Ironworker Safety
“Work safe.”
It’s a phrase you hear all the time as an Ironworker. It’s a common way to end a conversation with another brother or sister Ironworker, whether in person or engaging online (r/Ironworker is peppered with it). It’s just two words, but it spotlights how important safety is for Ironworkers. For both the Ironworkers Union and the jobsite contractors, the order of importance is:
1. Safety
2. Quality
3. Production
It’s great when the work goes smoothly and structures go up fast. But injuries or rework can wipe out profit very quickly. Getting the job done safely and with high quality are the marks of skilled ironwork. Safety is always in the back of every Ironworker’s mind. There are simply no shortcuts to safety and quality.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
We’ve talked before about some of the general PPE Ironworkers use that are common to all the trades (safety glasses, ear plugs, hardhats, gloves, etc.). Ironworkers also wear sturdy work boots, though not typically safety-toed (what most people think of as “steel-toed boots”) unless the jobsite requires it. Also, good old blue jeans are the pants of choice, because the material holds up well around sparks. There is more PPE that is specific to ironwork but is also sometimes used by other trades. That includes things like:
· Welding gear—welding helmets or hoods, jackets, sleeves
· Fall protection—full body harness, anchorages, connectors
· Cutting torch safety—burning goggles
What We Protect Against
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a category of construction industry hazards called the “Focus Four,” and Ironworkers are exposed to every one of them, no matter what facet of ironwork they are performing. The Focus Four are falls, struck by, caught in-between, and electrocution.
· Falls—this is the one that most people think of when they think about ironwork. And it makes sense: Ironworkers aren’t called “cowboys of the sky” for nothing. But there are so many, many more hazards on a job site that can bite an Ironworker if they are not in tune with their surroundings.
· Struck by—this includes things falling from above, such as loads from a crane or accidentally dropped tools, bolts, or any other object. But it also includes being struck by a vehicle, a real hazard when working on highway and bridge construction or repair.
· Caught in-between—this is exactly what it sounds like, and the most common caught in-between injuries come from swinging loads—like a steel beam being lowered into place or being caught between equipment and an immoveable object.
· Electrocution—this mostly refers to crane booms or aerial lifts contacting overhead power lines but can also come from using electric tools.
Safety Standards
Safety requirements on the jobsite are regulated by OSHA. Subpart R is the steel erection standard. The original standard from 1971 mainly had regulations involving rivets. The last big rivet job in Minnesota was in the early 70s. The standard was updated in 2001, and it changed how Ironworkers erect structural steel. There were major changes made in site layout, hoisting and rigging, structural steel assembly (including column anchorage, beam erection, and bar joist erection), falling object protection, and fall protection. There’s a saying that OSHA regulations are written in blood—that is to say, workers get hurt and then regulations are updated to prevent that accident from happening again—and many of the 2001 updates were in reaction to Ironworkers getting injured and killed on jobsites all over the country.
But making changes on paper is not the same as seeing them implemented on the jobsite. Ironworkers resisted the new safety requirements, arguing that the new regulations were not compatible with getting the work done efficiently. Well into the 2000s, Ironworkers hated to be tied off. They fought it until the alternative was getting fired. The general consensus was that it was impossible to be tied off and remain productive. In fact, some considered it to be more dangerous to be tied off. Especially among the Raising Gang, who are dealing not just with the height, the elements, and the narrow footing inherent in steel erection, but also massive steel beams being placed on the structure. Being agile and nimble is crucial in avoiding the Focus Four when erecting steel, and Ironworkers saw lanyards and tie-offs as something that interfered with their ability to move.
Over time, the safety industry innovated to meet efficiency, making being tied off easier and have less of an impact on mobility and productivity. These innovations include horizontal lifelines, retractable lanyards, and beamers (adjustable clamps that connect to wide flange beams but move with the Ironworker). Aerial lifts and work platforms are more common on the jobsite, too. All of this makes Ironworking much safer than it used to be—after all, prior to the 2001 revision, fall protection requirements were basically non-existent. The trade has gotten much safer than it used to be. Nevertheless, ironwork regularly makes the top ten in lists of “most dangerous jobs.”
Work Safe
Regardless of what part of the trade an Ironworker is performing, it is ingrained in every one of them that they are responsible for their own safety as well as that of the people they are working with every day. Ironworkers are taught to always know their surroundings—look at what is above you and what is below you. They always leave themselves an “out,” because if (and, in all likelihood, when) something goes sideways, it happens fast. The improved safety measures really have been effective: these days, an Ironworker who falls usually just takes a blow to their pride, rather than their body. And that’s why we are always there to remind each other to work safe.
