UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Caloocan

COURSE: NCE_4401 : Construction Occupational Safety and Health

ACTIVITY NO. : M11: ACTIVITY NO.1

TITLE: Reaction Paper on: Movement of People and Vehicles - Hazards

and Control and Construction Activities Hazards and Control

NAME: Baloloy, Selwyn Brian M.

SECTION: 4CE - 1B

PROFESSOR: Christine P. Torio

DATE: December 5, 2022

RATING:
 Reaction Paper on:

Movement of People and Vehicles - Hazards and Control and Construction

Activities Hazards and Control

In construction sites, employees are very open to any happenings as their

responsibilities at the site mature due to the workloads assigned to them. The
administration or the company strengthens the awareness inside the work area.
Through this, the safety of each and every one is treasured and valued. Moreover,
the movement of people and vehicles and construction activities are being analyzed
due to the reason that workers are still open to accidents even in the simplest action
they will do because they are in a place that is contagious for any accidents.
Furthermore, construction activities are connected to the movement of people and
vehicles since in every activity, there are employees that move to accomplish
different tasks in the same project.

In my observation, the report of 6th Mile Safety and Health Group focused on
the most typical hazards that employees experienced when they move such as slips,
trips, falls, striking against fixed objects, the collision of moving vehicles, and many
more. On the other hand, the discussion of the Safety First Group focused on the
hazards when employees used materials and equipment while doing their tasks such
as health hazards, accidents in improper usage of ladders, etc. These topics that the
6th Mile Safety and Health and Safety First Group was been discussed have the
same purpose, to spread awareness, broadcast safety protocols, and explain how
employees be safe in these two specific scenarios. Like Jerry Smith said, “Working
safely is like breathing - if you don’t, you die”, that’s why safety is a must.

To give an example, I remember one of the stories of Engr. Aranda when he

is discussing his experience in a construction site. When he was roaming at the site,
he stepped a nail that stroke his feet. In addition, when I was in my on-the-job
training, I experienced striking at a roof sheet while we are checking the storage
room which gave me a wound in the temple on my head. This is a simple accident
that can be experienced by any of the visitors, engineers, and laborers inside the site.
It can be prevented if the was properly organize so that materials are not on the
ground and if the people are attentive in the surrounding. Also, there are more
complex scenarios that can cause death to the laborers. According to CIOB (2022),
there is a construction worker aged 18 years old in a house-build construction site in
Boston that was pinched by a van. It happens when the victim’s colleague moves the
van near the victim while half of his body is in the manhole. When the van
approaches the position of the victim, it causes serious crush injuries which lead to
death. That’s why the report of the 6th Mile is very informative for the reason that
they didn’t only define what are the potential hazards but also the control strategies
for each of the hazards.

Moreover, construction activities can also contribute to accidents on a work

site. To give an example, in the work of my father, he said that one worker was
injured because of using a grinder. As per the statement of the victim, he said that
the grinder he was using had malfunctioned. The grinder strikes his legs which
leaves an open wound.

All of these have precautionaries to prevent an accident. As the reporters

discussed, the work site must be inspected by safety engineers to know what the
signages should be in a specific area, what are the desired location for the materials,
checking of the equipment if it is still safe to use, and many more. In addition,
inspections on the construction site are essential for guaranteeing that quality control
and safety protocols are implemented appropriately from the beginning. Coordinating
several project team members, supplies, and equipment is a necessary step in the
construction process, but it also exposes contractors to a variety of risks and
dangers (Procore, 2022).

Furthermore, this is not only for the safety of the workers but also for the
safety of the passerby within the vicinity. Like in the movement of vehicles, it is very
dangerous to the people if the vehicles from the construction site are not properly
parked. Another example is that, according to my father, in his work, there are
situations where a passerby is hit by falling debris from the construction site.

On a final note, even though there are existing ways to control hazards. It is
still in the hands of the workers if they will allow themselves to be safe or not.
However, there are times when even the safest workers can omit accidents due to
lack of attention while working which leads to human error accidents. We, workers,
should be focused at all times for us to ensure our safety not just for ourselves but
also for the loved ones who are waiting for us at the time we need to go home.
References:

6th Mile Safety and Health Group (November, 2022). Movement of People and
Vehicle in Construction.

CIOB (June 9, 2022). Suspended sentences and fines after 18-year-old construction
worker’s death. Retrieved from.
https://constructionmanagement.co.uk/construction-workers-
death/?fbclid=IwAR2XZ9eXTV49vdXLylpd_ERxYnidx-e_6C-
IrGJ5VMZW_41x7dz1zZg5NQ0

Procore (2022). Construction Site Inspection: Everything You Need To Know About
The Process. Retrieved from. https://www.procore.com/en-
sg/article/construction-site-inspection-everything-you-need-to-know-about-
theprocess#:~:text=Construction%20site%20inspections%20are%20critical,
many%20potential%20risks%20and%20hazards.

Safety First Group (November, 2022). Construction Activities - Hazards and Control.