CONSTRUCTION MANPOWER

SAFETY
MANAGING SAFETY AND HEALTH ON CONSTRUCTION SITES

Safety policy
Risk assessment
Organizing The Site
Common facilities to be provided
Site access
Site boundaries
 Safety policy
Every employer of 50 or employees
shall make a written statement of his
policy with respect to the safety and health
of his employees and make arrangements
to give effect to the policy.
 Risk assessment
The employer should make a suitable and sufficient
assessment of:

(a) Any risk to the safety and health to which any

employee is exposed whilst he is at work.
(b) Any risk to the safety and health of any person not in
his employment arising out of or connection with the conduct
by him of his undertaking.
 Organizing The Site
Planning the work
• Make a good planning by gathering as much information about
the project and the project site before works begin to ensure
safety during construction phase. Information that could be
sought should be:
(a) Underground services.
(b) Presence of live bare electrical conductors,
underground/overhead insulated cables.
Advice from the authority concerned should be sought prior to
start of work.
Advice from the authority concerned should be sought
prior to start of work.
(c) Ground conditions.
(d) Contract documents.
(e) Nearby schools, footpaths and roads.
(f) Other activities going on the site
Common facilities to be provided
Ensure provision of basic facilities to
ensure safety, health and welfare of
employees
Site access
Adequate, safe and separate pedestrian and
vehicular traffic routes should
Site boundaries
Fence the construction site to prevent the
entry of unauthorised persons on
construction sites, which are located in built-
up areas and alongside vehicular and
pedestrian traffic routes.
Hazard in the Workplace
Hazards & Solutions
For construction, the 10 OSHA standards most frequently included in the
agency's citations in FY 2004 were:
• Scaffolding
• Fall protection (scope, application, definitions)
• Excavations (general requirements)
• Ladders
• Head protection
• Excavations (requirements for protective systems)
• Hazard communication
• Fall protection (training requirements)
• Construction (general safety and health provisions)
• Electrical Protection
Scaffolding
Hazard: When scaffolds are not erected
or used properly, fall hazards can occur.
About 2.3 million construction workers
frequently work on scaffolds. Protecting
these workers from scaffold-related
accidents would prevent an estimated 4,500
injuries and 50 fatalities each year.
Solutions:Scaffold must be sound, rigid
and sufficient to carry its own weight plus
four times the maximum intended load
without settling or displacement. It must be
erected on solid footing.
Fall Protection

Hazard: Each year, falls consistently account for the greatest

number of fatalities in the construction industry. A number of
factors are often involved in falls, including unstable working
surfaces, misuse or failure to use fall protection equipment and
human error. Studies have shown that using guardrails, fall arrest
systems, safety nets, covers and restraint systems can prevent
many deaths and injuries from falls.

Solutions:Consider using aerial lifts or elevated platforms to

provide safer elevated working surfaces;
Excavations (general requirements)
Hazard: Collapse of the sides of the excavation.

Solution: Trench collapse should be avoided by battering the

sides to a safe angle or by supporting them with sheeting or
proprietary support systems. Support should be installed without
delay as the work progresses. Ensure the workers are competent
and experienced as far as possible and that they have clear
instructions.
Head protection
Hazard :Head protection is necessary if you work where
there is a risk of injury from moving, falling, or flying objects
or if you work near high-voltage equipment.

Solution: Check the shell and suspension of your head

ware for damage before each use.
Look for cracks, dents, gouges, chalky appearance, and
torn or broken suspension threads. Discard damaged hats or
replace broken parts with replacements from the original
manufacturer.
Hazard Communication
• Hazard: Failure to recognize the hazards associated with
chemicals can cause chemical burns, respiratory
problems, fires and explosions.
• Solutions:
• Maintain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each
chemical in the facility.
• Make this information accessible to employees at all
times in a language or formats that are clearly
understood by all affected personnel.
Ladders
Hazard: Ladders and stairways are another source of
injuries and fatalities among construction workers. OSHA
estimates that there are 24,882 injuries and as many as
36 fatalities per year due to falls on stairways and ladders
used in construction. Nearly half of these injuries were
serious enough to require time off the job.

Solution: Use the correct ladder for the task.

6 TYPES OF
WORKPLACE
HAZARDS.
 Hazards exist in every workplace, but
how do you know which ones have the
most potential to harm workers? By
identifying hazards at your workplace,
you will be better prepared to control or
eliminate them and prevent accidents,
injuries, property damage and downtime.
Safety Hazards:
Safety Hazards are unsafe working
conditions that that can cause injury, illness
and death. Safety hazards are the most
common workplace hazards
Biological Hazards:
Biological Hazards include exposure to harm or disease
associated with working with animals, people, or infectious
plant materials. Workplaces with these kinds of hazards
include, but are not limited to, work in schools, day care
facilities, colleges and universities, hospitals, laboratories,
emergency response, nursing homes, or various outdoor
Physical Hazards:
Physical hazards can be
any factors within the
environment that can harm
the body without
necessarily touching it.
Ergonomic Hazards:
Occur when the type of work, body positions and
working conditions put a strain on your body.  They
are the hardest to spot since you don’t always
immediately notice the strain on your body or the
harm that these hazards pose.  Short-term exposure
may result in “sore muscles” the next day or in the
days following the exposure, but long term exposure
can result in serious long-term illness.
Chemical Hazards:
Are present when a worker is
exposed to any chemical
preparation in the workplace in any
form (solid, liquid or gas).  Some
are safer than others, but to some
workers who are more sensitive to
chemicals, even common solutions
can cause illness, skin irritation, or
breathing problems.
Work Organization Hazards:
Hazards or stressors that cause stress
(short term effects) and strain (long term
effects).  These are hazards associated
with workplace issues such as workload,
lack of control and/or respect, etc.