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Understand what steel erection is, the hazards involved, the industry standards and regulations in place, and how to improve steel erection safety. Learn how to use a mobile-first digital solution for safe steel erection protocols.
Published 23 Nov 2022
Steel erection is the process of constructing, altering, or repairing steel buildings, bridges, and other structures. It also involves the assembly, connection, and installation of steel beams, metal decking, and planking used in the erection of a steel structure. Steel workers assigned in steel erection activities are commonly employed in building, contracting, and construction companies.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes steel erection as one of the 10 most hazardous occupations in the US and has laid down regulations to promote safety for workers.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the structural steel erection process involves:
The risks and hazards associated with steel structure erection vary at each location, depending on the types of materials, sizes of structures, and other working conditions. Prior to any project, a comprehensive job hazard analysis is required to identify the potential risks and establish appropriate safety plans.
Source: Effect of Safety and Environmental Variables on Task Durations in Steel Erection (Irizarry et al., 2005)
“Effect of Safety and Environmental Variables on Task Durations in Steel Erection” (Irizarry, Simonsen, & Abraham) lists the major identified hazards involved in the steel erection process:
Data from OSHA show that steel erection accidents leading to fatalities are often due to the following factors:
OSHA’s Construction Standards, known as the 29 CFR 1926, covers regulations for steel erection under the Subpart R. This set of guidelines includes the following:
In addition to these, there are other standards that are also related to steel erection, such as:
As the ILO recommends, the preventive measures that steel erection companies must consider implementing include:
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Employee training is essential to any steel erection accident prevention program. For improved safety in steel erection activities, all training programs must be compliant with the following requirements, as stated in OSHA’s training guide:
Aside from the requirements above, steel erection safety training must meet the following conditions:
To help you get everyone on board toward promoting a culture of safety and quality, take your training initiatives to the next level. Through innovative mobile learning platforms such as EdApp, you can get access to editable courses that you can easily deploy to your teams. You can also have your training converted into a modern format fit for today’s mobile workers. Give EdApp a try today!
Using operations inspection software such as SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) empowers your organization in ensuring the safety of your frontline workers. Conduct effective training programs and stay on top of industry standards and regulations by maximizing SafetyCulture’s dynamic features:
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Skip the traditional pen and paper and perform more effective compliance checks digitally. Use these steel erection checklist templates to help you in your safety and inspection procedures:
Patricia Guevara
Patricia Guevara is a content writer and researcher for SafetyCulture. With her extensive content writing and copywriting experience, she creates high-quality content across a variety of relevant topics. She aims to promote workplace safety, operational excellence, and continuous improvement in her articles. She is passionate about communicating how technology can be used to streamline work processes, empowering companies to realize their business goals.
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