Struck-By and Caught-In/Between Hazards

Struck-by hazards are the second Fatal Four cause. Four types: flying objects (nail guns, grinders, saws), falling objects (dropped tools from height — toeboards and tool lanyards prevent this), swinging/sliding objects (crane loads, scaffolding sections), and rolling objects (vehicles, equipment, rolling materials). For OSHA 30 supervisors: establish exclusion zones under overhead work, require toeboards on elevated work surfaces, ensure workers wear hard hats and safety glasses in all active work areas, and implement traffic management plans for all areas where vehicles and pedestrians share space.

Caught-in/between hazards cause death through crushing and suffocation. Mechanisms: rotating machinery catching clothing, hair, or body parts (nip points); trench cave-ins burying workers; workers pinched between swinging crane loads and fixed structures; workers crushed between backing vehicles and walls. Prevention: machine guarding on all rotating equipment, proper trench protective systems, tag lines for crane loads (so workers don't directly handle loads), and backup alarms plus spotters for all heavy equipment.

Work zone safety in construction: the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) governs temporary traffic control. Supervisors must ensure: traffic control plans are developed by trained personnel, advance warning signs are in place, channelizing devices (cones, barrels, temporary barriers) are positioned correctly, flaggers are trained (ATSSA certification), flaggers wear Class 3 vests, and intrusion alarm systems are considered for work near high-speed traffic. All workers in roadway construction zones must wear Class 2 or 3 high-visibility vests at all times.