Contractor Safety Tips

1. Always be far sighted, keep your eyes moving and take in the whole picture
2. Maintain the proper space cushion when following the vehicle ahead. With a car keep at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle ahead. With a pickup or van keep at least 3 seconds behind. Add more time for heavier vehicles or when traveling over 40 mph or in poor weather conditions.

1. Avoid the need to back in the first place by parking so you don’t have to back up.
2. If you have to back up, always walk behind your vehicle first to make sure the space is clear.
3. Sound your horn before backing & back slowly.

1. Use two people for moving heavy extension ladders and other heavy/awkward objects.
2. Train employees to lift with their leg muscles rather than their lower back muscles
3. Keep the worksite housekeeping in good order to reduce slip or trip hazards
4. Work from scissor lifts versus ladders to prevent falls from ladders
5. If ladders must be used, provide employees training on the proper use of ladders, and the need to inspect all ladders before use.
6. Ensure employees wear proper eye protection with side-shields when cutting, drilling or creating any other type eye hazards.

Factoid

Over 60% of all claims involving contractor employees are similar to these:

Carpentry
• An employee moves an extension ladder and strains his shoulder or back
• A worker is walking to his toolbox, trips on a piece of scrap 2 x 4 on the floor and falls
• While drilling into an overhead beam the employee gets material in her eye

Electrical
• An employee moves a wire reel and strains his shoulder or back
• A worker is walking to his toolbox, slips on a conduit on the floor and falls
• While drilling into an overhead beam an employee gets material in her eye

Landscaping
• An employee is installing a small tree in a customer’s yard and strains his shoulder or back.
• After retrieving a small hand tool from the back of the truck, an employee jumps down off the tailgate and twists his knee.
• While sharpening a mower blade an employee gets a metal sliver in his eye from using a grinder without safety glasses.

Plumbing
• An employee is moving a water heater into a residence and strains his shoulder or back
• A worker is walking to the toolbox, slips on a piece of scrap piping on the ground and falls
• While drilling into an overhead beam the employee gets material in her eye
 

1. Where can I park my truck and stage my equipment and materials where it won’t damage the customer’s property?
2. How can my work activities present a danger to the customer or potentially damage their property?
3. Before I drill or hammer into this wall or ceiling do I know where the existing water lines or other hidden systems are that could be damaged?

Factoid
 

Damage to customer property accounts for 92% of all general liability claims for contractors with the average claim being $9,744. Examples:

• An employee damages a buried electrical power line while digging
• A worker backs his truck past the back edge of the customer’s driveway, causing a large crack
• You strike a water pipe in a wall while drilling. The leak goes undetected and causes serious water damage.

1. Keep all small tools and equipment locked in a gang box, truck box etc. when not in actual use; keep an accurate inventory; mark all tools and equipment with some form of permanent marking.
2. Do not leave high value job materials such as copper piping on open unprotected jobsites. Only bring onto the jobsite what you will need for the days work. If this is not possible, keep materials locked in a secure trailer. Another trick is to paint the copper piping a flat black to make it look like cast iron from a distance.

Factoid