Staying Healthy While Working In Construction

Working in construction can be very rewarding and well-paid. However, like many other jobs, it entails certain risks. The most significant risks are those to your health.

Construction work often deals with hazardous substances, include things like PCBs, asbestos, lead, silica dust, glass fibers, cadmium, asphalt and even radioactive material.

Therefore, it’s essential that you take steps to protect your health while working in construction. Here are some of the ways you can do that.

Wear a Respirator

A high-quality respirator mask should be the first tool in your protective arsenal. These masks can filter everything from paint fumes to radioactive dust, keeping them out of your mouth, nose, throat and lungs.

Asbestos fibers, which are often present in older buildings, can become lodged in the lungs and cause asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Glass dust and fibers from insulation and glass cutting can cause potentially fatal respiratory damage when inhaled.

Toxic vapors from paint, coatings and plastics can cause severe neurological damage, hormone disruption and organ failure. You should always wear a full-face respirator while on the job.

Protective Nutrition

Using protective equipment is a good way to protect yourself, but it’s not recommended to rely on it as your sole defense.

There are many vitamins and minerals that can protect you from the inside. Vitamins E, A, C, D and E are extremely powerful antioxidants.

These substances, particularly vitamin C, have the ability to negate toxic effects and expedite the elimination of toxins from your body. Furthermore, they will protect your internal organs from the more immediate damaging effects of chemical exposure.

Many minerals also offer health protection. Zinc helps to prevent the estrogenic effects of PCBs, phthalates and brominated flame retardants.

Manganese protects your bones from osteoporosus caused by fluoride exposure, as well as cancer caused by asphalt, cadmium and mercury exposure. Selenium and magnesium are both highly neuroprotective.

They defend against brain and nervous system damage that can be caused by exposure to heavy metals, plastic additives, cadmium and chlorine. Phytic acid, a natural substance found in seeds and grains, removes excess heavy metals from the body.

When working in construction, it’s strongly recommended that you maintain a healthy diet and take high-quality vitamin and mineral supplements regularly.

Make Bathing a Priority

When you get home from work, the very first thing you should do is head for the shower. Many things will leave particles or residues on your skin, hair and clothing even if you can’t see them.

Hazardous substances aren’t just harmful to you. They can also cause illness for your family and pets.

A prompt shower reduces the spread of these materials around your home and minimizes the other inhabitants’ contact with them.

In addition, the sooner you wash away the leftovers of the work day, the less opportunity they will have to absorb into your skin and mucous membranes.

Wear Protective Clothing

If possible, you should always wear protective jumpsuit that is rated for use around hazardous materials. Unfortunately, these suits may not always be practical or easily available.

In that case, take care to wear long-sleeved shirts, long, densely-woven pants, gloves and protective goggles.

Clothes that offer plenty of coverage reduce the amount of dangerous substances that come into contact with your skin, while goggles keep dust and other particles out of your eyes.

No matter how well a construction job pays, it could never be worth losing the precious gift of sound health.

Even if it’s mildly inconvenient, it’s essential that you take as many steps as possible to safeguard yourself against hazardous materials in the workplace.