CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY & BUILDING

SERVICES III
ESA/B/Q 410

Brian B. Katongo
The Copperbelt University
School of Built Environment
v Prior to being deployed to work on sites all recruited
personnel need to under go a complete pre-employment
medical process in order to ascertain their fitness for
work.
v ‘Fitness for Work’ - Personnel will be subjected to
random drug and alcohol testing

q  Induction training aims at…

ü  making sure that workers are familiar with the
Occupational Health Safety rules and procedures for
the workplace.
ü  On Site Personnel Orientation Training
n  Health and safety law
n  Accident/Incident reporting
n  First aid facility
n  Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE)
n  Fire evacuation procedure/
Emergency exit/Assembly point
n  Manual Handling
n  Signage
n  Welfare facilities
n  Etc.
ü  To ensure that safety
requirements are
appreciated by all workers
on site
ü  To enable workers identify
hazards that they are
exposed to and control
these hazards
ü  To enable employees to
seek positive improvement
in their health and safety
through education
v  Human - An employee should
not have to expect that by
coming to work on site, they are
risking life or limb, and neither
should others be affected by
their undertaking
v  Economic – to avoid legal fees,
fines, compensatory damages,
investigation time, lost
production, lost goodwill from
both workforce and client.
v  Legal – we have the duty under
the Act of Law to ensure health,
safety and welfare at work for
the entire workforce.
v  No accidents
v  Absence of disease,
illness and injuries
v  Physical and Mental
wellbeing
v  The first week on each new site is the
most dangerous
v  Accidents are more frequent at the end of
the day
v  Small building jobs are the most risky
v  Safety helmets, Hi-viz jackets, safety boots
do prevent injury and death
v  Light weight shoes-such as trainers or
runners are not suitable on site
Breakdown of fatalities according to type of accident in construction industry

v 56% falls from height

v 21% trapped by something collapsing or

overturning
v 10% struck by a moving vehicle

v 5% contact with electricity or electrical discharge

v 4% struck by a flying/falling object during machine

lifting of materials

v 3% contact with moving machinery or material

being machined
v 1% exposure to a hot or harmful substance
v  Everyone can get to their place of work safely
v  Edges from which people could fall are provided with
double guard rails or other suitable edge protection
v  Holes are protected with clearly marked and fixed covers
to prevent falls
v  Site is tidy
v  Good lighting
v  Fenced off from public
 Height HAZARDS on Construction Sites
Holes in Floors, Gaps on Working Platforms, Shafts and Stairwells not Adequately
Covered, Barricaded, Fenced Off

v Using ladders or scaffolding without proper fixing

is crazy

v Never use incomplete scaffolding.

v Make sure there are hand rails and toe boards at

all edges

v Things fall on sites, wear your helmet

v Before starting work at heights check for

clearance from any overhead power lines
 Ladders kill a lot of people. Make sure the ladder is:-

v  Right for the job. Would scaffolding

or a cherry picker be better?
v  In good shape
v  Secured near the top
v  On a firm base and footing 4 up – 1 out
v  Rising at least 1 meter beyond the landing place
OR that there is a proper hand hold

Always have a firm grip on the ladder and keep a

good balance
v Never allow more than one person
on a ladder
v Use tool belts or hand lines to carry objects.
v Do not lean out from the ladder in any direction
v If you have a fear of heights – don’t climb a ladder
v Do not allow others to work under a ladder in use
Very Simply:-
v Always inspect a roof before you walk on it
v You must have protection to stop you from falling
off the edge
v You must use proper safety harnesses and running
cables when working on top of a roof
Remember: a walk along a fragile roof could be your
last
50% of fatal injuries involving roofs are falls through fragile
materials, 30% are falls from edges and openings
 If you want to avoid being buried alive apply these rules:-
v  All excavations deeper than 1.25meters MUST be
shored
v  Excavations deeper than 2 meters MUST
have a guard rail or barrier
v  Vehicles working too close to the
side of the trench or rubble piled
on the sides may cause collapse
v  Vehicles tipping into the excavation
must use stop blocks
If you want to avoid being buried alive apply these rules:-

v  Make sure the excavation is

inspected daily
v  Make sure you know where any
underground pipes and cables are
before you hit them
v  REMEMBER: There is no safe
ground that will not collapse
v  Trench sides can collapse without
warning
 Very Simply:-
v  The weight of the load must be carefully
estimated
v  The crane must be fitted with an automatic
safe load indicator (one that works)
v  The crane must always work on a hard, level
base
v  The load must be properly fixed and secured
v  The banksman must be trained to give clear
signals
v  Vehicles and pedestrians should be kept apart on-site – separate
them as much as possible using barriers
v  Avoid reversing where possible & use one-way system
v  Vehicles should have reversing alarms/sirens
v  Passengers only on vehicles designed to carry them
Good safety practice:-

v  Installed by a competent person

v  Rated capacity clearly marked

v  Suitable base enclosure to prevent
people being struck by moving part
of hoist
Good practice with electricity on site:-
v  Treat electricity with respect

v  Check constantly that cables are not

damaged or worn

v  Keep trailing cables off the ground

and away from water

v  Never overload or use makeshift

plugs and fuses
Most construction sites require at least:

v Hard hat
v Safety Boots
v Hi-viz jacket
v Safety Glasses

Wear them always for your safety

 A NEW SAFETY CULTURE
v  All accidents are preventable.
v  No job is worth getting hurt for.
v  Every job will be done safely.
v  Incidents can be managed.
v  Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
v  Continuous improvement of
Safety as a “way of life” for 24 hours/day
v  All individuals have the responsibility and
accountability to identify eliminate or manage risks
associated with their workplace
v  Legal obligations will be the minimum
requirements for our health & safety standards
v  Individual will be trained and equipped to have
the skills and facilities to ensure an accident free
workplace
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE PERSONS WORKING ON YOUR SITE TO PUT
THEMSELVES IN DANGER
THANK YOU