When a sewer line breaks in your neighborhood, who comes to fix it? If a crack develops in the bridge you drive over every day, who makes sure that it doesn’t get so bad the bridge collapses? Or what about the worker who comes when you have a family of skunks under your deck? These are all public works and infrastructure support services workers who, often behind the scenes, make sure our society runs as normally as possible by supporting public services and maintaining the operation of buildings and businesses such as hospitals and senior facilities.

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Public Works and Infrastructure Support Services Workers

It’s a long title, but public works and infrastructure support services workers have a long list of essential duties to provide – they perform a lot of work we take for granted. These dedicated workers include people working behind the scenes who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues.

Public works and infrastructure support services workers also include more visible essential service providers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, builders, contractors, HVAC Technicians, landscapers, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, businesses, and buildings such as hospitals, senior living facilities, any temporary construction required to support COVID-19 response.

Even More Potentially Deadly Hazards

Because public works and infrastructure support services workers cover such a broad range, unfortunately, the number of hazards that threaten them is also quite large. Here are the most common risks these people face:

Motor Vehicle Injuries

Motor vehicle injuries occur from falls off the vehicle, collisions, and if the worker is struck by a vehicle. They are one of the leading causes of workers' injuries and fatalities.

Confined Spaces

Confined spaces in the workplace pose a significant risk of injury and death. Hazards in confined spaces can result in fire, explosion, unconsciousness, asphyxiation, or drowning. Employers must take the necessary steps to ensure worker safety around confined spaces.

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials may cause serious health problems in workers or fires or explosions in the workplace. Additionally, there is exposure to biological and chemical agents.

Electrical Hazards

Public works crews regularly encounter electricity in offices, treatment plants, and homes, on construction sites, and along roads. Because of this, they can experience potentially deadly shocks, burns, and explosions.

Falls from Elevation

Falls from elevation results in some of the most serious work-related injuries. Proper planning, supervision, training, and use of fall protection can reduce or eliminate the risk of falling from ladders, structures, buildings, roofs, vehicles, and scaffolds.

Violence and Assault

Because these workers usually work in the public, they are exposed to violent assaults. More commonly, workers experience verbal and emotional abuse, particularly providing a service like plumbing repairs.

Power Tools

Power tools and equipment, both stationary and portable (hand-held), are commonly used in a number of industries. We have resources on working safely with many types of power tools, including chainsaws, circular saws, grinders, nail guns, and more. Select a type below to see related resources.

Sprains and Strains

Sprains and strains are among the most common injuries for these workers. They can arise from a number of incident types, such as overexertion, repetitive motion, motor vehicle incident, and slips, trips, and falls. Sprains and strains that arise from overexertion and repetitive motion incident types are referred to as musculoskeletal injuries.

Struck by Objects

Struck-by object injuries are a very common type of serious injury for workers in the plumbing, pipefitting, sheet metal, air conditioning, and sprinkler trades.

Make Sure They Go Home to Their Families

Again, because of the broad range of work and potential hazards, there is no single solution. In addition to the proper personal protective equipment and thorough emergency response plans, a worker monitoring service can help protect public works and infrastructure support services workers from a range of hazards including sending an instant signal for help if the worker is electrocuted or knocked unconscious, using its man-down feature. Or if the worker is feeling threatened, they can easily press the panic button or shake their mobile device for an emergency. Additionally, a worker check-in system gives employers and managers the confidence of knowing their team members are ok as well as where they are located should they need help.

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Essential Services: Protecting Public Works and Infrastructure Workers, The Champions Behind the Scenes