To bring life to architectural dreams, construction sites are the main industry of activity. Amidst the dedicated work of construction workers, their safety and security are still paramount. The United States has been focused on building a safe and secure environment for their construction workforce, by establishing the main federal agency for safety training “Occupational safety and health administration” aka OSHA.

To prioritize the safety of construction site workers OSHA has established mandatory standards and made the safety training compulsory for the construction site workers to uphold the safety measures. Since the 1970s, OSHA has led the position to create a protected working environment by reducing workplace incidents. Their training certification programs cover a wide area to decrease the risks of injuries and fatalities.

The 250 pages of OSHA obligatory standards may seem daunting but it’s the responsibility of the employers to provide the workers with safety training to help them play a part in creating a secure environment. The two courses of 10 and 30-hour construction training are essential for any individual seeking work in the construction industry.

Who are Construction Workers? Navigating Through OSHA Definitions:

OSHA revealed the definition for construction workers under 29 CFR 1910, section 1910.12(b),  as the people who work on alterations, repair, painting, or decorating, for example, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, ironworkers, or others. Where other works then can be considered as maintenance and general industry work. OSHA has mandated the training of construction site workers.

The role of maintenance workers can be sometimes included in the construction workers however, the roles are distributed according to the nature of work complexity. However, it’s compulsory to understand why this training is necessary.

The fatalities and injuries trend in construction sites:

The construction workers are the backbone of industry success, their lives and health matter. The construction site fatalities remained the deadliest as compared to other industries in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data was grabbed from 2023 December, which explains how 986 workers died on the construction job site in 2022. However, this also indicated that the death rate has decreased from the previous year

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Some roles of construction sites are more hazardous than others for instance the work of roofers, experienced the death of 59 workers among 100,000 in the timeline of 2022. The construction site death has decreased from 10.1 rate.  Thus,  following the safety training and OSHA safety regulations can show a huge decrease in workplace incidents in upcoming years.

OSHA safety training is drastically mitigating the rate of workplace injuries and incidents. By setting the standards and set of regulations OSHA has saved many lives. OSHA has highlighted the focus four main causes of fatalities that are:

• Fall hazards: this is the deadliest cause of workplace deaths and injuries in construction sites. The result is roof accidents and scaffolding.
• Caught in between incidents: these incidents occur when workers squeeze, come in between, crush, or pinch in between the objects or machinery.
• Struck by incidents: these incidents occur when a worker encounters any objects that hit him, this can be caused by any moving object.
• Electrocution: obviously, electrocution incidents are the cause of inadequate use of electrical equipment and machines, this is one of the deadliest causes of workplace hazards.

The Need for OSHA Training for Workers:

OSHA training has shown drastic results in reducing workplace hazards by identifying and mitigating the risk. Following are the reasons why OSHA is making it possible for workers to work in a protected environment.

1.Safety knowledge:

OSHA-certified training provides workers with the essential knowledge, education, and training to work like a professional. They provide the workers with adequate and effective knowledge about workplace hazards. This knowledge and education about hazards is crucial to identify them and prevent them.

2.Legal Compliances:

OSHA-enforced standards ensure that each individual is playing a part in fostering a safe and secure workplace. These standards are essential to maintain the healthful condition of employers and employees as well. OSHA training educated the workers about their rights and responsibilities, which comply with the law. Moreover, OSHA has made the training to be mandatory, if not considered by employees they will have to pay the fine and penalties.

3.Reduce the Riskiest Situations:

construction sites are always at high risk, these training programs are ensuring to create this place a secure and healthy environment to work with dedication and commitment. OSHA training enables the individual to identify these risks and act with effective measures to prevent them. The training of protective personal equipment is provided to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

4.Enhances the Work Productivity:

OSHA training enables people to feel safe while working directly enhancing their powers to work with productivity and creativity. Moreover, they will be more confident to encounter any hazardous situations, by fostering the environment of safety awareness, this will help the employees and employers to create an environment where everyone will feel safe.

5.Save Money for You and Your Company:

The safety training is reducing the rate of injuries which results in saving a lot of money for medical expenses, compensation claims, and other legal penalties. Moreover, a safe environment increases the reputation of the company as well and saves the money of company as well.

These safety trainings empower the employees to work with professionalism to create a secure workplace for themselves and their colleagues.

Top Violated Standards as Observed in Previous Years:

Let’s delve deeper to understand what standards are being violated by employers and employees in the year 2022. These areas indicated the places where initials lack attention to prioritize safety.

1.Fall Protection:

This is the most violated standard of OSHA (29 CFR 1926.501). Falls are the leading cause of death in construction sites, but inadequate training, and knowledge leads the employees to experience the hazards and more severe conditions.

2.Hazards Communication:

Other than falls in the construction industry people overlook the importance of hazard communication (29 CFR 1010.1200). These violations involve not providing safety data sheets regarding chemical hazards and other hazard communication.

3.Respiratory Protection:

Sometimes people do not unsee the importance of respiratory-related hazards while focusing on huge and observable risk prediction. Thus, respiratory protection is another highly violated standard by the construction site workers. Who lacks the understanding and education about chemical-related hazards, the right use of respiratory protection equipment, and to work in confined or poisonous areas. 

4.Scaffolding Training:

Workers who are not enrolled in any OSHA training program lack the techniques and skills required to do scaffolding tasks. Thus, violating the standard (29 CFR 1926.451). these will result in scaffolding-related hazards. The OSHA inspectors should keep an eye on industry workers to mitigate such kinds of risks and provide them with adequate training.

5.Eye and Face Protection:

OSHA has established a set of standards to protect workers from experiencing any eye or face injuries (29 CFR 1926.102). However, workers seem to lack the information and education about the appropriate use of eye protection equipment. Which leads to injuries due to chemical splashes, or mini-flying particles. 

6.Adequate use of Machinery and Tools:

Construction site workers have indicated the inadequacy in using machinery and tools correctly which shows their lack of training. Most of them are seen to use the unguarded machinery and experience the crush incidents. These standards of OSHA have been violated creating a disturbed environment to work effectively.

All the specifications and details about the trainings are under control in the supervision of the quality manager.Each trainings are fully designed to entertain the every type of construction workers.However, the room to discussions and more elaboration are always open for workers to get the most from these trainings and must secure theory future at workplace.

Empower & Enroll The Workforce In Outreach Training Programs

The need for OSHA training courses can be observed easily, moreover, this training is mandatory for workers in the United States and many other countries. Several websites provide many outreach training courses that can be taken while sitting at home anywhere anytime. At the end of training programs, each participant will be provided with a Department of Labor card as a symbol of a certified construction site worker. Prioritize your safety and the safety of others by taking these training programs to mitigate the work site risks proactively.