Working in construction can be incredibly lucrative, especially here in the United States. For many people, this is one of the main reasons to join the industry. Aside from the promise of a stable income, many simply find construction work in all areas of the field to be fulfilling, something that you feel satisfied after a long day of work doing. However, it must also be noted that the construction industry can be a very dangerous one to work in indeed if the proper precautions are not taken all the time.
In fact, very nearly five thousand construction workers die every year due to work related incidents. In the year of 2015, it averaged out to about thirteen construction worker deaths for each and every day that passed. And injury is also common, with the average teenage construction worker between the ages of sixteen and nineteen needing to take off nearly a fully week of work – four days, on average – to recover from an injury. This can be directly tied to the fact of their youth, as one third of work injuries that required time taken off to aid in recovery were sustained by those who had a year or less of practical construction experience.
The youth all too often feel that they are invincible, and those that have not had years of experience under their belt are likely to skip taking the necessary precautions. However, many of these precautions in the construction field can not only prevent injury, but can actually prove to be totally and utterly life saving.
Take, for example, the use of reflective button down work shirts. Reflective button down work shirts are a relatively inexpensive purchase with a huge pay off. When construction workers wear reflective button down work shirts, they increase their overall safety considerably, especially if they are working on busy roads and in inclement weather.
In such cases, the reflective button down work shirts increase the visibility of said construction workers by quite a bit, preventing them from accidentally being hit by a car, a risk that is run when conducting road work. And aside from reflective button down work shirts, other reflective articles of clothing can be obtained and worn. For example, the high visibility sweatshirt is popular, as it will help to keep construction workers warm and comfortable without causing them to overheat. The high visibility rain jacket will not only make them more visible to drivers navigating the road, but will also help to protect them from any elements that they might be experiencing. And while reflective button down work shirts and reflective pants for work might not be all too fashion forward, they are likely to be well worth it for the increase in safety that they will provide.
Aside from reflective button down work shirts, other methods of protection should also be utilized on a regular basis. Work boots, for instance, are key for any construction worker. Not only will work boots protect the average construction worker’s feet from falling objects, debris, and other construction waste products, but they will also help to keep their feet as comfortable as is possible. After all, the average construction worker has been found to take as many as thirty thousand steps in a single day. To put this in perspective, the average person living in the United States who is not a construction worker will likely only take around ten thousand steps, if even that.
Ear protection is also important, as construction workers are frequently exposed to high decibel noises. If an ear is exposed to a decibel that exceeds a measurement of eighty five for an extended period of time, it is more likely than not that hearing damage will be sustained. Fortunately, this can be prevented through the use of the adequate ear protection, which can drop the decibel count by as much as thirty decibels – an impressive number, to say the least.
From the reflective button down work shirts to the orange safety vest to the right protective footwear, there are many ways in which we can keep our construction workers safe.