We have covered several areas and aspects of a construction site and how potential hazards are all around that might lead to an accident claim. So today we thought we'd see how many people know their trucks....

Quick Quiz – What is the dumper truck known as in the UK?

_Another element of excavation is to make sure that any digging and excavations are carried out safely and securely. Structural excavations are different from general excavations on a site. There are still dangers that can happen and cause an accident or personal injury claim.

There are three main concerns with excavations and these involve both public and employees. One of these concerns is moving. This mainly includes injury that could happen to a pedestrian when an excavation vehicle is reversing. A construction worker might be aware to look out for machinery, but a member of the public might not be aware to look out for the vehicle.
There is a possibility of an employee or member of the public being trapped between the truck or an existing structure.

One of the main concerns is when the machinery is moving and the bucket or any other attachments fall from the excavator machinery. This is one of the main causes of death, when the bucket falls from the machine.

All of these risks can be controlled to avoid an accident claim and there are processes in place to ensure safety is paramount.

When there is alot of development and construction within an area there will be a higher risk of accidents. As a building goes up, the construction needs and development changes and workers (and visitors) need to be aware of this. It is also important to note that if the workers spot a potential risk they should either try and fix this straight away or at least notify an appropriate worker if it cannot be resolved there and then.

One potential risk can be something so simple as using power tools that require an electrical wire. It can be easy to start moving around and drilling without realising the cord has become tangled, or worse still hidden and therefore a potential trip hazard. This is why cordless equipment is used and preferred as there is a lower risk of a trip which might result in an accident claim.

Construction sites based in a city centre, like Nottingham, have their own risks and these need to be documented and resolved. The sites need to be secure to protect unauthorised personnel entering. The perimeter needs to be wide enough to prevent anything falling from a height and landing on a member of the public as this may result in a personal injury claim Nottingham

As soon as a construction project is confirmed there is alot of organisation to do. This involves the planning and notifications, which is handled in the admin section but there is also the preparation and welfare of the construction site staff so we take a look at the main points to consider:

1. How to work safely with electricity and power supplies
2. Fire risks and how to identify, control and reduce the risk of fire
3. Handling plant vehicles - from the construction workers and public perspective
4. Demolition of buildings or previous structures - how will this affect those outside of the construction site
5. Operating cranes as these are often seen on construction sites
6. Height working which involves working at different heights and the tools used to gain the height from scaffold to ladders

The above points are essential and need to be taken into consideration. If you have worked on a construction site and suffered an injury that was not your fault you may be entitled to compensation, so take a look and review your personal injury claim.

This blog is about everything to do with construction sites and health and safety on the sites. Imagine that any workplace can be a place full of hazards from slipping and tripping to the more serious accident claim as a result of serious injury. A construction site is no different and there are even more hazards to be aware of, from ground level upwards.

As the posts progress, we will be looking into the different types of hazards on a building/construction site to the organisation and observation that goes into managing these hazards. Get your hard hat and grab a brew as we start with the overall basics of construction site safety.