The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, also known as OSHA, was created specifically to create and enforce safety regulations on the job. OSHA conducts regular safety inspections and creates safety regulations for all kinds of occupations in the work force. Whether it is ensuring lifting gear is in proper shape or mandating crane safety training courses, OSHA ensures that workers are safe in the workplace.

With that said, one of the staples of working in construction is the necessity of wearing hard hats and steel toe boots. Steel toe boots are helpful because if lifting gear falls on a foot, the steel toe prevents the gear from doing any damage. According to OSHA, at least 1,000 construction workers suffer from injury on the job every year.

About a fifth of all workplace fatalities involves a construction worker. Construction companies can help to minimize the risk of accidents or injuries by instituting construction safety training courses or ensuring that all employees are familiar with the proper safety regulations of the company.

Construction related accidents often occur because of faulty, substandard equipment, so it makes sense for companies to check their lifting gear and other pieces of equipment. Checking equipment regularly helps to ensure that the equipment is in tip-top shape. In the material handling part of construction, making sure the equipment is in good shape is important because if it isn’t, the company can lose time or break components necessary for construction.

At the end of the day, a number of things go in to minimizing the risk of an accident on a construction site. Construction workers who know safety practices and precautions are more likely to be more productive, as they won’t need to take time to fix accidents or deal with injuries sustained from accidents. Ultimately, it pays to ensure safety in the workplace.