CONSTRUCTION SAFETY- Ensuring safety on site
Construction accounts for around 40% of the development investment, during the past 50 years. Around 16% of India’s working population depends on construction for its livelihood.
· Potential hazards for workers in construction include:
4. Electric shock and arc flash/arc blast
5. Failure to use proper personal protective equipment; and
6. Repetitive motion injuries
7. Confined space injuries
· Which type of construction is the most dangerous?
(The average percentage of deaths per construction type)
1. Specialty Trade Contractors (foundations, structures, concrete) — 48%
2. Heavy & Civil Engineering (utilities, sewer, oil, roads and bridges) — 17%
3. Building Contractors (houses, remodeling, residential) — 16%
4. Equipment Contractors (electrical, plumbing, air & heating) — 12%
5. Building Finishing Contractors (insulation, painting, flooring) 7%
· As per BOCW Act (India) following facilities should be provided:
1. Drinking Water- marked and shouldn’t be situated within 6m of any washing place, urinal or latrine
2. Worker will not lift and carry excessive weight by hand or carries overhead or over back or shoulders any material, article, tool or appliances exceeding in weight the maximum limits set out in the following table:
Maximum Weight Load Weight
3. Employer shall provide, free of charges temporary living accommodation to all building workers
4. If female building workers are more than 50 then crèches are provided for children under the age of 6 years
5. If worker exceeds 250 then provide Canteen. Also First aid facilities should be mandatory
6. Noise level exceeding 115 dB is not permitted
7. If workers exceed 500 then emergency plan for fire, explosion, gas leak, collapse etc should be available
8. Number of Safety officers for:
9. PPE is mandatory for all workers
10. If workers exceed 500, then Safety committee shall be constituted
· Some of the routine work/operations carried out in construction sites which needs to be carried out in a safe manner to avoid injuries and fatalities are:
1. Excavation Work (hazards: toxic environment, lack of O2 , soil collapse)
2. Scaffolding Work (hazards: fall of person, fall of materials, scaffold collapse)
3. Crane Operations (Hazards: electrocution from power lines, struck by overhead load, overturning due to excessive weight)
4. Hoisting Operations (Hazards: crushing due to impact of moving objects or loads falling from vehicles)
5. Forklift Operations (Hazards: Operator or pedestrian hit or crushed by a forklift, hit or crushed by the load, forklift tipped over)
6. Use of Ladder (Hazards: electrocution from power lines, fall due to slip or trip, collapse of ladder)
7. Use of Electricity (Hazards: short circuit, electrical fire or explosion and arc flash)
Construction industry is the key contributor to onsite injuries providing 60% of workforce is uneducated workers. Which makes the Construction Safety Training supremely important for employees/workers to make them aware about the risks and provide them measures to solve it.