Construction Health and Safety (Lecture I)

Source:
Radhlinah Kunju Ahmad Charles Ebbet, 1932
(Radhlinah.Kunju_Ahmad@bekon.lth.se)
 Learning outcome
At 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 governing

health and safety in construction
 Definitions
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 if

left uncontrolled can contribute to an accident.

Risk is the assessment of probability of loss

and potential amount of loss.
(concise Oxford Dictionary)
 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

Montren Fredrik Andersson, 33 r, frn Sala omkom

efter att han fallit cirka tio meter ner frn ett tak. Fredrik
Andersson fll den 18 juli i samband med
taklggningsarbeten p Skultuna ishall utanfr Vsters.
Nr olyckan hnde var han ensam. har ingen
fallskyddsutrustning p sig

Den 04/07/07 avled en 58- rig egenfretagare efter ett

fall frn ett tak p en lantgrd ut anfr Lidkping. Mannen
skulle lgga om ett plttak p en grds verkstad. Av
oknd anledning fll han frn taket, tio meter ner i ett
betonggolv
Byggnadsarbeten 16 august 2007, sd 23
 Accident records from 1995-2006 (Sweden)
18

16

14

12

Arbetsolyckor antal
10
number

Arbetsolyckor /1000
personer
8
Arbetssjukdomar antal

6
Arbetssjukdomar /1000
personer
4

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

Samuelson & Lundholm, 2007

 Causes of construction accidents 2006
(Sweden)
Other unclear injuries
1%
Leackage, flood
Traumatic expereince 1%
1% Fire explosion Landslide, fall,breaking of
1% material
Body injury due to physical 13%
lifting
16%

Body injury not due to Lost control of machine

physical lifting 7%
4%
Lost control of vehicle
Fall of person not from height 7%
10%

Fall from height

12% Loss control of tools
18%
Loss control of material
handling
9%

Samuelson & Lundholm, 2007

Occupational accidents and absence from work
(Sweden) (Samuelson & Lundholm, 2007)
1-3 days 4-14 days > 14 days Death
Construction
workers 362 754 1016 8
Metal roof workers 14 18 41 -
Electricians 115 161 153 1
Ventilation
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
asbestos
spray paints
Examples of lead
chemical cutting oil mists
silica xylene vapor
hazards
found in cadmium solvents
construction carbon
work: monoxide
 Chemical Hazards
A 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 Asbestosis
Confusion Silicosis
Loss of consciousness Cancer
Dermatitis Liver damage
Lung irritation Sterility
 Physical Hazards
Physical hazards are different types of energy which
may be hazardous to workers.

Noise

Vibration

Temperature extremes

Radiation
 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 Hazards
Ergonomic 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
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) and injuries:

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.

 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
Heavy metals in solder fumes, awkward posture, heavy loads,
Electricians
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 Silica dust, histoplasmosis, whole-body vibration, heat stress,
machine operators 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 Directive

89/391/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 framework
for managing OHS.

It explains how the various elements in developing a OH&S

management system can be tackled and integrated into day-to-day
management arrangements, and how the system can be maintained
as 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 two
OHSAS 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 construction
work, to combat risks at source, and to give
priority to measures which protect the whole
workforce.
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. Two
factors 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 sawing
timber for formwork. He needed outpatient
treatment 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 which
is 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) = 39%
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 improve
health and safety in construction
Responsibility;

Economic reasons;

Impact of safety on overall performance;

Contractors performance;

Control of accident causes

 Responsibility
Safety is everyones responsibility.

It is a moral and legal obligation of employers to provide

a safe working place and of employees to work safely.

Employers 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 costs
The direct costs are insurance. These include medical costs and
others workers compensation insurance benefits as well as
liability and property-damage insurance.

Indirect costs
Below 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 workers 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
 Contractors performance

Studies have proved that there is an

adverse effect on a contractors 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 stepladder
The unsafe act: Climbing a defective ladder
The unsafe condition: A defective ladder
The correction: Replace the ladder
Questions:
Why was the defective ladder not found during normal inspection?
Why did the supervisor allow its use?
Didnt 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