Did you know that over a quarter of all construction workers have faced some type of injury or been in an accident before? That’s an alarmingly high rate, one that warrants extra training beyond simple construction skills and craftsmanship. One of the additional training processes that are extremely important, especially in the earthworks field, is safety training.
Keep reading to learn more about the necessary parts of safety training for earthworks.
Safety Training: What Does It Entail?
When you’re working in a field such as construction that deals with projects such as site demolition and mass excavation, there’s bound to be some risks to your physical health and safety. To add to that, not only do these risks impact you but also the people who will be living on or using these areas in the future.
To prevent any harm, safety training is a must. Luckily, OSHA supplies workers throughout the nation (and their employers, too) with a handy program setup that includes everything construction workers need to know before going into construction work. The program will cover all of the potential hazards when handling construction equipment and how to avoid them.
The program will also cover health hazards that come from dealing with chemicals and elements that might arise from construction products. It will teach workers how to identify these hazardous materials and how to handle them if they come into contact.
Other things that come with OSHA safety training for construction workers include:
- Employee responsibilities
- Lessons on workers’ rights
- How to file a claim
There might even be recommendations for workers on what to do if a dangerous situation were to occur. OSHA outlined an entire overview of the program that’s available online to get a better sense of how it will go.
Who Needs Safety Training?
Any worker that’s classified as a ‘construction worker’ will likely be required to get safety training by their employer. No matter where you work, whether it’s on or off-site, you might be subject to safety training.
Often, ‘ maintenance work’ gets confused with ‘construction work’ because of how similar their job details are. The best thing to do in these situations is to clarify with your chain of command to see if OSHA safety training is necessary.
For reference, here are some types of employees that are considered for safety training:
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- Anyone who works on pipes, glass, roof, stone, pavement, etc.
Even some truck drivers are asked to complete the OSHA outreach safety training. Again, it’s important to follow through with your employer to see if safety training is right for you.
Is Safety Training Required By Law?
This one is tricky. Some states have stricter laws regarding training for employees. Interestingly, OSHA outreach training is not mandated at the federal level.
Be sure to check with state laws to see if OSHA training is significant for you and your employees.
Our employees here at BuildPro are all considered for safety training. This is to protect not only them but our clients as well.
Setting Up Your Earthworks Project
We hope this short info article helped you determine whether or not OSHA safety training is necessary. It’s a bit of a subjective matter, but having extra training never hurt anyone.
If you’re in the market for someone to help with your construction or earthworks projects, please do not hesitate to call us. We do mass excavation, pavement replacement, site demolition, and much more.
