Safety catch nets — These should be installed alongside multiple storey construction to prevent falling debris or tools for spilling over to streets or pedestrian walkways.
Pathways — Paths adjacent to construction sites are also prone to get muddied and end up becoming slippery, according to the training coordinator. He suggests that supervisors assign workers to keep these areas clean and clear from obstruction. “The last thing you’d want is a person skipping to avoid a muddy pathway only to fall into a trench or get into the path of a truck.”

When work is being done above a pedestrian walkway, a protective hangar or scaffolding should be installed over the path and the main jobsite boarded up, says Schoenholz.

“The main idea is to separate the construction or work area from the public area because every time elements of these two areas meet, there’s a potential for accidents,” explains McVittie of the CSAO.

Signs and barriers — Builders or work crews should check with municipalities to determine the specification for signs and barriers in the area they will be working on, he said.

Typically ,“Danger”, “Keep Off” or “Construction” signs need to be large enough and visible from at least 10 meters away both at night and day.

Barriers or temporary boarding are generally made of plywood faced on a timbre frame with a minimum mass per unit surface area of 7kg/m2. The minimum height above pavement level is usually 2.4 meters.

Access gates, scaffoldings and gantries — Access to and from the site should be organized to allow vehicles to enter and leave the site in a forward gear. When necessary, gate marshals or “flaggers” should be stationed to ensure safety of pedestrians using adjacent public footpaths. Scaffolding and gantries that encroach on or overhang public highway or areas will need approval from authorities.

Vehicle and heavy equipment — When practicable, all loading and unloading of contractor vehicles should be within the site boundary. Police should be consulted about movement of vehicles and heavy equipment if there is potential for traffic congestion and risk to motorists or pedestrians. Parking of construction vehicles should not impede public traffic. Wheel washing facilities in the site will minimize the deposit of mud onto public roads.

Equipment and material handling — “Improperly handled materials and equipment are the most common causes of fires in job sites,” according to Tim Meadows, vice president for sales of Victaulic, a global pipe systems provider with offices in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Tools such as welding equipment should only be operated by trained and licensed operators, he says. Not only does welding pose an electrocution and fire risk, but it also gives off harmful gases.

Gas cans and flammable liquids should be locked and stored in a “flammable substances storage cabinet or trailer.” Fire extinguishers should be within a 50-foot proximity from the storage.

Substances that give off toxic fumes must be kept in a ventilated storage. Handlers must wear appropriate masks or protective clothing, Meadows says.

Electric shock — Running power cables outside the jobsite must be avoided. If this could not be avoided, the cords or cables must be placed away from wet or damp areas, must be covered with non-conducting material and warning signs must be clearly posted. When work or equipment might come into contact with overhead high-tension power lines, heavy-duty insulation must be used to cover the lines.

Trenches and excavations — Excessive trench depth increases the risk of collapse or cave-ins. Collapse protection must be installed and the trench properly sloped before work proceeds.
Any excavation or digging must be properly cordoned off or covered to prevent pedestrians from falling in.

The excavation team must also check with municipal authorities and service companies to ensure that they will not be hitting any power, gas or service lines when they start digging.

Job site safety precautions are typically based on common sense, says McVittie. But site supervisors need to be extra vigilant in order to protect the public from work area hazards.

“Construction workers are used to functioning in a constantly changing environment. The typical pedestrian is not and that’s where all these precautions come into play,” he says.


Nestor E. Arellano is a Toronto-based freelance writer. You can contact Nestor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text70453 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it