Tag: construction safety: Page 15

Safety

Safety Week Lesson 5: Complacency on articulated dump truck rollovers gets a rude awakening

Articulated trucks, because of their design and the uneven terrain they work in, have a habit of rolling over. Don Swasing, chief operating officer at Schlouch Inc., knew this, but was bothered by the fact that some number of rollovers were considered inevitable. There was a lot of complacency, he says, and that was unacceptable—the […]

January 1, 2016

Safety

Safety Week Lesson 4: Equipment mods cut rate of slips, trips and falls

Falls from equipment are the number-one source of injuries in the heavy construction arena. Traylor Bros. wanted to do something about it. Despite good access systems on most OEM equipment, Traylor Bros., fleet managers thought they could do better. The company researched the relevant regs in the OSHA 1926 standard, says Adam Ralph, fleet maintenance […]

December 31, 2015

Safety

Safety Week Lesson 3: Driver’s tip leads to lighting overhaul of yard

Zero-dark thirty is a time of day all too familiar to construction workers. And at Schlouch Inc., when the day begins in total darkness the equipment yard is an area where dozens of vehicles and people may be rushing around to get the day started. When a truck driver casually mentioned to Kevin Reimert, fleet […]

December 30, 2015

Safety

Safety Week Lesson 2: Information campaign stops frozen air horn danger

At Traylor Bros., Jason Ruggles, shop manager, heard that in winter truck drivers were putting frozen air horns on the dash of their pickup trucks to warm them up. This can cause the gas in the can to pressurize to the point where the can explodes. Not only would this tear up the cab, it […]

December 29, 2015

Workforce

Safety Week Lesson 1: RFID card reader prevents unauthorized machine access

Tim Truex, midsize equipment and electrical manager for Kokosing Construction wanted a way to prevent unauthorized operators from starting equipment, especially cranes, aerial work platforms, forklifts and CDL vehicles. When site supers get in a rush to move something, there is a temptation to let untrained workers get in the crane or telehandlers for a […]

December 28, 2015

Safety

Construction Safety Week: 6 lessons from the real world

Are your guys bored with safety talks? Do the topics seem stale, obvious or theoretical? Since it’s the end of the year we figure it’s the perfect time for reflection. Construction jobsites can be dangerous places. One poor decision or one overlooked piece of safety equipment can be the difference between life and death. In […]

December 28, 2015

Safety

Excavator operator killed after machine becomes submerged in pond on Houston jobsite

An excavator operator was killed on a jobsite near Houston last week when his machine sunk in a retention pond. According to a report from KTRK TV, the unidentified worker was operating the excavator when mud beneath the machine gave way, causing it to become submerged in 12 feet of water. As you can see […]

December 23, 2015

Safety

Dallas now requiring contractors to give workers heat breaks

The Dallas City Council last week passed a measure that requires contractors working in the city limits to give workers a 10-minute break every four hours, in efforts to better protect those working in the extreme Texas heat. According to The Texas Tribune, the council voted 10-5 to approve the measure and joins Austin as the […]

December 17, 2015

Safety

2 men crushed to death in seperate heavy equipment accidents in Texas and Alaska

Heavy equipment accidents led to the deaths of two men in the last month. According to a report from KXAN TV, 24-year-old construction worker Armando Juarez was killed Nov. 18 while assisting with the installation of storm water drainage pipes in Manor, Texas. Juarez was killed when an excavator bucket fell on top of him […]

December 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

Flagger suffers serious head injuries when struck by SUV in Washington work zone

A flagger guiding traffic on a Washington state road was hospitalized with severe head injuries after being hit by an SUV. According to KIRO-TV, the construction flagger helping control traffic while a fiber optic line was being installed near Issaquah, Washington. The man, who is in his 20s, was in the road directing traffic at about 10:45 […]

December 17, 2015

Safety

5 construction workers die from falls in 4-week span

Five workers have died from falls on construction projects around the U.S. in the last month. According to a report from NBC Los Angeles, a worker in the Westlake district of the city fell 28 feet to his death Nov. 17. LA West Media identified the worker as Oswaldo Mineros Jr., reporting that the 20-year-old fell […]

December 16, 2015

Safety

Dozer operator dies after being impaled by tree limb in Wisconsin

A bulldozer operator in Wisconsin was killed last month when he was impaled by a tree limb. According to a report from The Northwestern, 55-year-old Wayne N. Remer, was using the machine to move tree limbs from a field being cleared in Nepeuskun Nov. 11 when “one of the tree limbs entered the bulldozer’s cabin” and […]

December 15, 2015