CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

SBC 3363
Lecture 01
INTRODUCTION
 Health and safety is a responsibility of everyone
at work
 More important in construction industry where
the accident rate is so high
 Responsibility for safety and health is not only
confined to construction work on site
 Engineers, architect, surveyors (designers) are
exposed to hazards during investigatory stage of
a project, or while carrying out inspection tasks
during the construction phase and on completed
work
INTRODUCTION
 Designers carry both a moral responsibility
and a duty of care for the safety of the
building worker, maintenance staff,
demolition worker, public etc
 Effective safety training can improve
safety management thus reducing the
number of injuries and fatalities
SAFETY
 The discipline of preserving the health of
those who build, operate, maintain and
demolish works and of others affected by
those works
 It is a freedom from danger of risk
 Danger of physical injury: injury from
accidents
 Health damage: arise from immediate and
longer-term effects of exposure to an
unhealthy working environment
SAFETY
 Accidents results in injury to employees on
the site
 Accidents can occur before the works
began, during construction stage or even
after it has been completed due to faulty
design/ construction, death or injury during
maintenance works and to members of
public
 Not only construction workers suffer
injuries or death but also people not
employed in the industry. (e.g.?)
CONSTRUCTION vs MANUFACTURING

 In construction industry the risk of major

injury is 2 – 2 1/2 times greater than the
manufacturing industry and;
 The risk of fatal accident nearly five times
greater than manufacturing industry

WHY !!??
CONSTRUCTION vs MANUFACTURING

In factories:
 Controlled working environment
 Little change in working procedures and
equipment for long periods
 Labour force usually remains constant
 Hazard can be remedied with relative ease
and the danger can be overcome
CONSTRUCTION vs MANUFACTURING

In construction:
 Working environment is constantly
changing
 Sites exists for a relatively short time
 The activities and inherent risks change
daily
 Hazard being identified and dealt with, the
work scene changed and bringing new
hazard
CONSTRUCTION vs MANUFACTURING

In construction (continued):
 High turnover in the workforce
 Complexity of construction industry
militates against the establishment of safe
working practices
 Small firms usually are financially
insufficient to provide the necessary high
standard of safety programme (unlike
larger firms)
CONSTRUCTION vs MANUFACTURING
In construction (continued):
 Small contractor do not employ a
professional safety advisor or keep
abreast with the legal requirements
“majority of accidents can be prevented by
dedicated safety management and a
disciplined approach to ensure compliance
with safety rules and procedures by all
involved in construction operations” Davies &
Tomasin, 1990
ECONOMIC IMPACT

Insurance and compensation, accidents

cost, direct and indirect cost
 Damage to plant and equipment
 Damage to work already complete
 Loss of productive work time (while debris
is cleared and damage work rebuilt)
 Reduced work rate until normal site
working rhythm and morale are restored
ECONOMIC IMPACT
 Disruption while investigations are carried
out by the company safety department, the
insurers, inspectors from the Health and
Safety Executive and sometimes
representatives from the trade unions
 Increased insurance premiums
ECONOMIC IMPACT
 Direct cost: e.g. medical expenses,
medications, worker’s compensation
benefits, rehabilitation costs
 Indirect cost: e.g. production losses or
delays, property or product damage,
training, supervisory time and
administrative time
LEGISLATION IMPACT
 Legal actions might take place
 Legal costs or fines
SOCIAL IMPACT
 Delayed projects (public building)
 Construction industry stigma that is
synonym with accidents
 Negative image on the industry
 Loss of confidence and reputation
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
 Falls
 Largest category: 70%-80% of fatalities and
35%-40% of injuries every year
 e.g. people falling from one level to another;

 People falling at the same level

 Plant and material falling (structure or part of

structure collapsing) and striking, crushing or
burying people
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
 Stepping on or striking against objects
 10% of accidents
 E.g. steeping on protruding nails

 Lifting and carrying – over-exertion

 25% of accidents
 Incorrect manual lifting and carrying of too
heavy loads
 Result in workers being unable to carry our their
normal work for at least 3 days e.g. strain and
sprain injuries
 Machinery
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
 Electricity
 Transport
 Fires and explosions
FATALITIES

RANK BY PROFFESION
1. Labourers
2. Roofing workers
3. Painters
4. Drivers
5. Demolition workers
6. Managerial and professional
7. Carpenters and joiners
FATALITIES

RANK BY PROFFESION
8. Scaffolders
9. Steel erectors
10. Bricklayers
11. Plumbers and glaziers
12. Electricians
13. Others
MAJOR INJURIES
 More than 70% or major injuries were
due to people/ materials/ objects falling
HEALTH HAZARD

Risk that cause illness mainly diseases

1. Exposure to a frequently hostile and
changing climate
 Cold
 Bronchitis
 Rheumatism
 Heat stroke
HEALTH HAZARD

2. Hard physical work in cramped and

unnatural body positions leads to bursitis
 A most common orthopedic problem
 Inflammation and pain around joints, tendon
and ligaments

3. Manual handling of heavy objects causes

slipped disc or other spinal disorder
HEALTH HAZARD
 In developed countries, they try to
eliminate this type of hazard but in many
developing countries priorities is to
provide people with jobs.
 Thus, construction industry in most
developing countries, safety is secondary
IN BRIEF
 Hazard
 A condition of safety with the potential of
causing an accident or ill health
 Accident
 Is an unplanned event which has probability of
causing personal injury or property damage
 Safety
 A thing is provisionally categorised as safe if
its risks are deemed known and in the light of
that knowledge judged to be acceptable
SAFETY SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON
PREVENTION NOT CURE
…… concentrate on the preparation of
effective procedures to eliminate/ control
the hazards to which workers are
exposed
Thus, a condition of safety is only reached
by removing the risks or hazards which
could result in an accident
 REASONS FOR EFFECTIVE SAFETY
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM….
 Prevention of injuries and illness
 To avoid direct and indirect costs that
work-related injuries, illnesses and
property damages incur
 To prevent injuries or illnesses which
may result in regulatory investigations,
citations and criminal penalties –
including fines and incarceration (subject
to confinement or prison)
Unsafe Behaviour
 Lack of proper training
 Using poor judgement
 Not paying attention
 Reporting to work tired
 Violating or ignoring safety rules or procedures
 Poor housekeeping
 Taking unnecessary risk
 Overexertion
 Hurrying
 Taking dangerous shortcuts
THANK YOU