Earlier this month a construction worker was killed in Manhattan following a fall. This incident has led to calls for better and stricter safety procedures for workers. It was thought that unsafe scaffolding contributed to the incident. Sources have stated it was unclear whether the man was required to wear a safety harness for the work.
It’s clear that safety harnesses and equipment to prevent falls are vital for businesses and individuals. And this is one reason that encapsulates why they are so important. When people are working high up on buildings it can be very dangerous. The condition of the surface is not very clear. And adverse weather conditions can be even more treacherous from high up.
This should be a clear warning to all businesses to make sure they revise safety procedures. They need to ensure that all their staff have the right equipment when go to work. In the construction industry, health and safety is such an important aspect. And for the most part, businesses get it spot on. But there are occasions when it isn’t taken as seriously as it should be. And that’s when accidents such as this one tend to occur.
A week before the fatality in New York, contractors for the Austin Central Library were fined. Their breach of safety procedures landed them fines totalling $88,000. It’s amazing that this kind of thing can still happen with professional businesses.
Any construction businesses out there need to make health and safety their priority. It’s the sort of thing that’s instilled almost from day one with construction. Hard hats are worn at all times, and machinery is meticulously operated. But, when projects happen off-site there can be occasional oversights.
Perhaps it would also be pertinent for workers to be made aware of their actions? Better awareness might lead to more of them following the procedures set in place for their safety.
And the companies also need to make sure they have all the necessary gear to protect their workers. This means that no worker should be getting up on a building without safety equipment. There is plenty of Miller fall equipment for sale online and through wholesalers. So there is no excuse for these businesses not to provide the correct equipment.
According to a construction injuries lawyer, it’s not just businesses in the U.S. who have been overlooking health and safety laws. In the UK late last year there were twenty-nine construction sites in the North of England shut down. They were found to be in breach of basic health and safety practices. Specifically those pertaining to people working at height.
The UK Health & Safety Executive found that not enough was being done to protect employees working at height. This illustrates that there are still areas of health and safety that need a lot of work. On both sides of the Atlantic.
Perhaps there need to be more severe punishments for companies breaching procedures. Certainly many companies need to make sure they have more strict safety procedures. This is the only way to prevent further tragedies like the one that happened in New York earlier this month.