Accidents and their causes

I. Types of Construction Accidents:

1. Crane or hoist accidents. Cranes and hoists are important construction tools. However, lack of training, operator errors, and other
factors can lead to serious accidents on construction sites.
2. Falls from heights. Scaffolding accidents, ladder accidents, roofing accidents, and other falls from heights can result in tragic
construction accidents.
3. Slip and falls. A slip and fall on the ground can cause broken bones, sprains, and other injuries.
4. Repetitive stress injuries. The repetitive nature of some construction work can result in repetitive stress injuries in the back, wrists,
ankles, and joints.
5. Gas leaks, fires, and explosions. Gas leaks, fires, and explosions can be sudden and deadly. Carbon monoxide, for example, can be
dangerous in a confined construction space.
6. Forklift accidents. Without proper training and attentive operators, forklifts can be dangerous and result in serious construction
accidents.
7. Trench accidents. A trench collapse or an accident within a trench can be devastating. A construction worker may be trapped and
unable to get out on his own.
8. Elevator shaft accidents. Construction workers may be at risk of falling down elevator shafts if safety precautions are not in place.
9. Electrocutions. Electrical equipment, overhead electrical wires, wiring, and lightning all create risks of electrocution for construction
workers.
10. Machinery accidents. Heavy machines are necessary to complete construction jobs, but they also create real risks for construction
workers when they malfunction or when an operator is negligent.
11. Struck-by accidents. Motor vehicles are common on construction sites. A construction worker is at risk of being struck by a motor
vehicle or piece of machinery while working on a construction site.
12. Caught-between accidents. A limb or an entire person may get caught by a piece of equipment or crushed by the debris of a
construction accident.
13. Exposure to dangerous chemicals or toxins. Breathing in certain chemicals or toxins can cause construction workers to suffer
serious respiratory illnesses.
 14. Falling Debris.  Tools, building materials, pieces of scaffolding, or other supplies can do serious damage if they fall from significant
heights and land on a worker.
15. Overexertion.  Construction crews often work long hours in the elements, including extreme heat and humidity.  This can cause injury
from dehydration, fainting, or even strokes.

II. Fatal Four:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has classified the following four risks as the “Fatal Four.”

 Falls.  Approximately 40% of construction injury deaths result from a worker falling from scaffolding, roofs, cranes, and other high
places. Typical fatal injuries include brain or spinal cord trauma and internal damage, including organ ruptures and crush injuries caused
by the impact of hitting the ground.
 Electrocution. Over eight percent of construction site fatalities occur as a direct result of electrical accidents. Electrical injuries can
occur at construction sites when workers are performing tasks near electrical panels or overhead wires. Electricity can cause burns,
brain damage, and irreversible damage to other organs of the body.
 Falling objects. In addition to the threat of falling off a scaffold or roof, workers are also in danger of being fatally struck by falling
objects, including loose tools, cement buckets, and building materials. Nearly eight percent of construction fatalities occur from brain
and neck damage caused by the impact force of an object as it struck the worker’s body.
 Compression injuries. Four percent of fatalities are attributed to crush and “caught-between” injuries. These accidents include
situations where workers are killed as a result of being caught in or compressed by equipment or objects, as well as being struck,
caught, or crushed by collapsing structures, equipment, or materials.

III. Common causes of construction site accidents:

The major causes of accidents were grouped into the following five groups
 Unsafe act
 Unsafe working condition
 Communication barrier
 Management commitment
  Training. 
The detailed list is given below.

 Lack of fall protection for workers on elevated structures.

 Lack of protection for people on the ground from falling objects.
 Tripping hazards from construction materials and debris.
 Missing guards or protections on power tools.
 Unsafe equipment.
 Lack of safety precautions when working near power lines
 Lack of protection for workers in trenches
 Unsafe property conditions
 Human error
 Improper training
 Manufacturing defects
 Improper maintenance
 Violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety rule
.
IV. Human factors in construction safety

Human factor means factor(s) that influence people and their behaviour in safety under critical situations. Human factors like knowledge,
awareness, perception, attitude, behavior, motivation, understanding, emotions, etc play a key role.

The following are essential to ensure safety climate

 Management commitment to safety

 Supervisor safety perception
 Co-worker safety perception
 Work pressure
  Role overload
 Safety knowledge were used to define safety climate

For effective human factors approach ensure the following

 Workplace design deals with the conducive workplace setup.

 Equipment design assesses the effectiveness of the tools, control panels and displays. Ensure that they make logical sense, intuitive
and aligned with how the human brain processes information
 Work environment explores how humans are impacted by noise, lighting, vibration, temperature and exposures. We can make the
workplace safer when we understand how people’s behaviours change depending on these conditions.
 Physical activities deal with the capabilities of the human body. The following issues should be properly addressed by ergonomists.
How much force can a human safely exert? What are the impacts of repetitive activities? How is the body most likely to be strained or
harmed?
 Job design helps us understand the impacts of work schedules, fatigue and workload. The management systems should understand
how humans respond to these factors and accordingly should design the job.
 Information transfer explicitly demonstrates the need for workers to understand how they are to interact with the equipment and how
we want them to respond to instructions, signs, procedures, labels and other guidance provided in the management systems.
 Personal factors deal with the individual capabilities of people as it relates to stress, fitness and other factors unique to the individual.
The human ability, or lack thereof, to stay focused and not get distracted is a part of this component. This is where psychological safety
fits into our human factors model.
 Human error helps us understand why we make mistakes and why we may interpret information incorrectly as we interact with the
equipment and attempt to follow the procedures provided. When we understand this, we can ensure that equipment and the
management systems are aligned with how the human brain works. 

V. Costs of Construction Injuries:

“Injuries Costs; Safety Pays”

 Direct cost
 Associated with treatment of injuries and any unique compensation offered to workers as a consequence of being injuried.

Direct costs include ambulance services, medication, hospitalisation, disability benefits, a percentage of lost wage of injured worker. In
general, workers compensation will be linked with various insurance policies.
^^Please collect the details regarding the various insurance polices and also details from workers compensation act..

 Indirect (Hidden) Cost

It cannot be quantified with accuracy..

Examples of indirect costs:

Cost of lost time of injured worker.

Cost of lost time of other workers who stop work.
Cost of time lost by foreman, supervisor, or other executives.
Cost due to damage to equipment, tools, property and materials if any.
Cost of time spent on the case by first-aid attendant and other staff 
Cost of overtime imposed by the accident (lost production, additional supervision)
Costs associated with instructing, training and repositioning employees in order toresume production.
Cost due to loss in profit due to idle equipment
Cost incurred because of subsequent injuries partially caused by the incident
Cost of overheads.