Accidents happen in every type of workplace in America. However, accidents involving construction equipment or hammer breakers on a construction site can be much costlier, sometimes resulting in serious injury or even death. While OSHA requires that construction sites have trained first-aid providers on-site if there is no “infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees,” construction site managers can do more to protect their employees. Read on to learn about how you can empower employees to administer first-aid in the event of an emergency.
Have multiple first-aid kits located around your site. In the event of an injury or emergency, a first-aid kit is useless if employees cannot locate it. Make sure that every employee knows where your first-aid supplies are located, and store supplies in a central and easily accessible area. You may want to consider adding multiple first-aid kits to your site if you are working on a larger-than-average project.
Choose a first-aid leader. It’s common to see even the most well-trained employees panic when faced with the task of providing first aid. Appointing an “emergency leader” to your site to take the reins in the event of an injury can help ensure that the injured party receives quick care. Remember to also appoint a back-up leader in the event that the chosen emergency leader is the one injured.
Add automatic defibrillators to your site. Advances in technology have made automatic defibrillators more widely available and easier to use than ever before. OSHA has found that using an automatic defibrillator within three to four minutes of cardiac arrest results in a 60 percent survival rate, a significantly higher percentage than even perfectly performed CPR can provide. Add an automatic defibrillator to your site and instruct your safety team leader on how to correctly administer a shock.
Ensuring that your hydraulic hammers and breakers are operating up-to-code can help employees prevent injury. Anyone in need of breaker services or repair is encouraged to contact Hydraulic Breaker Services, LLC by calling 800-940-8517 at the first sign of trouble with their equipment.
