When you work on an Ohio construction site, you might get hurt in a variety of ways. However, you may not expect a vehicle to back over you. Workers may easily die in these accidents, as discussed in a previous blog post. To stay safe on a construction site, it is important to understand how you can prevent these incidents from occurring.
Backover accidents are not as uncommon as you may think. Safety and Health magazine says that between 2011 and 2015, 112 workers died after a truck struck them, while 114 died after a passenger vehicle hit them. Additionally, most of the construction workers killed in these incidents were over the age of 65. However, people can prevent these incidents by taking some precautions. One OHSA administrator says that most backover accidents happen because a worker does something unexpected or because a driver does not know another worker is nearby. It is a good idea for drivers to look around the vehicle before they back up. They may also want to use the horn so workers in the area know the vehicle is backing up.
At some construction sites, you may want to put spotters in place so they can alert drivers to other workers in the area. It is a good idea for spotters and drivers to use hand signals to communicate. Additionally, a driver should be able to see the spotter while he is backing up. You should also make sure your spotters do not wear headphones or talk on the phone and you should make sure these workers reposition themselves if a vehicle needs to turn around.
Sometimes you may want to use technology to ensure a worker is not backed over. It may be a good idea to install rearview cameras on all of the vehicles that will be on your construction site. You may also use proximity detectors so a driver will know when workers are in the immediate vicinity.
This information is meant to educate and should not be used in place of legal advice.
