Make sure you are looking up for safety hazards on the construction site.

Tucker Paving has been in the construction industry for 30 years, offering site clearing, demo, excavation and grading, underground utilities, concrete, and asphalt paving. While the bulk of our services have to do with what’s underfoot, we know that if you are truly committed to safety, then you have to look up as well. Safety hazards from above include overhead lines, trees, and anything that could be hit overhead. See the guidance we give our employees for looking out—and up—for safety hazards on the construction site.

Safety Tips for Overhead Awareness

The following are the tips we share with our employees during our safety meetings:

  1. When we first begin work on a site we should LOOK UP as well as down and around.
  1. Look for powerlines, tree limbs, tv lines, communications lines, anything that we or someone else could hit or contact.
  1. Everyone—including Project Managers, Superintendents, Estimators, Truck drivers, Equipment Operators, and other Team Members—should be looking up for safety hazards.  
  1. The machines and equipment that could hit or contact something that is overhead include heavy equipment, a raised dump-truck bed, an elevation rod, a ladder, a piece of rebar, etc.
  1. Utilize signage, barricades, caution tape, ribbons, and spotters to help prevent hitting, damaging, or contacting overhead obstacles.
  1. Remove obstacles whenever possible. If you’re working around powerlines, de-energize them. Have the lines removed as soon as possible if they are no longer needed. Trim any trees that could be hit if it’s possible.  
  2. Avoid overhead obstacles by re-routing trucks or equipment.
  3. Don’t get distracted with things happening on site.  It’s easy to over-focus on things that are normally in our line of site. There are often things just above us that can be damaged or cause us damage.    
  4. Tell your supervisor if you notice something that could cause damage or be damaged. Be pro-active in recognizing and addressing these dangers.

We have been serving Central Florida since 1994 in the asphalt and concrete paving industry, and we take safety seriously. We complete projects for residential, commercial, and municipal clients. Contact us by calling (863) 299-2262, or use our contact form online. How can we help you with your next project?