Nine Highly Recommended Safety Measures For Masonry Contractors

Safety measures are vital to process continuity by enabling protection and security against all predictable and unforeseen consequences. Some may argue that work in particular industries can be much more susceptible to risks than other fields, but successfully implementing industry standards can guard employees against all potential hazards. Whether you acknowledge the importance of safety for masonry work, long-lasting industry practices established a set of tried and true standards when compiling safety measures for on-site work.

If you are a part of the management team, a masonry contractor, worker, or any on-site or off-site member, you have to be aware of imperative safety precautions to protect yourself, the team members, and the project at hand. We have compiled a list of the most critical safety measures to ensure uninterrupted work for masonry contractors.

Obtain the Best Insurance Package

Nowadays, there are easy ways to obtain fast and simple insurance for your mason business and protect your business and employees against a host of factors beyond your control. Companies that invest in a high-quality insurance package have a better safety net, which allows them an increased level of confidence when working even on the most demanding projects.

Planning and Preparation

Planning and preparation involve the combined effort of principal and masonry contractors. As a part of the on-site work preparation, it is fundamental to plan upfront and prepare a system that combines safe and effective performance while taking relevant information into account regarding management, manufacturing, and supply. Consulting with workers, contractors prepare work method statements and review them with the principal contractor before starting work.

Risk Identification and Assessment

When it comes to risk assessment and identification, masonry teams have a joint responsibility to maintain on-site safety. Construction success depends on a host of factors, so proposing a sequence for construction rates can help identify risks in each step of the masonry work process. Ongoing inspection programs can also help maintain the workflow to finish the project timely and without any hurdles.

Specific Hazard Control

Masonry work involves handling hazardous substances and establishing hazard control guidelines even for basics like mixing cement, lime, and mortar or additives and chemical grouts is of utmost importance. Element load, joint movement, and even storage can cause collapse, and hazards caused by improper handling may also have disastrous consequences.

Universal Control Measures

Masonry work must scrutinize integrating plumbing lines, HVAC ducts, and electrical circuits to construct as directed by the engineer and technical drawings. Machine operators must have a license, and communication across all levels from supervisors to bricklayers is all-important to prevent any work impediments or injury potential. First aid kits should always be fully equiped easily accessible on-site.

Material Quality and Testing Standards

In masonry work across the world, different regions sometimes employ different standards for material quality and testing. For instance, workers have test cement for fineness, soundness, setting time, and compressive strength. It is imperative to check sand for silt content by weight and fineness modulus. Following appointed standards, make proper adjustments depending on the material purpose. Concrete work, plastering work, or masonry work all require different material ratios and settings.

Tools and Machinery

Tools and machinery for conducting masonry work require particular maintenance levels to meet optimal work standards. There are continuous and batch mixers, but masonry work implements batch mixers, drum-type mixers, tilting and non-tilting, reversing, and pan mixers for different purposes. Tools for brick wall progress checking like straightedges, surface spirit levels, pins, string, and plumb bobs should always be available on site. All equipment and machinery must be up to industry standards, as should be equipment maintenance.

Scaffolding and Safety Net

Masonry contractors must always meet the safety requirements for brickwork by putting up steel or bamboo scaffolding when constructing walls of two meters or more in height. Each floor and exterior periphery must have a safety net, especially when working on high-rise buildings. You may check some steel floor plate here for the best options. Exterior peripheries are especially critical, and double-seated vertical support scaffolding can provide additional safety.

Workmanship Precautions

Not only masonry contractors and employees, but all on-site visitors must wear protective equipment at all times. Consider decreasing the manual handling amounts and levels and using smaller blocks with appropriate weight limits whenever possible to prevent unwanted on-site incidents. Ensure employee protection against hazardous substances, handling practices, and irregular protocols to warrant contractor safety in all masonry work processes.

Conclusion

One of the oldest leading industries, masonry work is always in demand, and companies are obliged to ensure meeting all safety measures during on-site activity. Adequate protection against all unwanted occurrences can help eliminate hazard potential. Companies that go over and above to ensure optimal safety measures have a significant long-term advantage over the competition by enabling an unimpeded workflow free of all error potential.

Brett Sartorial
 

Brett is a business journalist with a focus on corporate strategy and leadership. With over 15 years of experience covering the corporate world, Brett has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, analytical and insightful journalist. He has a deep understanding of the business strategies and leadership principles that drive the world's most successful companies, and is able to explain them in a clear and compelling way. Throughout his career, Brett has interviewed some of the most influential business leaders and has covered major business events such as the World Economic Forum and the Davos. He is also a regular contributor to leading business publications and has won several awards for his work.