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Module 3-1 - Workplace safety

Industrial Safety Management (APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University)

Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university

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SAFETY ISSUES IN
CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS
TUNELLING AND BLASTING

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CONTENTS
⮚ INTRODUCTION
⮚ TUNNELING
⮚ GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN TUNNELING
⮚ SAFETY MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING
⮚ SAFETY ISSUES IN TUNNELING
⮚ BLASTING
⮚ POSSIBLE ISSUES DUE TO BLASTING
⮚ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

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INTRODUCTION
⮚ Civil Industry is one of the biggest industry and safety in civil engineering is
one of the important factors.
⮚ It is an industry where extensive use of labor is required and when large
amount of labor is involved matter of safety arises.
⮚ In India safety in construction is not a serious issue and is neglected quite
often.
⮚ For proper development and growth of economy stable and productive work
force is must.
⮚ Through implementation of safety work practices and training ,safety can be
ensured.
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TUNNELING
⮚It is the physical process of constructing an underground passage beneath the
earth surface it can also be created under water.

⮚Tunneling work is widely carried out in the construction of railway, road

projects and irrigation.

⮚This work is specialized and hazardous because of cramped working space, wet
and slippery floorings.

⮚Usually characterized by inadequate ventilation, poissonus gases, unseen

weaknesses of rock, handling of explosives etc leading to accidents.
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ADVANTAGES OF TUNNELING
⮚Tunnels are more economical than open cuts beyond certain depths.
⮚If tunnels are provided with easy gradients ,the cost of hauling is decreased.
⮚Tunnels have proved cheaper to carry public utility service like water, gas,
sewer etc.
⮚Tunnels avoid disturbing or interfering with surface life and traffic during
construction.
⮚In case of aerial warfare and bombing of cities , the tunnels would grant better
protection as compared to bridges.

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DISADVANTAGES
⮚The initial investment cost for commencing the tunnel is high compared to the
open cut method.
⮚Highly skilled and experienced designers and engineer team only will work best
for this operation.
⮚Higher and constant supervision from the start to the end of the tunneling
project is necessary without any compromise
⮚Highly specialized equipment are necessary to perform the tunneling
operations.

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GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN

TUNNELING
⮚Adequate ventilation is required to remove polluted air, gases and smoke
produced.
⮚Tests of gases and for temperature measurements and ventilation
measurements shall be recorded properly maintained.
⮚Adequate steps shall be taken to prevent the liberation, accumulation and the
propagation of air-borne dust.
⮚Periodical medical check up of the workers at least once in three months to be
done and recorded .

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CONT…
⮚Electric power shall used. Whenever diesel engines are used, they shall be
provided with suitable filters, scrubbers, etc to remove all carbon monoxide and
oxides of nitrogen, etc. Petrol engines shall not be used.
⮚Proper system of communication should be maintained.
⮚ Head light on each end and a whistle or horn with a tone of sufficient volume
shall be provided for locomotives.
⮚Proper system of communication should be maintained.
⮚Shelter places for workmen shall be provided at suitable intervals in long
tunnels.

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CONT…
⮚Unnecessary machines , tools, and construction materials should be avoided to
store in the tunnel.
⮚Open flames, electric short-circuiting should be avoided by providing proper
covering over the power line and light.
⮚Safety signboards should be provided at various places along the tunnel.
⮚Without permission ,no unauthorized person should be permitted to enter the
tunnel.

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SAFETY MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING

➢ Safety policies should be established for all the parties involved in the project which will
include a clear chain of command and communication. These policies should also
specify responsibilities for safety.
➢ Appropriate training courses should be designed and put in place for people unfamiliar
with the nature of the tunnelling work to be undertaken.
➢ For a tunneling operation where 25 or more employees have to work underground at
any one time, at least one rescue crew of 5 employees per shift must be trained in
rescue procedures, the use, care and limitations of oxygen breathing apparatus, and the
use and maintenance of fire fighting equipment.
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➢ All operations inside the tunnel or shaft shall be carried out under the supervision of a
competent engineer. The engineer shall be responsible for ensuring safety stipulations
laid down for the work, to enforce the rules, guard against the use of defective safety
appliances, tools and materials, to see that no man is permitted to do work for which he
is not qualified.
➢ In larger jobs these responsibilities and function in respect of safety arrangements may
be delegated to an independent qualified and competent safety officer working under
the overall control of the engineer-in-charge.
➢ Meetings preferably once every month shall be conducted to review the effectiveness of
safety measures.

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➢ For a tunnelling operation where less than 25 employees work underground not less
than 5 employees must have such training in rescue work.
➢ Workmen shall be thoroughly instructed in safety rules and shall be required to follow
them at all times. All workers should also be trained in use of safety devices and
appliances provided to them.
➢ Display of names, contact numbers and addresses of officials/organisations to be
contacted in case of emergency should be done at prominent locations of the site.
➢ An accurate record of such accidents shall be properly maintained in format approved by
Engineer-in-charge. Probable reasons of accidents shall be investigated and
precautionary measures taken to avoid further recurrence.

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QUIZ TIME – “GENERAL SAFETY MEASURES”

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

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6. 7. 8.

9. 10.

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GENERAL SAFETY MEASURES

1. MEDICAL FACILITIES
➢ First-Aid Arrangements: Arrangements for rendering prompt and adequate first-aid to
the injured persons shall be maintained at every work site under the guidance of
medical officer. Depending upon the magnitude of the work the availability of an
ambulance at a very short notice (at telephone call) shall be ensured.
➢ Stretchers and other equipment necessary to remove injured persons shall be provided
at every shift and portal.
➢ Where there are more than 50 persons working in a shift, effective artificial respiration
arrangements shall be provided, with trained men capable of providing artificial
respiration.
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2. STACKING OF MATERIALS
Only the materials required for work in progress shall be kept inside the tunnel. All other
materials shall be kept in a planned & organized manner to avoid mishaps & to enable
the workers to get out of the tunnel quickly in case there is any collapse or any other
mishap inside the tunnel.Following are some of the special precautions that should be
followed for storage/handling of flammable material:
➢ All storage, handling and use of flammable liquids shall be under the supervision of
qualified persons. Unless totally unavoidable, flammable liquids shall not be stored
inside the tunnel.
➢ All flammable liquids shall be kept in a secure fire resistant store protected
from electrical sparks, welding sparks, open flames and smoking.
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➢ All sources of ignition shall be prohibited in areas where flammable liquids are
stored, handled and processed. Suitable warning and “NO SMOKING” signs shall
be posted in all such places.
➢ All combustible materials like rubbish shall be continuously removed from such
area where flammable liquids are stored, handled and processed. All spills of
flammable liquids shall be cleared up immediately. Containers of flammable liquid
shall be tightly capped.
➢ Fire extinguishers and fire-buckets appropriate to the hazard should be
conveniently located and identified.

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3. TELEPHONE SYSTEM
A telephone system shall be provided to ensure a positive and quick method of
communication between all control locations inside tunnel and portal of the tunnels when
longer than 500 m and for shafts when longer than 50 m. Maximum distance between two
telephone should preferably not exceed 500 m.
4. PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT
Personal safety equipment serves as an additional measure to ensure safety where it is not
possible to improve the environment by engineering means. Following Personal Safety
Equipment should be provided to workers working in the tunnel:
➢ Hard hats for head protection should be issued to every person entering the works and
the wearing of hard hats should be made compulsory.

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➢ Eye protection for activities such as welding, Shotcreting etc.

➢ If noise levels are excessive and cannot be reduced, hearing protection should be used
e.g. ear muffs or ear plugs.
➢ Under all conditions where dust levels are high, appropriate respiratory protective
equipment should be used, e.g. during shotcreting operations.
➢ All underground workers should be provided with safety boots of acceptable
quality. Such boots should be suitable for both dry and wet conditions.
➢ Hand protection in the form of gloves should be provided where the type of work
requires some form of protection. A general purpose type of glove may be
adequate for most types of work but special conditions would require special
gloves, e.g. special gloves required for welding operations.
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5. LIGHTING

⮚ Adequate lighting shall be provided at the face and at any other point where work is in
progress, at equipment installations, such as pumps, fans and transformers.
A minimum of 50 lux shall be provided at tunnel and shaft headings during drilling,
mucking and scaling. When mucking is done by tipping wagons running on trolley tracks
a minimum of 30 lux shall be provided for efficient and safe working.
The lighting in general in any area inside the tunnel or outside an approach road, etc.
shall not be less than 10 lux.
Emergency lights shall be installed at the working faces and at intervals along the tunnel
to help escape of workmen in case of accidents.
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6. PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE

⮚ No flammable material shall be stored in rooms, recesses or compartments containing

electrical apparatus (other than telephone & lighting apparatus).
Fire Fighting Equipment: Clearly visible Fire Points shall be established inside the tunnel
(near any room, recess or compartment etc.) for use in an emergency.
Each fire point should have available as a minimum the following type of equipment
(a) Dry Powder Extinguisher. (b) Water Type Extinguisher. © Bucket of Sand.
Supervisors and workmen at the site should be trained in the use of fire fighting
equipment provided at the site.

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7. WARNING SIGNS

⮚ Irrespective of length and bends in the tunnel, arrangements shall be made for
transmitting of warning signals by any one of the following means
By electrically operated bells, operated by battery / dry cells with the bell placed outside
the tunnel and the position of the switch shifting with the progress of the tunnelling
work. The position of the operating switch although temporary shall be so chosen as to
ensure proper accessibility and easy identification.
By the use of two field (magnet type) telephone
For up to 100 m length of the tunnel, only one of the systems mentioned above shall be
provided whereas in tunnels of length more than 100 m at least two systems shall be
installed; the wires running along opposite sides of the tunnel, if practicable.
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8. PROTECTION AGAINST NOISE

⮚ Deafness caused by noise at the working place is a recognized occupational illness, and
tunneling is one of the noisiest occupations. Exposure to a noise level of 85 dB(A) can
cause damage to hearing. Steps must therefore be taken to reduce the noise.
Reduce noise from a machine at source.
Fit larger mufflers to exhaust and ventilation fans.
Erect screens to separate the source of noise from the rest of the working area.
Improved maintenance of machine.
Improvements in design of machines.

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9. USE OF EXPLOSIVES
⮚ Selection and judicious use of proper kind and quality of explosives is essential. Proper
storage, transportation, handling and use of explosives.
⮚ It is important not only to ensure that these materials are kept out of reach of the
unauthorised persons and to reduce the hazards of accidental explosion but also to
maintain them in good condition for use.
⮚ The storage, transportation, handling & use of explosives shall be strictly in accordance
with the provisions of Indian Explosives Act, 1884.
10. ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS
⮚ The entire electrical installations shall be carried out according to the existing Indian
Electricity Rules as modified from time to time.

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SAFETY ISSUES IN TUNNELING

STRUCTURAL ISSUES
⮚ Rockfall
⮚ Collapse
⮚ Excessive deformation
⮚ Flooding
⮚ Rockburst
⮚ Portal Failure
⮚ Shaft failure

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SAFETY ISSUES IN TUNNELING

POTENTIAL HAZARDS
⮚ Failure of the working face
⮚ Blasting and explosives
⮚ Dust and flames
⮚ Escape of gas
⮚ Noise
⮚ Movement of plant
⮚ High temperatures
⮚ Seismic action

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1. Collapse in Wienerwald, Austria

⮚ Groundwater led to de-compaction and bulking of sandstone, which caused
shear strength to decrease.
⮚ Temporary shotcrete shell was overloaded by ground pressure.

2. Daylight Collapse
⮚ These are collapses that reach the surface,
creating a crater.

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3. Rockburst/Spalling
⮚ Caused by the overstressing of massive brittle rock

4. Excessive Deformation
⮚ Due to deficient design, construction defects or
swelling and squeezing ground

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BLASTING
WHAT IS BLASTING ?
⮚Blasting technology is an essential part of the construction process to perform
structural engineering activities
⮚Blasting is the process of cracking rock material by using a small amount of
explosive substance so that the rock is destroyed into several pieces
⮚In the past, black powder and dynamite were used for the explosive process. Blast
design and execution are important for successful rock removal operations.
⮚The use of excessive explosive material at the blasting site may cause unwanted
caving.

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⮚Blasting is used for both the rock removal process and underground mining
operations.
⮚Currently, the most common explosives used in mining industries are ammonium
nitrate, slurries, and emulsions.
⮚The type of blast design and explosive material consumption depends on various
factors; the most common factors are rock type, density, strength, and damage
condition of the existing rock base.

https://youtu.be/P8VTWqT

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POSSIBLE ISSUES DUE TO BLASTING

⮚ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

Ground vibrations, air over-pressure, fly-rock, dust, blasting fumes in some cases

leaching of chemicals in the blast holes and polluting ground water are some of

the undesired events associated with blasting which collectively affect the

surrounding environment adversely.

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⮚GROUND AND AIR VIBRATIONS

During blasting some of the energy released by explosives cannot be utilized in

breaking rock and creates vibration in the surrounding rock and air. The perception
of blast vibration is further complicated by the presence of ground vibration and
air vibration, which separate with distance because of the different propagation
velocities. Both air and ground vibration are commonly perceived by secondary
noise, such as rattling of dishes, windows or sliding doors, and without monitoring
it may not be possible to recognize whether air or ground vibration is responsible.

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⮚HEALTH IMPACT

Blasting operations can generate large quantities of dust. This dust when released
in an uncontrolled manner, can cause widespread nuisance and potential health
concerns for on-site personnel and surrounding communities. Depending on
meteorological conditions the dust dispersal can travel to substantial distances
endangering health of communities. The impacts of blasting operations on the air
quality depend on the nature and concentrations of the emissions, meteorological
conditions and the nature of the receptors humans, flora, fauna or materials.

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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS BEFORE BLASTING

⮚The blasting operations shall be carried out under the supervision of a responsible
authorized blasting engineer.

⮚In case of blasting with dynamite, the position of all the boreholes to be drilled shall be
marked in circles with white paint.

⮚The boreholes shall be of a size that facilitates the easy passage of cartridge.

⮚After the drilling operations, the engineer shall inspect the holes to ensure that only the
marked locations have been drilled, and no extra holes has been drilled.

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⮚The engineer shall then prepare the necessary charge separately for each borehole.

⮚The boreholes shall be cleaned thoroughly before the insertion of the cartridge.

⮚For tamping, only cylindrical wooden tamping rods shall be used. Metal rods with pointed
ends shall never be used for tamping.

⮚Each cartridge shall be placed in the borehole and gently pressed but not rammed down.

⮚Cartridge shall be added as required to make up the necessary charge for the borehole.

⮚The topmost cartridge shall be connected to the detonator, which shall, in turn, be
connected to the safety fuses of the required length.

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⮚The fuses of the required length shall be cut and inserted into the holes.

⮚The fuses shall be free of joints but if found unavoidable, a semi-circular notch shall be cut
off from one piece of fuse from the end and inserted into the notch of the other fuse.

⮚The joint pieces of the fuse shall then be wrapped together with string.

⮚All joints of the fuses exposed to dampness shall be wrapped with rubber tape.

⮚The maximum of eight boreholes shall be loaded and fired at one go.

⮚The charges shall not be fired simultaneously but successively.

⮚Immediately before firing, a warning shall be given, and the engineer shall see that all the
workers have retired to a place of safety.
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⮚The safety fuses of the charged holes shall only be ignited in the presence of the engineer.

⮚The required count before each blast shall be set by the engineers and others.

⮚After all the charged boreholes have exploded, the engineer shall inspect the site for
anomalies.

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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHILE BLASTING

⮚For the safety of workers, red flags shall be prominently displayed around the area where
blasting operations are to be carried out.

⮚All the workers at the site shall withdraw to a safe distance of at least 200 meters from
the blasting site.

⮚An audio warning by blowing whistle shall be given before igniting the fuse.

⮚The blasting operation shall be carried out under the supervision of trained personnel.

⮚The blasting shall not be done within 200m of an existing structure unless permitted
explicitly by the engineer in writing.

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⮚All procedures and safety precautions for the use of explosives, drilling, and loading of
explosives before and after shot firing and disposal of explosives shall be carried out
corresponding to the region and country code.

⮚In case of misfire, the safety fuse shall be cut in an oblique direction with a knife.

⮚All sawdust shall be cleared from the interior of the detonator.

⮚This shall be carried out either by blowing down the detonator or tapping the open end.

⮚No metal tools shall be inserted into the detonator for the purpose of cleaning.

⮚If water is present in the detonator, the junction of the fuse and detonator shall be made
watertight by using tough grease or other suitable material as prescribed by the engineer.

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➢ The detonator must be inserted into the cartridge in such a way that about one-third of
the copper tube is left exposed.

➢ The safety fuse in the cartridge above the detonator shall be securely tied in position.

➢ Waterproof fuse shall only be used when water is present in the borehole or when the
borehole is in damp condition.

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