Site of the Month for August 2011 deals with Industrial Technology. Industry Top welcome to industry find manufacturing equipment, manufacturers, exporters, suppliers, producers and more.

With the operation of heavy equipment in construction sites, safety is to be the top priority at all times. Data presented by the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that thousands of workers are injured or killed every year by accidents that occur in construction sites. As of 2007, more than 30% of accounted work-related accidents have happened in construction areas, and are caused by different factors. Construction lifts like fork lifts, boom lifts, and cranes, can be very dangerous if they are not operated by licensed and experienced personnel. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics adds that because of management neglect, a lot of these machines malfunction and cause accidents. If construction lifts are not periodically maintained and repaired, there is a higher chance of causing harm to workers around them.

What are some of the possible accidents that can occur on construction lifts? Some people can be run over by this heavy equipment, or may fall from them if they are not taking safety precautions. If operators are not careful about manning these lifts, they can overturn and cause damage to structures or injure workers on foot. To be able to avoid the possibility of employees getting run over or struck by fork lifts or other construction lifts, the management must lay down traffic rules within the work place, and equip their machines with warning devices like alarms. Areas of passage for the machines must be kept clear off debris to avoid tipping over.

How can supervisors in construction sites and their employees reduce the risk of accidents with lifts of any kind? As mentioned before, not all workers can man heavy machinery. Most laws of state signify that a school certification and testing is required before anyone can operate heavy equipment. To avoid accidents such as items falling from construction lifts, each worker assigned must be responsible enough to secure crates, pallets, boxes, and the like. Since these machines have a maximum load limit, it is very important to keep track of how much is being loaded onto the lifts. Overloading is often the cause of many work-related accidents on lifts, as well as machine malfunction and failure.