The rules set down by government agencies like OSHA were created for a reason, to protect workers all over the United States. You might be surprised at just how many people think the rules are a joke and refuse to use the proper equipment because it is an inconvenience. Even those who are regularly issued personal construction safety equipment refuse to use them properly, and stand as the cause for the majority of accidents that can occur on job sites everywhere.
High Standards in Safety
The construction industry diligently tries to police itself, and will lay penalties upon those who do not use their construction safety equipment properly, but misuse still occurs today. You would think that even hearing about accidents that left workers maimed or worse, dead would convince them otherwise, but it does not. The top three items most abused or misused by those workers include boots, hard hats and harnesses.
#1 Boots
Standard issue boots for work on a construction site are often made of high quality leather and highly durable. They are made to last, and can come with steel plates in the toes, to prevent injury, and other will insulate them from electricity. The leading cause of misuse when it comes to boots is that many people just starting out in construction will balk at buying the proper footwear because of the price. Good boots cost more, and in the long run, are well worth the price.
#2 Hard hats
Every construction firm in the country regularly issues hard hats to their employees. It is not always easy to enforce the wearing of these hats on the work site, and those who do not like to wear the hard hats run the risk of becoming seriously injured if they are not careful on site.
The main reason for hard hats being created in the first place was to protect workers from being injured by falling objects. Accidents happen every day on sites all over the country, and should anyone working above ground drop a tool or piece of material, a better than even chance exists that it may cause serious damage to anyone it hits. Not wearing it because it is too hot or slips easily is just plain risky to do.
#3 Harnesses
Anyone who has ever worked above the ground knows the value of a good quality safety harness. Not all construction involves housing or commercial buildings. Crews that work on road construction, especially bridges and overpasses can tell you how at any second, you could literally be hanging by a thread over a significant drop off.
Most harnesses are created out of high quality leather that has been properly stress tested, and can hold upwards of 400 pounds. Even the nylon versions, which are widely more affordable, can turn out to be the most important piece of construction safety equipment you could ever own, no matter if you work high or low.