OSHA Signage Regulations for Construction Areas

It is a well-known fact that working at construction sites can be very risky as it involves usage of heavy equipment and materials.

A number of potential accidents can take place if proper precautions are not taken. Construction safety signs inform workers that they need to wear the required personal protective equipment to protect themselves while working on site. Any part of the body whether hand, head, foot, eye, ear etc. is in danger of being injured while working on a construction site. Construction safety signs put this information across effectively.

OSHA has guidelines and regulations for all types of signs for different kinds of workplace- hazardous, construction and many more. Below are the most relevant regulations charted by OSHA, for almost all types of construction sites.

• For general safety – OSHA states that it is the responsibility of the employer to prevent accidents at the work site. There should be frequent inspections to ensure that all safety equipments are properly maintained; appropriate signs are erected and are functional at construction sites.

•  Training and Education – requires that all employees are well trained in construction safety. An employee is required to operate large machinery at construction sites, so proper training should be provided. All workers should be trained and educated about the usage of machinery and equipment. They should also be aware of the meaning of signage installed at a construction site.

• Personal Protection Equipment – Apart from giving training to the employees, it is mandatory to fix signs stating the use of PPE. Employees or workers should be trained about the usage of the protection equipment- how to wear hard hats, protective clothes or gloves.  OSHA states that all employees working in an area where chances of objects falling exist are required to wear a hard hat. American National Standards Institute mandates wearing hard hats.  Any job whose loose material or chemicals can damage face requires use of safety goggles.

• Housekeeping / Egress Signs– While construction is going on in a building; it is mandatory to keep all pathways and exits clear. An exit sign while evacuating in case of emergency can help people save their lives. Locks should be installed only at necessary places.

• Fire protection – A construction site requires use of heavy machinery, which means use of high power supply. In such a case, any fault in power supply or mishandling of machinery or electricity can lead to an electrical fire. Therefore, it is very necessary to have a fire extinguisher at the construction site. But it will be useless if the workers are not able to locate it at the time of emergency. A sign stating the location of fire extinguisher can assist in times of crises.

• Working near water – A construction site near water can take away workers’ life if proper signage is not installed.  Sign boards can warn employees that the area is slippery and advise them to walk slowly.

• Hand Tools –No employee should be permitted to use an unsafe tool. All tools should be checked before beginning work every day. A signboard can remind workers about checking the tools before use.

• Keeping unauthorized people out of site – To keep unauthorized people from entering a construction site, safety signs should be installed to restrict entry and mark areas that they are not allowed to enter.

• Warnings – Construction sites have numerous hazards that people can’t even see. Whether it is a worker overhead or underground, they just don’t notice. Warning signs pointing out to a place with heavy debris or high voltage areas or blasting areas can aid people in clearly seeing the danger zones.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration commits itself towards improving workers’ conditions in the United States. Thus, OSHA understands the importance of installing safety signs at all unsafe and hazardous area at a construction site.

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