Safety is a priority for the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT). We plan and undertake all activities to ensure the safety of our communities, motorists and our workers. Our belief is that all harm is preventable and the only acceptable target for injury rates is zero.
This means that our workers should get to the end of each working day in as good a shape as when they left for work in the morning!
One of the ways that we keep our workers safe is by ensuring that they wear the correct safety gear for the work that they are doing. This includes Personal Protective Equipment and clothing, which is designed to maximise safety and minimise the hazards that our workers are exposed to on our worksites.
As a minimum, Personal Protective Equipment and clothing includes a high visibility vest, long sleeve shirts, long trousers, a hard hat and steel capped boots and eye protection. Sometimes other equipment is also needed such as gloves and earmuffs. The reason that we use this equipment is described below.
1. The 'must have' Personal Protective Equipment:
High-visibility vest, long sleeves, long trousers
Site workers need to do everything possible to be seen because they work around heavy machinery and traffic. High-visibility vests help to keep our workers visible, which helps to avoid injuries.
Long trousers and long sleeves have recently been recommended by the Cancer Society for the construction industry in New Zealand, but are mandatory throughout Asia, Australia and other places for a long time. They are needed because New Zealand has very high rates of UV radiation, which outdoor workers are exposed to. This clothing also protects against hazardous material (such as concrete, diesel, and other chemicals) and other contact injuries.
Hard hat
Accidents involving head injuries are quite common in the construction industry and can result in serious injury (such as concussion, brain injury, fractures and soft tissue injuries). Hard hats deflect falling or flying materials from fragile human skulls. They also cushion the impact of hazards at head height.
Steel capped boots
Steel capped boots protect toes, which is especially important around heavy equipment where toes can be crushed by heavy objects.
Eye protection
Safety goggles and glasses protect eyes, which are especially sensitive and prone to serious injury. Four thousand New Zealanders suffer an eye injury at work every year that requires them to take time off. Permanently impaired vision and complete blindness are common, so adequate eye protection is critical.
2. Task specific Personal Protective Equipment:
Gloves
One of the most common injuries in the construction industry is to hands, fingers and wrists. Gloves provide some protection for this and also against burns, harmful materials, and blistering.
Earmuffs
Some jobs involve working near equipment that is louder than the safe, or comfortable, levels of noise exposure. Without the appropriate protection, our workers could suffer permanent hearing loss or impairment.
The Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team will be repairing the city’s earthquake damaged roads, water, wastewater and storm water pipes over the next five years. Our goal is to ensure that our team goes home safe and injury free at the end of each day.