HEALTH & SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTION

Agenda

 Introduction to Key Terms

 Construction Site Issues - Hazards and Risk Control.
 Reason for Managing Health and Safety
 Duties of employers And employees
 Risk Assessment
 General Hierarchy of Risk Control
 Introduction to Key Terms

Health
• The absence of disease or ill health. The protection
of the bodies and minds of people from illness
resulting from the materials, processes or procedures
used in the workplace.
 Safety

• The absence of risk of serious personal injury. The

protection of people from physical injury.
• For example, walking under a load suspended from a
crane during a lifting operation is not safe because if
the load falls, serious personal injury or death could
result. Staying out of the danger area results in
safety.
 Environment
• International Standards Organisation (ISO) defines
the environment as: ‘Surroundings in which an
organisation operates including air, water, land,
natural resources, flora, fauna, humans and their
inter- relationships.’
 Welfare
Access to basic facilities such as toilet facilities, hand-
wash stations, changing rooms, rest rooms, places
where food can be prepared and eaten in relatively
hygienic conditions, drinking water and basic first-aid
provision.
 Accident
This is defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
as ‘any unplanned event that results in injury or ill-
health of people, or damage or loss to property, plant,
materials or the environment or a loss of a business
opportunity’.
 Near miss
This is any incident that could have resulted in an
accident. Knowledge of near misses is very important as
research has shown that, approximately, for every 10
‘near miss’ events at a particular location in the
workplace, a minor accident will occur.
 Unsafe Act
Unsafe Act can be defined as any activity by
workers which are not as per the prescribed safety
standard or practice and which can cause or likely to
cause accidents or risk for self or others at workplace,
damage equipment and bring losses in terms of
reputations and revenue to employer.
 Unsafe condition
The unsafe condition is a hazardous physical condition
or circumstance which could directly permit the
occurrence of an accident.
Unsafe Act, Condition & Near miss
 Hazard
• A hazard is something with the potential to cause
harm (this can include articles,
• substances, plant or machines, methods of working,
the working environment and other aspects of work
organisation). Hazards take many forms including, for
example, chemicals, electricity and noise
 Risk
A risk is the likelihood of potential harm from that
hazard being realised. Risk (or strictly the level of risk) is
also linked to the severity of its consequences. A risk
can be reduced and the hazard controlled by good
management.
 Construction Site Issues - Hazards and Risk Control.
• Working At Height
• Excavation
• Confine Space
• Demolition and Deconstruction
• Chemical and Biological
• Physical and Psychological
• Fire
• Electrical
• Working Equipment
• Vehicle and Plant
Hazard Identification
 The Moral Reason for Managing Health and Safety
The following global statistics have been published by the
International Labour Organization (ILO) as part of their Safe Work
programme.
• There are over 350,000 work-related fatal accidents reported each
year.
• Over 2.75 million people die every year from occupational
accidents and occupational diseases. Around 2.4 million of these
deaths are attributable to occupational diseases.
• There are over 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million
occupational diseases recorded each year.
These statistics indicate that a huge amount of pain
and suffering is experienced by people who simply
go to work to earn a living.
In simple terms, the moral reason can be
summarised as, ‘it’s the right thing to do’. It is right
and proper that workers go to work to earn a living
and return home in the same state, not suffering
from ill health or serious physical injury. People
expect this as a fundamental right. Workers expect
it. Society expects it.
 The Financial Reason for Managing Health and
Safety
• Personal injury accidents, worker ill health and property
damage cost money. When an accident or ill-health occurs
there will be direct and indirect costs associated with that
event. Some of these losses can be insured against, but
many cannot. Accidents and ill health can significantly
affect the financial resources of an organisation and, in
some cases, can put an organisation out of business. This is
the financial argument for managing health and safety.
 Direct costs
Examples of direct costs:
• First-aid treatment.
• Worker sick pay.
• Repairs to, or replacement of, damaged equipment
and buildings.
• Lost or damaged product.
• Lost production time while dealing with the injury.
 Indirect costs
Examples of indirect costs:
• Reduction in staff morale (which impacts on productivity,
quality and efficiency).
• General difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff as a result
of the accident.
• Loss of goodwill of customers following delays in production
and fulfilling orders.
• Damage to public image and business reputation.
• Damage to industrial relations, perhaps leading to industrial
action (e.g. strikes).
 Legal Reasons for Managing Workplace Health
and Safety
• The legal reason for managing health and safety relates to the
framework of international and national laws that govern the
conduct of businesses and organisations. Most countries have laws
that set standards for how organisations should conduct
themselves with regard to the management of health and safety
risks. Failure to achieve these legal minimum standards can lead to
enforcement action by the authorities or prosecution before the
courts.
• Successful prosecution can lead to a fine and, in many countries, to
imprisonment for the individuals concerned.
 Duties of employers to employees
• Provision of safe plant and systems of work;
• Provision of safe use, handling, transport and storage of substances and
articles;
• provision of information, instruction, training and supervision;
• provide safe and competent fellow employees;
• provision of safe place of work, including access and egress;
• provision of safe working environment with adequate welfare facilities;
• a written safety policy together with organizational and other arrangements
(if there are five or more employees);
• consultation with safety representatives and formation of safety committees
where there are recognised trade unions.
 Duties of employee

Two main duties are placed on employees:

• to take reasonable care for the health and safety of
themselves and others who may be affected by their
acts or omissions at work;
• to cooperate with their employer and others to
enable them to fulfill their legal obligations.
Risk Assessment?
 Risk Assessment

• Risk assessment is the formalized process of

identifying hazards (associated with work activities
and locations), evaluating risk and then either
eliminating or controlling that risk to an acceptable
level. The main objective of risk assessment is the
prevention of accidents and ill health.
 General Hierarchy of Risk Control
The general hierarchy of risk control (based on ISO
45001 and ILO-OSH 2001):
• 1. Elimination.
• 2. Substitution.
• 3. Engineering controls.
• 4. Administrative controls.
• 5. PPE.