Can You Spot a Safety Hazard on the Job Site?

June is National Safety Month, a collaboration between the National Safety Council, NAHB and many other organizations, to raise awareness of common safety issues in the workplace, at the jobsite and at home. The focus for the first week of National Safety Month is hazard recognition. Potential safety hazards are everywhere on a home building site. Falling hazards, dropping hazards, heat stress, power tools…you name it. But most experienced home builders can spot these hazards fairly easily. The National Safety Council has resources to help workers identify hazards by making it a part of working mentality. For example:

• Spotting hazards is all about anticipation. Start to ask yourself, 'If I take this action, what might happen?'
• This applies to everything from working with dangerous chemicals and manufacturing machines to simply walking through your worksite.
• Picture yourself walking around a corner with your hands full. When you ask, 'What might happen?' you can anticipate risks like someone else turning the corner at the same time. Then you can take simple steps – like taking a wider turn – and completely avoid the risk.
• Plenty of hazards will be much more serious, but this same way of thinking can help you spot and avoid them. Just be willing to speak up when you see them to keep your coworkers safe.

Hazard recognition and communication is also a major component of NAHB’s Safety Program Toolkit, a model designed for small to medium-sized home builders and general contractors. It contains the materials needed to effortlessly set up a successful, company-wide safety program. The remaining weeks' areas of focus for National Safety Month are:

• Week 2: Slips, Trips and Falls
• Week 3: Fatigue
• Week 4: Impairment

For questions about NAHB’s Safety Program Toolkit or National Safety Week, please contact Rob Matuga.