I would like to talk about the hazards and safety practices required when working with steel rebars.

Webster’s dictionary describes it as a steel rod with ridges for use in reinforced concrete. It was first used in 1953.

There are dangers associated with it in the shop as well as on the job site. When you work with rebar you need to aware of your surroundings at all times. It may be hanging on the back of the truck, someone carrying it, or it may be sticking out of the ground. Serious injury can result from walking into it or falling on it and impaling yourself.

Rebar caps are very important tools in safety.

How Do I Avoid Hazards?

1. Guard all protruding ends of steel rebar with rebar caps or wooden troughs, or

2. Bend rebar so exposed ends are no longer upright.

3. When employees are working at any height above exposed rebar, fall protection / prevention is the first line of defense against impalement.

4. Always be sure of your footing when you’re working above exposed rebar, being in too much of hurry or not being careful of where you’re going can be a serious or deadly mistake.

5. Make sure you’re wearing your safety glasses.

6. Gloves are also important when handling rebar. The ridges can be very sharp.

7. The most important way to avoid hazards is to use

Rebar Caps

The OSHA Standard requires that rebar “be guarded to eliminate the hazard of impalement.”

When I first started out in the trades, I was a young kid happy to have a job; safety was the last thing on my mind. We were in the shop one day getting everything ready for our job site. I was talking to someone not paying attention, and when I turned around I walked into a piece of rebar hanging from the back of the truck. I cut my ear pretty bad. I was not wearing safety glasses as I should have been. If I hadn’t turned my head in time I would have lost an eye or worse. I cannot stress enough to be cautious and alert. That incident taught me a painful lesson.

Deaths Due to Not Guarding Protruding Steel Rebar’s :

Case Reports

The following Case Reports of falls investigated by OSHA illustrate how seemingly innocent workplace activities can have deadly consequences.

1. An employee pulling a concrete hose along a form fell two stories and hit his head on steel rebar’s which brain.

2. A laborer fell through a roof opening about 8 feet to a patio foundation that had about 20 half-inch rebar’s protruding straight up. The laborer was impaled by one of the bars and died.