alarming amount of accidents that avoidable damage that takes place both to people’s health as well as equipment and the environment.

For this reason, it’s important that firms keep stressing the importance of health and safety to their staff and work hard to train and educate all their staff. This takes providing the right resources to people as well as building systems and processes that make sure that people are always mitigating unnecessary risks and dangers.

In this article, we’re going to look at a few general dangers associated with construction as well as specific risks relating to cables and excavations.

The Dangers in Construction

Not everyone knows this, but dozens if not hundreds of fatal injuries occur in construction each year. While these numbers are much lower than those you’ll find in other parts of the world, they’re still significant and something that should be avoided as much as possible.

When you’re handling quite heavy-duty equipment and working on sites that are naturally dangerous, there’s only so much risk you can avoid. However, smart systems and processes that are guided by professional health and safety officers can seriously reduce dangers that exist in the construction world.

These dangers include:

• Falls from height
• Being struck by a moving vehicle
• Struck by a moving object
• Trapped by something collapsing / overturning
• Contact with moving machinery
• Striking a live cable or utility service
• Electrical explosions and fires
• The collapse of the ground

The Wider Impact

It’s not just workers who face dangers from construction activities. Members of the public can also face risks, especially those who pass by or live near areas where construction is taking place.

Additionally, if any utility cables are damaged and local services are disrupted, certain people also face a risk when their electricity or gas is shut off. Even if this is only temporarily, many vulnerable groups such as the elderly may struggle to get by without energy supplied to their homes, especially during colder months where indoor temperatures can fall to dangerous levels.

What’s the Cause of Construction Accidents

Some accidents are simply caused by human error, however, others believe the biggest problem is education and training, whether that’s utility surveyor training or other such courses. While many people have the necessary qualifications to carry out construction jobs, others do not. This could be because they are new to the industry or their company has not enforced appropriate training requirements on their staff.

Internal training can also be an issue, as well as a lack of oversight and management. Many people know how to keep things safe, but often following every rule can slow projects down and cutting corners might seem smart. Without the appropriate framework of health and safety checks and assessments, it can be easy for people to bend the rules.

Another big factor many people in the industry have attributed the high levels of injuries to is budget cuts and austerity. Various government cuts to health and safety investment may have had a cascading impact on the industry.

The truth is that most reputable firms will follow health and safety measures seriously. And jobs in the health and safety sector are still very much respected by many. However, there are still many firms that do not put the safety of their staff and the public first.

Improving Health and Safety in the Construction Industry

One of the best ways to improve health and safety in the industry is to make sure you and your team are suitably qualified to carry out their tasks. For those in the cable avoidance industry, this might include a utility surveyor training course, but each area of construction will come with an appropriate level of training and education that can help to reduce accidents and injuries from taking place.