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Safety Risks: Debris on Construction Sites

There’s been a spike in injuries and deaths due to falling debris at construction sites.

Whether it’s rock, equipment, pipes, metal scrapes, or scaffolding, workers and contractors alike are at risk of getting injured every day. Debris falls can cause severe lacerations, crushing injuries, internal puncture wounds, etc.

Since safety is paramount in any construction site, the people who visit these sites should have adequate knowledge of how hazardous a construction site can be and what proper precautions should be taken.


Here are some ways debris can cause injury on construction sites and how to prevent them: 



1. Slips and Falls

Debris is anything that is left lying around a construction site, including garbage, sharp or jagged materials, and equipment. Debris is often slippery, especially if it’s wet or covered in mud or dust like asbestos or wet soil. Falling over it can cause sprains, fractures, and head injuries.


According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), slips, trips, and falls were the leading cause of death in the construction industry in 2020. These deaths accounted for 29 percent of all fatalities in the private construction industry.

Debris removal falls under the category of residential junk removal, and while professional junk removal service might not seem like something that can save lives, it absolutely can.

Debris removal keeps walkways clear of slips, trips, and falls; ensures that objects do not fall from scaffolding or swing into an employee’s head and reduces hazards associated with fires.


2. Trip Hazards

Tripping over items such as nails or broken pieces of wood can also cause serious injuries that require medical attention. So, whenever you’re walking through a construction site, watch out for debris on the ground. There may be pieces of metal or wood that could easily cause an injury, especially if you’re not wearing protective footwear.


It may also lead to damage to equipment and tools if they fall off an elevated platform or scaffolding and hit a worker on the way down. The best way to avoid the risk of debris is to practice sustainable management and ensure that all contractors secure their materials by placing them in designated containers with lids to prevent them from being knocked over by strong winds and spilling their contents across the site.


3. Impalement Hazards

Impalement injuries are severe puncture wounds sustained when a person gets impaled by a sharp object such as a nail, screw, barbed wire, metal shard, spike, or rod. Impalement injuries can happen when people fall onto objects like broken glass, bricks, masonry, or small pieces of wood, on construction sites. These leftovers are dangerous to workers; they can cause injuries when they fall, get in the way of heavy machinery and tools, or trip up a worker.

That’s why it’s important to hire junk removal professionals in Milwaukee to keep construction sites free of debris.



UJUNKY is an experienced junk removal company offering various commercial and residential junk removal services in Milwaukee, including appliance removal, recycling, yard waste removal, household demolition waste removal, and construction debris removal.

Get in touch with us today to hire our junk removal services in Milwaukee!



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