Toolbox talk on struck-by hazard

Each day, construction workers are hit by hazards. These hazards include vehicles, wood, tools, work materials, etc. And it’s called a “struck-by hazard” in the construction industry. 

Struck-by injuries accounted for nearly one in five construction workplace fatalities. 

However, there are many laws and regulations designed to protect workers from having a struck-by hazard, it has been the management’s responsibility to ensure that those laws are maintained to provide a safe working environment for the employees. 

This toolbox talk will give us a view of what to do in this regard.

Struck by hazard; What are you to do to maintain safety today?

Lifting and rigging operations.

• Use tagline during lifting and rigging operations to control and manoeuvre the loads.

• Ensure even distribution of loads, and secure them properly before the lifting operations. 

• Do not stand under any suspended load. 

• Do not allow a load to fly over your head during lifting operations.

• Inspect cranes and other lifting accessories and ensure they are in good condition.  

• Do not exceed the safe lifting capacity of the lifting equipment or any of the accessories.  

Falling objects from heights:

• Do not stack materials closer to the roof edges as this likely falls. 

• If there is a need to stack materials closer to the edges, please secure them and make them stable and self-supporting. 

• Ensure there is a proper stacking of materials on site. 

• Provide a guardrail system at every edge of a work platform. Ensure there is a top rail, mid-rail and toe board to prevent the fall of materials and persons.

• Ensure there is a box or bag for your hand tools when climbing at height or when at height doing a job. The toolbox to carry tools like hammer, nails, spanner etc. 

• Introduce debris nets to catch falling objects from height. 

Scaffolding activity.

• Provision of overhead protection for all workers working where there are overhead hazards during scaffolding. 

• Hoisting of loads unto a scaffold must have a tag line to control the load. 

• All scaffolds or platforms have to carry toe boards to prevent material fall from height.

Excavation.

• Do not place any load near the edges of an excavation.

• Do not park vehicles or equipment near the excavation edge.

• Stand away from any vehicle or a digging machine used to lift a load during excavation. 

Personal protective equipment. 

• Make provisions for personal protective equipment such as hard hats, and safety boots.