Each year, fifty-five construction workers are killed by electrocution from contact with overhead power lines. Over 90 percent of the contacts involved overhead distribution lines. These are the same lines that run in the alleys behind our houses and through our job sites. There are distinct patterns to these fatalities. The most obvious is apathy. We all grew up around power lines. Since they are so common to us, they seem harmless. This serious mistake is fueled by two common misconceptions: the belief that some overhead lines don't carry enough power to kill, and the belief that power lines are well-insulated. Both are dead wrong. The leading category of contact involves heavy equipment--cranes, drilling rigs, concrete pumps, aerial buckets, and backhoes. Of all heavy equipment contacts, cranes--either mobile or b... » Read more

What are two of the leading contacts with overhead power lines? Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:15:02 AM

Each year many workers on construction sites suffer electric shock using portable electrical tools and equipment. The nature of the injuries, including those caused by ground faults, ranges from minor injuries to serious secondary injuries. There also is the possibility of electrocution.  A secondary injury occurs when a worker recoils from an electric shock and, as a result, sustains an injury. Depending largely on the surrounding physical conditions, such an accident can result in a bruise, a broken bone, or a fatal fall.  HOW ELECTROCUTION OCCURS Electrocution occurs when the shock current exceeds 70 mill amperes, or there  about, causing ventricular fibrillation of the h... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:14:18 AM

Safely covering a floor opening with a piece of plywood requires more than just laying the material over the hole, or even nailing it down. Total safety on the job means a total job of eliminating the hazard. Half a job...inadequate or incomplete jobs of covering hole hazards can result only in half, inadequate or incomplete accident prevention. Several past jobsite accidents illustrate the point. A carpenter on a floor above calls down to a laborer to hand him a sheet of plywood. The laborer walks over to a sheet lying on the floor, picks it up, takes a step or two forward in the act of standing the plywood up, and goes sailing right down through the hole in the floor, sustaining serious and disabling injuries. Why did it happen?... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:14:00 AM

A young construction worker was killed the same day his wife was coming home from the hospital with their first child. How did this occur? A heavy, bulky section was being transported by a crane, which had to carry it six or seven feet in the air to clear other objects. The load was equipped with tag lines, which were being used to guide it by all of the workers except this young man. Although warned by his foreman to use the line, he didn't. A lifting pad gave way and he was killed instantly.   IF IT'S IN THE AIR, IT'S DANGEROUS This incident reminds me of a slogan I once saw: "if it's in the air, it's dangerous." This is something to remember even if the mechanical equipment seems to be in good condition. ... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:13:41 AM

We use mop carts and luggers to  move hot material from the out flow pipe to the work area.  Check that there is no moisture or water in the lugger before you fill it with hot.  Check that the valves are closed and the wheels are chocked. Never fill it more than three quarters full and always wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment. Before you move the lugger to the work area, be sure the path is clear and level and the lugger's wheels are free from debris and turn easily.  Carry hot buckets on the down hill side of sloped roofs.  Don't step on fresh hot or asphalt that has been wetted because is is slippery in those conditions. It's important to only use buckets and cans that are designed for hot asphalt.... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:12:29 AM