UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Caloocan

COURSE: NCE_4401 : Construction Occupational Safety and Health

ACTIVITY NO. : M13: ACTIVITY NO.1

TITLE: Reaction Paper on: Electrical Hazards and Control and Fire
Hazards and Control

NAME: Baloloy, Selwyn Brian M.

SECTION: 4CE - 1B

PROFESSOR: Christine P. Torio

DATE: December 12, 2022

RATING:
 Reaction Paper on:

Electrical Hazards and Control and Fire Hazards and Control

Electrical and Fire Safety are the salient parts of a project due to the ability of
these activities to provide safe space for the future tenants that will be using the
project you have handled. However, these two topics will not only underlies the
safety of the client but, also, the safety of the workers for them to accomplish the
project successfully. As result, electrical and fire hazards and controls have been
made to ensure that no individuals will be harmed because of the electricity or fire.

These topics are important for the reason that there are a lot of cases in which
electric and fire were involved in the accidents primarily in the household. On the
other side, it is also frequent in the work site due to the fact that there are also
electrical outlets, wiring, activities that may cause fire, etc. In contrast, we know that
electric and fire are connected to each other because mainly, fire started due to
electrical-based fault.

According to Giri et. al (2019), males made up the bulk of the victims (86%),
who were mostly between the ages of 21 and 40. Home electrocution occurred in
47.7% of cases. This was discovered to be that cases of electrocution are all by
accidents (100%). The vast majority of these incidents included contact with an
uninsulated source of electrical wire. Out of all cases, 22.7% of patients were alive
and received medical care before passing away, as opposed to 77.2% of cases
where the patient was certified dead upon arrival. Additionally, males made up a
higher proportion of the victims in residential fires and were more likely than females
to die or be hurt in a fire. 55 % of the injuries and 57 % of the fatalities were
sustained by this group (Ahrens, 2021).

To elaborate more, let’s start with the site. I have three observations that may
support the idea of improper practice during working hours by the workers
specifically men. First, smoking secretly, there are a lot of cases that when we
inspect the site, we noticed that there are cigarette butts or in our native language
“upos ng sigarilyo” that are scattered everywhere. Second, the location of the steel
cutting is inappropriate. We have notice that they carelessly cut steel in the place
where materials can ignite with the sparks created by friction between grinding metal
and steel. And lastly, unorganized wiring during working hours is one of the alarming
thing we have notice due to the fact that the location of our site is beside a river.
There are times that water in the river rises unexpectedly that may reach the wires
that unconsciously scattered by the workers. After we have noticed all of these
actions, the site engineers together with the foreman and workers conduct a meeting
to raise the concerns in the site because at the end of the day it is for their safety.

Let’s proceed to the house, as Giri et. al (2019) and Ahrens (2021) stated that
men are considered the highest receiver of accidents in residential. Mainly because,
families are used to the idea that men in the family especially fathers should know
how to fix (pagbubutingting) electrical wiring, appliances, and many more. This may
result in unexpected electrocution to the fathers or men in the family. Additionally,
this kind of act is not a hundred percent safe because most of them are only
experienced and not knowledgeable on what are the proper things to do in doing
these such things. It may result in the electrocution of other family members, it can
be the start of a fire, etc.

These accidents made by electricity or fire continuously occur nationwide.

That’s why control measures and preventive guidelines were been broadcast on
different social media and national television, especially during the month of March.
As we all know, to raise awareness and educate people about reducing fire incidents,
March has been declared National Fire Prevention Month. Moreover, as posted by
the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc. (2015), May is
the National Electrical Safety Month (Presidential Proclamation No. 193) which
emphasizes the value of electrical safety through promoting Electrical Safety
Enforcement & Awareness (ESEA). Due to shock dangers, hundreds of incidents
happen every year. Letting ourselves be taught by Licensed Electrical Practitioners
about potential electrical hazards is a must and an investment.

On a final note, the discussion of Corinthian Builders and Safety Gals is very
helpful since everyone is prone to this kind of accident. At least, knowing the causes
and the preventive measures of electricity and fire enlightens our minds that these
two causes of accidents can be prevented if we only let ourselves do what is good
for us. It is also very timely knowing the fact that fire due to electrical faults during the
Christmas season increases because of the overloading of electrical outlets or usage
of uncertified Christmas lights. Please bare in mind, doon tayo sa tiyak!
References:

Ahrens, M. (December, 2021). Characteristics of home fire victims. Retrieved from.

https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-
Problem/Home-fire-victims-by-age-and-
gender#:~:text=Males%20were%20more%20likely%20to,55%20percent%20
of%20the%20injuries).

Corinthian Builders. (December, 2022). Electrical Hazards and Control.

Giri, S., Waghmode, A., & Tumram, N. K. (January, 2019). Study of different facets
of electrocution deaths: a 5-year review. Retrieved from.
https://ejfs.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41935-018-0103-5

IIEE. (May, 2015). May is National Electrical Safety Month. Retrieved from.
https://www.facebook.com/iieephils/posts/may-is-national-electrical-safety-
monthmay-is-national-electrical-safety-month-p/720051731437312/

Safety Gals. (December, 2022). Fire Hazard and Control.