Construction Health and Safety (Lecture I)

Radhlinah Kunju Ahmad (Radhlinah.Kunju_Ahmad@bekon.lth.se)

Source:Charles Ebbet, 1932

Learning outcomeAt the end of the lecture, students should be able to :•Reflect on the Swedish construction accident records

•Apprehend different types of accident measurements and types of injuries

•Understand the different types of existing hazards

•Comprehend the causes of accidents

•Understand the existing legislative framework governinghealth and safety in construction

• Safety is free from risk and danger.

• Accidents is defined as an unexpected and desirable event resulting in damage or harm.

• Hazards is an unsafe condition or activity, that ifleft uncontrolled can contribute to an accident.

• Risk is the assessment of ’probability of loss’and ’potential amount of loss’.

(concise Oxford Dictionary)

Definitions

Nature of a construction site• Construction work is dynamic, diverse, and constantly

changing in nature.• Constantly changing job site environments and

conditions• Multiple contractors and subcontractors• High turnover; unskilled laborers• Constantly changing relationships with other work

groups• Diversity of work activities occurring simultaneously• Construction workers are at risk of exposure to various

hazards and risks that can result in injury, illness, permanent disability, or even death.

• Busy and over-stressed management• Time and budget deadlines and constrains

Types of accident measurements

• Death • Fatal injury (broken leg, hips, amputation)• Non-fatal injury (finger cut)• Occupational accidents (MSD, hearing loss)• Absence from work ( >1 day, > 3 days etc)• Near misses• Rate per 100 000 – number of injuries or causes

of ill health per 100 000 employees.• Working days lost – days off work due to

workplace injuries & work-related ill health

Samples of site accidents

•Montören Fredrik Andersson, 33 år, från Sala omkom efter att han fallit cirka tio meter ner från ett tak. Fredrik Andersson föll den 18 juli i samband med takläggningsarbeten på Skultuna ishall utanför Västerås. När olyckan hände var han ensam. – har ingen fallskyddsutrustning på sig

•Den 04/07/07 avled en 58- årig egenföretagare efter ett fall från ett tak på en lantgård ut anför Lidköping. Mannen skulle lägga om ett plåttak på en gårds verkstad. Av okänd anledning föll han från taket, tio meter ner i ett betonggolv

Byggnadsarbeten 16 august 2007, sd 23

Samuelson & Lundholm, 2007

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

95 96 97 98 99 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

years

num

ber

Arbetsolyckor antal

Arbetsolyckor /1000personerArbetssjukdomar antal

Arbetssjukdomar /1000personer

Accident records from 1995-2006 (Sweden)

Causes of construction accidents 2006 (Sweden)

Fire explosion1%

Lost control of machine7%

Lost control of vehicle7%

Loss control of tools18%

Loss control of material handling

9%

Fall from height12%

Fall of person not from height10%

Body injury not due to physical lifting

4%

Body injury due to physical lif ting16%

Traumatic expereince1%

Other unclear injuries1%

Landslide, fall,breaking of material

13%

Leackage, f lood1%

Samuelson & Lundholm, 2007

Occupational accidents and absence from work(Sweden) (Samuelson & Lundholm, 2007)

1-3 days 4-14 days > 14 days DeathConstruction workers 362 754 1016 8

Metal roof workers 14 18 41 -

Electricians 115 161 153 1Ventilation installers 16 20 42 -

VVS-workers 48 86 105 1

Painters 8 42 61 -

Glass workers 8 8 14 -

Machine operators 3 7 27 1

Total 576 1094 1459 11

Types of injuries (HSE, 2003)Fall of height 24

Slips, trips & fall

Injured while handling, lifting or carrying 19

Struck by moving objects 22

Struck by moving vehicles 2

Contact with electricity discharge 2

Trapped by something collapsing/overturn 7

Strike against something fixed/stationary 9

Contact with/by moving machineries 5

Other accident events types 10

Types of hazards on construction sites

• Chemical

• Physical

• Biological

• Ergonomic

Chemical Hazards

Chemicals can exist in the form of

• dusts, fumes, fibers (solids)

• liquids, mists

• gases, vapors

• welding fumes• spray paints• cutting oil mists• xylene vapor• solvents

Examples of chemical hazards found in

construction work:

• asbestos

• lead

• silica

• cadmium

• carbon monoxide

Chemical HazardsA health hazard can affect the entire body or many organs, or affect only specific tissues, organs, or parts of the body.

Examples of health conditions and illnesses from exposure to chemical hazards:

• Headaches• Confusion• Loss of consciousness• Dermatitis• Lung irritation

• Asbestosis• Silicosis• Cancer• Liver damage• Sterility

Physical Hazards

• Noise

• Vibration

• Temperature extremes

• Radiation

Physical hazards are different types of energy which may be hazardous to workers.

Biological Hazards

Exposure may occur during demolition, renovation, sewer work, work on air handling systems, or other construction work from contact with contaminated or disease-carrying

• soil• water• insects (mosquitoes, ticks)• bird, bat droppings• animals• structures

Ergonomic HazardsErgonomic hazards can cause painful and disabling injuries till example Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) . This following situation may causes these injuries:

• heavy, frequent, or awkward lifting

• repetitive tasks

• awkward grips, postures

• using excessive force, overexertion

• using wrong tools for the job or using tools improperly

• using improperly maintained tools

• hand-intensive work

Ergonomic Hazards

• strains and sprains –one of the most common injuries among construction workers

• tendonitis

• carpal tunnel syndrome

• low back pain

• fatigue

Ergonomic hazards can cause a lifetime of pain and disability.

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) and injuries:

Other health hazards

• Living conditions and welfare facilities– Temporary accomodation– Food– Drinking water– Sanitary conveniences– Facility for clothing

• Work related mental stresses– Alcoholism and drug addiction

Some Examples of Construction Workers and Health Hazards

Occupations Health Hazards

Brickmasons Cement dermatitis, awkward postures, heavy loads

Drywall installers Plaster dust, heavy loads, awkward postures

Electricians Heavy metals in solder fumes, awkward posture, heavy loads, asbestos dust

Painters Solvent vapors, toxic metals in pigments, paint additives

Pipefitters Lead fumes and particles, welding fumes, asbestos dust

Carpet layers Knee trauma, awkward postures, glue and glue vapor

Insulation workers Asbestos, synthetic fibers, awkward postures

Roofers Roofing tar, heat

Solderers Metal fumes, lead, cadmium

Drillers, earth, rock Silica dust, whole-body vibration, noise

Excavating and loading machine operators

Silica dust, histoplasmosis, whole-body vibration, heat stress, noise

Hazardous waste workers Heat, stress

Personal protective clothing and eqiupment(PPE)

• Legal requirements• Eye protection• Respiratory protection• Ear protection• Face protection• Head protection• Hand protection• Foot protection• Body protection• Fall protection

Causes of accidents (HSE, 2003)

• Workers and work-team– Actions/behaviour– Capabilities including knowldege and skills– Communication– Immediate supervision– Workers’ health/fatigue

• Workplace– Site conditions (excluding equipment, material &

weather)– Site layout/space– Working environment (light/noise/hot/cold)– Working schedule– Housekeeping

Causes of accidents (HSE, 2003)

• Workplace– Site conditions (excluding equipment, material

& weather)– Site layout/space– Working environment (light/noise/hot/cold)– Working schedule– Housekeeping

Causes of accidents (HSE, 2003)

• Materials– Suitability of material– Usability of material– Conditions of material

• Equipment– Suitability of equipment– Usability of equipment– Conditions of equipment

Causes of accidents (HSE, 2003)

• Originating influence– Permanent work design– Project management– Construction process– Safety culture– Risk management

Legislative framework (European Union)

Framework Directive Council Directive89/391/EEC

• The Directive address the following:– The prevention of occupational risks– The protection of safety and health– The informing, consultation and training of

workers and their respresentatives– The principles concerning the management of

the above measures.

ISO standards on health an safety• BS8800 is essentially a guide to occupational health and safety

management systems. It was last published in July 2004 (ISBN 0580439879), and is intended to assist in developing a frameworkfor managing OHS.

• It explains how the various elements in developing a OH&S management system can be tackled and integrated into day-to-daymanagement arrangements, and how the system can be maintainedas OH&S evolves, responding to internal and external influences.

• A greater focus on business drivers is intended to help OH&S managers in gaining senior management commitment.

• It also offers guidance and help on issues such as promoting an effective safety management system, risk assessment/control, and hazardous event investigation, and of course reflects the twoOHSAS standards.

Legislative framework (Sweden)

The Work Environment Act (1997:1160) www.av.se– Purpose and scope of Act– The state of the working environment– General obligations– Statutory powers– Minors– Co-operation between employees and employees– Supervisions– Penalties– Appeals– Interim provisions – The Work Environment Ordinance

Legislative framework (UK)• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974• The Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1999• The Construction (Design and Management)

Regulations 1994• The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare)

Regulations 1996 (CHSW)• The Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous

Occurances Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)• The control of Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999

(COSHH)• The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations

1992 (PPE)

Learning outcome (lecture II)At the end of the lecture, students should be able to:• Calculate risk assessment in a project• Appreciate the reasons and benefits of improving

health and safety in construction• Understand the existing barriers that hinders health

and safety improvements in construction• Apprehend the various techniques that can be adopted

to improve health and safety in construction• Perform an accident analysis and recommend

remedial actions to rectify the situation.

Learning outcome

At the end of the lecture, students should be able to:• Calculate risk assessment in a project• Appreciate the reasons and benefits of improving

health and safety in construction• Understand the existing barriers that hinders health

and safety improvements in construction• Apprehend the various techniques that can be adopted

to improve health and safety in construction• Perform an accident analysis and recommend

remedial actions to rectify the situation.

Risk assessment (as per CDM regulations)

• Aim – to avoid any foreseeable risks to health & safety of any person carrying out constructionwork, to combat risks at source, and to givepriority to measures which protect the wholeworkforce.

• Involves three key activities:– Hazard identification– Evaluation of risk– Preventation and protection measures

Hazard identification

• Systematic recognition of any aspects of a project which have a potential to be a danger to these persons working on worksite or being around the project.

• Example of hazards present in : working at heights, use of ladders and scaffolds, collapse of temporary structures, use of vehicles, mechanical plant & equipment, etc.

Evaluation of risk

• Once a hazard has been identified, the degree of risk must be detrmined. Twofactors are influential to this determination:

• The severity of harm – the level of harm that a circumstance would create

• The likelihood of occurance – the frequency of a hazardous circumstance

• Severity of harm x likelihood of occurance= degree of risk

Table 1 – Evaluation criteria for severity of harm

Project A1 Evaluation criteria for hazard severity

Assigned value Description

1 Minor injury – no first aid attention

2 Illness – chronic injury

3 Accident – needing first aid attention

4 Reportable injury – under RIDDOR (Reporting of injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences

Regulations 1995)5 Major injury – under RIDDOR

6 Death

Table 2 – Evaluation criteria for likelihood of occurrence

Project A1 Evaluation criteria for likelihood of occurrence

Assigned value Description

1 Remote – almost certain not to occur

2 Unlikely – occurrence in exceptional circumstances

3 Possible – certain circumstances would influence occurrence

4 Likely – could ordinarily occur

5 Probably – high chance of occurrence

6 High probable – 100% chance of occurrence

Calculating hazard

• A worker had cut his finger while sawingtimber for formwork. He needed outpatienttreatment and was give a day off. Calculate the risk of his job.

• The severity of harm = 3• The likelihood of occurrence = 4• The degree of risk = 3 x 4 = 12

• The degree of risk 12 is a numerical value whichis proportion of the possible maximum degree of risk, in this 6 x 6 = 36.

• The result can be expressed as 12/36 or 33%.• Further classification can be made:

– low priority (L) = 3–9%– Medium priority (M) = 10-44%– high priority (H) = 45-100%

• The greater the value = the higher the priority that should be given.

Reasons and benefits to improvehealth and safety in construction

• Responsibility;

• Economic reasons;

• Impact of safety on overall performance;

• Contractor’s performance;

• Control of accident causes

Responsibility

• Safety is everyone’s responsibility.

• It is a moral and legal obligation of employers to provide a safe working place and of employees to work safely.

• Employer’s duty of care to employees as covering the following areas:– safe system of work;– a safe place of work;– plant and machinery that is safe to use;– competent supervision and/or suitable training; and– care in the selection of fellow employees.

Costs of accidents –direct costs and indirect costs

Direct costsThe direct costs are insurance. These include medical costs and others workers’ compensation insurance benefits as well as liability and property-damage insurance.

Indirect costsBelow are the lists of indirect costs:Transportation costs – include the cost of emergency

transportation, together with the cost of other personnel that were necessary to get to the injured worker to proper medical facilities

Wages paid to injured worker for time not worked – include all the time in which the worker was not actually doing his or her job and for the wages paid.

Cost incurred because of delays which resulted from accident –other crews affected or delayed; equipment idled; duration of project lengthened; plus all wages, rental fees and indirect supervision costs that occurred as a result of the accident.

Costs of overtime necessitated by accidents – overtime occurred because of the accidents

Loss of efficiency of crew – decrease of crew efficiency due to low morale or reshuffling that might occur to replace an injured worker.

Cost to break in and/or teach replacement worker – hiring new worker would include training and orientation

Costs for clean-up, repair or replacement and stand-by costs –normally accidents involves spillage, cave-ins vehicle damage, material wastage or site clean-up

Extra wage costs, slower returned worker – normally when a worker return to the job site and is partially and/or temporarily disabled, the worker is probably working at a different, less demanding job or less efficient at the former job.

Costs to reschedule work – include time spent to review and reschedule the project due to investigations or project being temporarily suspended by the authorities.

Costs of wages for supervision as a result of the accidents –include all time spent on the accident and its results: caring for the worker’s medical treatment, investigation, completing forms, disseminating information, visiting the worker, planning to prevent recurrence, appearance in court

Costs for safety and clerical personnel as a result of the accident –typing, investigating, forwarding forms, time with press, etc.

OSHA and civil fines – paying fines.

Cost of legal assistance – engaging a lawyer to settle the accident claims.

Other costs – any other cost that were incurred because of the accidents.

The average ratio of indirect costs to direct costs is 4:1.

Impact of overall performance

• Time• Budget• Accident statistics• Absentism• Low morale

Contractor’s performance

• Studies have proved that there is an adverse effect on a contractor’s reputation and unfavourable image for the client when the project suffers high accident rates.

How to improve health and safety on construction sites?

• Reactive measures– Accident recording & reporting– Accident investigations

• Proactive measures– H & s safety policy– H & s safety programme/plan– H & s safety induction/training– Tool-box talk– Others

Example of an accident analysis

Accident: Falling off a stepladderThe unsafe act: Climbing a defective ladderThe unsafe condition: A defective ladderThe correction: Replace the ladderQuestions:

– Why was the defective ladder not found during normal inspection?– Why did the supervisor allow its use?– Didn’t the injured employee know it should not be used?– Was the employee properly trained?– Was the employee reminded not to use the ladder?– Did the supervisor examine the job first?

Answers:– An improved inspection procedure– Improved training– A better definition of responsibilities– Pre-job planning by supervisors