Last year, more than one in five workplace deaths in private industry occurred on construction sites, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), putting construction atop the list of most dangerous industries.

One of the most crucial ways to protect workers from injury on the job is to equip them with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), which can protect them from both routine risks and unexpected scenarios. To ensure your employees are adequately protected to face the hazards of their jobs, take a moment to review the following best practices for construction site PPE:

• Eye and face protection: Contractors must wear safety glasses or face shields any time their work could cause foreign objects to get into their eyes, such as during welding, cutting, grinding, nailing or when otherwise exposed to flying particles, harmful chemicals or electrical hazards. Workers should choose their specific eye and face protection based on the hazards they anticipate facing for each particular job.
• Foot protection: Construction workers should always wear work shoes or boots with slip-resistant and puncture-resistant soles. To prevent crushed toes when working near heavy equipment or falling objects, OSHA suggests wearing safety-toed footwear, such as steel-toed boots.
• Hand protection: Just as construction workers perform a wide variety of jobs, there are many different types of gloves designed specifically to provide the best protection for each activity. Contractors must be sure to wear the appropriate types of gloves for each job, such as heavy-duty rubber gloves for concrete work, welding gloves for welding and insulated gloves and sleeves when exposed to electrical hazards. To provide the best protection without burdening workers, gloves should fit snugly while still allowing for dexterity of the fingers.
• Head protection: Hard hats can help protect contractors from falling objects, bumps to the head from fixed objects and accidental head contact with electrical hazards. Before donning a hard hat, construction workers should thoroughly inspect them for dents, cracks or deterioration.

To further reduce your employees' risk of injury at work, consider working with Safety Advantage. Our construction site safety technicians can help you develop an accident prevention program that is up to OSHA compliance standards. To get started, contact Safety Advantage today!