Construction Worker Safety Guide
Currently, about 7 million Americans go to work at a construction site every day. Although construction has been a crucial sector in the U.S. economy for decades, construction worker safety is still a new and evolving concept. It wasn’t until 1971 that agencies like OSHA (Organizational Safety and Health Administration) were formed. While tremendous steps have since been made to ensure construction workers are safe on the job, there’s still a long way to go.
In this in-depth Worker Safety Guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about construction workplace safety, including anything that’s not highlighted in the standard OSHA regulations.
What is Construction Worker Safety?
Construction Worker Safety is providing a safe work environment, secure procedures, and safety equipment in a construction site to ensure workers’ health and safety. While employers certainly have a moral obligation to provide a safe and conducive construction environment for workers, some turn a blind eye to this obligation altogether. They fail to understand that an unsafe worksite can pose severe legal and financial consequences to them as well. To that effect, construction employers should treat workplace safety as a crucial and indispensable occupational responsibility, not an afterthought.
What Risks Do Construction
Workers Face?
Nearly 7 million people go to work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the U.S. each day. On the job, these workers face a wide range of occupational safety hazards. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average for all other industries. Although OSHA implements standards to help keep working conditions in sites safe, construction accidents still happen. And when they do, they are often severe or fatal. Here are some of the most common risks on a construction site:
When building and demolishing structures, construction workers are required to work from dangerous heights. Statistics indicate falls in the workplace as the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. In 2018 alone, falls from heights accounted for 320 out of 1,008 construction fatalities. Ladder falls are particularly deadly. Every year, ladder falls account for approximately 24,882 severe injuries and 36 fatalities in the United States. Falls from construction ladders may occur when:
- Using a ladder beyond its maximum load
- Using the wrong type of ladder for a task
- A ladder is structurally damaged, including broken or missing rungs, cleats, or steps, missing or damaged safety devices, and split or bent side rails
- Improperly training workers on ladder safety
- Worker contact with live power lines
- Overloaded or unapproved extension cord wires
- Inadequate or improper ground-fault protection
- Missing or discontinuous path to the ground
- Wet conditions (rain, puddles, sweat) on the job site that allow for a more significant current to flow through the human body upon contact
- Water
- Mud
- Oil and grease
- Wires, cords, and cables
- Clutter and debris
- Gaps in a walking surface
- Material handling (including moving or lifting heavy objects)
- Burns
- Airborne dust
- Scaffold-related injury
- Exposure to toxic materials (e.g., leads, chromium, cadmium, and asbestos)
- Vibration-related injury
- Using a ladder beyond its maximum load
- Using the wrong type of ladder for a task
- A ladder is structurally damaged, including broken or missing rungs, cleats, or steps, missing or damaged safety devices, and split or bent side rails
- Improperly training workers on ladder safety
- Worker contact with live power lines
- Overloaded or unapproved extension cord wires
- Inadequate or improper ground-fault protection
- Missing or discontinuous path to the ground
- Wet conditions (rain, puddles, sweat) on the job site that allow for a more significant current to flow through the human body upon contact
- Water
- Mud
- Oil and grease
- Wires, cords, and cables
- Clutter and debris
- Gaps in a walking surface
- Material handling (including moving or lifting heavy objects)
- Burns
- Airborne dust
- Scaffold-related injury
- Exposure to toxic materials (e.g., leads, chromium, cadmium, and asbestos)
- Vibration-related injury
Long Term Diseases
Construction Workers Face
- Hearing loss: A whopping 50% of construction
workers have noise-induced hearing loss. - Musculoskeletal disorders: 40% of construction
workers suffer musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., muscle or tendon strain, Tension Neck Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and tendinitis) and chronic pain. - Lung cancer and other lung-related
infections: Lung cancer deaths are higher among construction workers than the entire U.S. population put together. Other statistics show that construction workers are 33 times as likely to have asbestosis (an incurable and fatal lung disease) and 5 times as likely to have mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining). In fact, of thousands of construction workers examined in this decade, 20% had scarring of the lung lining, and 5% had asbestosis due to prolonged asbestos exposure. - Severe neurological damage: 7% of pipefitters, 15%
of ironworkers, and 75% of boilermakers exceed the accepted 8-hour manganese exposure, a deadly neurotoxin in steel that can lead to neurological damage similar to Parkinson’s disease. - High blood lead levels: This may not seem
dangerous, but it is. In addition to causing infertility and miscarriages, high levels of lead in the blood can cause damage to the kidneys and central nervous system. Somewhat unsurprisingly, 17% of people with elevated blood lead levels are construction workers.

Construction Safety Issues
Despite OSHA being clear on the applicable construction safety regulations, some employers and construction contractors still choose to ignore them. Ignoring OSHA regulations gives rise to several construction safety concerns that pose a severe danger to the health and well-being of workers.
Below are common safety concerns on construction sites:
Failure to recognize and communicate hazards involving chemicals or unsafe conditions can result in numerous injuries and fatalities from burns, TBIs, or explosions.
Whether it’s a fallen load or getting hit by a swinging radius, a lack of proper inspection and operation of cranes can be fatal. At least 44 people die in crane-related accidents in the U.S. every year.
Failure to wear protective headgear when working on a construction site can result in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or, worse, death; this is especially the case when a worker’s head comes in direct contact with a falling or fixed object.
Despite being one of the most common tasks on a construction site, poorly constructed or unprotected trenches account for dozens of injuries and fatalities each year. Unsafe trench conditions that workers typically encounter include unsecured walls, lack of sloping, and shielding or trench boxes.
As mentioned earlier, improperly secured or otherwise faulty ladders pose a natural safety hazard to unsuspecting construction staff. If supervisors fail to inspect ladders as required by OSHA, the risk increases significantly.
Falling loads, improper use of machinery, or a lack of personal protective equipment may increase the likelihood of accidents in excavation sites.
According to OSHA, 100 employees are killed and 95,000 injured while operating forklifts and other heavy machinery. Most of these accidents are a direct result of using forklifts without proper training.
Nearly 25,000 injuries occur each year on stairways and ladders due to improper safety measures. Employees could avoid most of these incidents if the handrails and steps were firm enough and free from liquids or debris.
With a comprehensive safety guide like this one, employees can avoid future injuries. The guide can act as a trusted reference point, offering a constant reminder of the following:
Materials to avoid (i.e., asbestos and lead)
Protective gear to wear
OSHA regulations to uphold
Ultimately, construction sites will become safer, more productive places to be.
Construction Safety Rules and Standards
Equipment Needed for Safety Security
When protecting workers at a job site, personal protective equipment (PPE) is the best option. Here is some standard safety gear that workers must have:

Hard Hats or Safety Helmets
When it comes to severe and life-changing injury, the head is perhaps the most vulnerable of all organs. Head hats protect workers from deadly head injuries such as TBI. Safety helmets are also helpful to protect workers from electric shock, sun exposure, and rain.

Safety Shoes

Ear Muffs or Ear Plugs

Protective Gloves

Goggles

High-Vis Vests
Safety Tips
Like we mentioned earlier, OSHA’s regulations are helpful but sometimes not enough. Some worker safety issues need to be adequately addressed. As such, employers should consider formulating a comprehensive site safety strategy that encompasses all imaginable aspects of on-site security and safety. As a starting point, we’ve put together our top construction site safety tips.
For Employers
For Employees
How Can You Be Safe On a
Construction Site?
Follow the safety tips in this guide like wearing protective equipment, taking precautions when using heavy machinery, and getting proper training to lessen your risk of injury on a construction site.
The Lanier Law Firm cares about construction worker safety. If you experience an injury on a construction site due to another party’s negligence, please don’t hesitate to contact an experienced personal injury attorney from our firm. We have a strong track record, and we will fight aggressively to get you the compensation you deserve.