Construction sites need heavy machinery to perform tasks efficiently, but when it comes to safety, the team should always be safe to prevent accidents. Construction managers should invest in top-quality machines and have a software feature to help them monitor all the salient details of the equipment for smarter decisions. The common types of heavy machinery that are used in construction sites are cranes, tractors, bulldozers, and more. All of them are great assets for a construction project, and they help move the earth to make way for the infrastructure to be built.
There are many cases where workers have died in heavy machinery-related accidents at construction sites, and they are one of the top ten causes of construction workplace fatalities as per OSHA in the USA. However, when it comes to the use of heavy machinery on a construction site, the risks of danger are high. Their size and weight can even crush a worker if not handled carefully.
Kanat Sultanbekov on the need for safety training for heavy machinery
Kanat Sultanbekov is an esteemed construction project manager from New York known for his excellent track record when it comes to proactive leadership skills and the completion of construction projects in time. According to him, the first rule of heavy machinery safety is that those that operate it should be trained and certified even when it involves moving the machinery from one place to another on the site. Construction project managers or supervisors should never permit an untrained worker to move a piece of machinery from one place to another.
Comprehensive understanding of how the machine works
All the workers on the site that operate heavy machines should have an extensive understanding of how it works and how they should act during an emergency. They should be aware of the proper safety steps to take when operating the machines.
Never skip review training sessions
Most construction managers are tempted to ignore this step if they are working with an experienced team; however, a revision review and safety training never harm anyone. The workers who are operating the machines can always have training conducted every month or every week so that accidents can be averted and everyone on the site is protected at the same time.
According to Kanat Sultanbekov, every project manager should take the onus to inspect the machines regularly before operating the machine. Remember that if a machine is damaged, it becomes a dangerous machine, and there are high risks of injuries and accidents on the site. For instance, if the brakes fail on a heavy machine when it is being operated at speed, it will create havoc on the construction site and result in irreversible damage to the structure. In rare cases, it can even kill a worker on the spot on the site. Project managers must ensure that no machine gets on the site without being inspected and tested for its performance.