The Satellite Review Magazine The Satellite Review Magazine Vol 3 | Page 26

JOB SITE SAFETY

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JOB SITE

Safety

hen working on a job site,
contractors, customers
and supplier/manufacturer employees must follow precautions to protect the safety of all
persons working near or interacting
with automated systems. These
precautions often begin as soon as
work is started on the building site
and continue through project completion and beyond. Although each
person is responsible for his or her
own safety, site supervisors oversee
the work being completed and follow proven procedures to create an
informed and safety-focused team.
The following is a list of recommended job site safety standards,
adapted from Westfalia’s Job Site
Hazard Prevention Manual.

Risk assessment
As part of project orientation, a risk
assessment should be conducted
with input from the contractor(s),
customer safety coordinator and
supplier/manufacturer-appointed
site supervisor to identify hazards
and necessary control measures
to protect against property loss,
personal injury and environmental accidents. In addition, the site
supervisor should conduct daily
safety meetings with all designated
supplier/manufacturer employees
and contractors. This gives the team
an opportunity to review the day’s
work, risk assessments, site rules
and procedures, injuries and unsafe
acts from the previous day and any
required certifications.

By Alexandra Puppelo

Technical Writer, Westfalia Technologies, Inc.

Accident and incident
procedures
To promote a safe working environment, all accidents or incidents

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should be reported immediately for
review and to implement changes to
prevent the incident from happening in the future.
The contractor should investigate
accidents and incidents on the work
site within 24 hours and prepare a
report for each. This incident report
should include the name of the
company and worker (if applicable),
date, description of the incident and
contributing factors and any recommendations to prevent a recurrence.
This report should be reviewed by
the site supervisor to determine
any additional action needed, and
any agreed upon corrective actions
should be monitored for timely
completion.

Training and record
keeping
Affected company employees should
receive training on all hazards to
which they will be introduced. Contractors should train workers on all
safety and health hazards and provisions applicable to the type of work
being done and on where to obtain
first-aid and medical services.
Record-keeping procedures keep
persons accountable. Site supervisors should keep records of all training regarding hazards, contract-related documents, OSHA injury and
illness logs, incident reports, daily
logs, hazard and MSDS information
and safety discussions, among other
documents.

Personal protective
equipment (PPE)
Proper PPE can change with the
seasons, type of site and type of
work for the day. PPE includes

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protection for the head, hearing,
eye and face, respiratory system
and feet. It also includes work attire
(including high visibility clothing),
fall arrest systems and safety nets.
Contractors should work with the
site supervisor to monitor expected work conditions and properly
prepare and train employees for this
work.

Electrical safety
Electrical work should only be
performed by persons with adequate electrical training. Electrical
guidelines should follow the latest
National Electric Code ANSI/NFPA
edition. Special care must be taken
with temporary cords, lights and
circuits to prevent damage, tripping
hazards and other electrical hazards.
Workers should be protected from
live electrical hazards whether that
means de-energizing known hazards
or using protection when working
around potential hidden lines. Before work is begun, workers should
always verify energized circuit locations and maintain adequate hazard
signs.

Housekeeping
Keeping a tidy and well-organized
work area allows employees to work
more efficiently and more safely,
reducing the risks of trips and falls
and other accidents. A tidy workspace includes clear aisles and exits,
tools and sharp objects put away
when not in use and firefighting
equipment accessible and free of
obstruction. In addition to tidiness
throughout work, daily cleanup of
the work area should occur at the
end of every shift.

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