CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

Construction activities have the most hazardous working environment because many work
activities and equipment used during construction have the potential to cause injury or sickness
if these activities are not properly performed. For example people working at heights can be at
risk of falling. In addition, construction workers may also suffer a wide variety of work-related
illnesses such as asbestos-related diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, noise-induced hearing
loss and vibration white finger (VWF) are far more prevalent in construction.
Therefore, it is essential that everyone involved in construction projects takes steps to ensure
that health and safety risks are adequately controlled. For this, suitable preventive measures
must be carried out to protect workers from construction hazards.
Construction activities may be divided in to following categories;

Working at heights
Construction vehicles
Excavations
Electrical Hazards
Harmful substances
Other health hazards

Working at Heights
The most common hazard involves falling from a height at construction sites. When planning
work at heights, it should be ensured that the existing structure can be accessed safely and
provides a safe place of work. If this is not the case then an extra working platform for example
a scaffold or a cradle may be provided. When selecting an extra working platform, following
factors should also be considered;

How long the work will last;

What risks there will be during the erection of the platform
How difficult the platform will be to secure and maintain and
How many people will need to use the platform

The working platforms should have guardrails and toe boards. It should also be ensured that
working platform is kept clear of tools or loose materials to avoid any kick off by accident. If the
risk of people or objects falling still remains, suitable fall arrest equipment such as safety nets
and harnesses should be provided.
For short period of time, ladders can also be used but only when it is safe to do so.

Construction Vehicles
Accidents involving construction vehicles may also occur if vehicle loads can strike people when
reversing and drivers may not be properly trained.
To reduce the number of construction vehicle accidents, a risk assessment should be carried
out of all transport activities on a construction site and control measures to reduce the risks be
introduced. These include:
Providing one-way traffic routes to ensure that corners have clear sight lines;
Separating pedestrians and vehicles by establishing pedestrian-only areas from which
vehicles are completely excluded
Establishing vehicle-only areas, especially where space is limited and
Ensuring that vehicle-only routes have speed control measures, are clearly signposted
and are free from obstructions.
In addition, vehicle-reversing operations should be eliminated altogether. However, if this is
not possible, control measures including one-way systems and turning points should be
introduced to reduce the need for vehicles to reverse.
Meanwhile it is important to select the correct vehicle for the work activity being undertaken
and that drivers are properly trained to operate construction vehicles and are aware of their
own responsibilities on a construction site.
Excavations
Excavation work such as work in trenches and tunnels is another common activity in the
construction industry and every year people are seriously injured or killed while working in
them.
For example, accidents often happen when the sides of an excavation collapse or when
materials or vehicles fall onto people working in the excavation. However, employees can also
be harmed if they come into contact with underground services such as gas pipes and electrical
cables. Following steps can be taken to prevent these accidents from occurring:
Supporting the sides of excavation with sheeting or proprietary support system
Ensuring that a competent person who fully understand the dangers of the works,
inspects the excavation at the start of each shift and after any event which may affect its
stability
Ensuring that any excavated soil or other material or equipment is not left close to the
edge of an excavation
Using barriers on the edge of excavations to prevent people falling into them and
suffering injury and

 Checking service plans to see whether the site intended for excavation is close to any
buried underground services.
Electrical Hazards
Electrical hazards are also commonly found on construction sites. Workers are at risk from
accidents such as electric shocks and burns if they use unsafe equipment or come into contact
with overhead electrical power lines and buried cables.
As a result, it is important to make sure that electrical systems and equipment on building sites
are properly selected, installed, used and maintained. For example, using cordless tools or ones,
which operate from a 110-volt electrical supply, can greatly reduce the severity of an injury in
the event of an electrical accident.
To further reduce the risk of injury, supervisors should also ensure that electrical equipment is
checked on a regular basis. So before any mains-powered hand tools, electrical leads or
residual current detectors (RCDs) are used it is important to check that:

No bare wire are visible;

The cable covering is not damaged
The plug is in good condition;
The outer case of the equipment is not damaged or loose
All screws on the equipment are in place; and
The trip devices such as RCDs are working efficiently.

Another area where electrical safety should be considered is work near overhead power lines.
A number of construction activities for example, handling long ladders or metal roof sheets can
lead to contact with overhead lines. Therefore, it is vital that any work done near electrical
cables or railway power line is carefully planned in advance so that no accidental contact is
made.
Harmful Substances
Although accidents involving electrical hazards area a significant cause of injury on construction
sites, the risks posed by harmful substances should not be forgotten. In fact, substances like
chemicals and solvents continue to pose a significant risk to employees in the construction
industry.
Exposure to harmful substances used or generated during construction work can cause workers
to suffer a range of ill health effects. These include skin irritation or dermatitis from contact
with oils and cement and asthma resulting from sensitization to isocyanates in paints or
adhesives.

If the results of the risk assessment indicate that people are like to be harmed by the
substances, employers should try to avoid using it altogether for example, by using waterbased paints instead of spirit-based substances.
However, if the complete prevention is not reasonably practicable, then the next best measure
is to control exposure to the substances. This can be done by:
Ensuring that there is good ventilation in the working area for example, by using
mechanical ventilation equipment;
Using a system that reduces the risk of spills of hazardous substances for instance,
keeping container, lids closed except when needed.
Using cutting and grinding tools fitted with an exhaust ventilation or water suppression
system to control dust.
Using a roller with a splash guard instead of spraying solvent-based materials and
Reducing the number of employees exposed to the substances or the amount of time
they are exposed to it.
Other Health Hazards
There are a number of other work activities carried out on construction sites that pose a risk to
employees. For example, employees who use powered hand-held tools can be exposed to
vibration through their hands and can develop permanent injuries to their hands and arms.
In addition, workers who lift and move loads by hand can develop serious back injuries while
employees who carry out work in confined spaces can also be at risk. For example, solvents
used in confined spaces can release harmful vapors that can build up to dangerous levels which
could be poisonous, flammable or explosive.
But whatever the type of hazard, the aim remains the same to avoid the hazard altogether or, if
this is not reasonably practicable, to assess the risks and introduce effective control measures.
For example, if a construction activity cannot be done without using high-vibration equipment,
only such tools should be selected which are specially designed to minimize vibration. Likewise,
if manual handling cannot be avoided altogether, employers should carry out a risk assessment
that considers the task the load the individuals own capabilities and the working environment.
Personal Protective Equipment
Although the control measures should minimize the kind or risks outlined above, but
sometimes, it is found that there is a risk of exposure. In these circumstances, personal
protective equipment (PPE) should be used by employees although this should only be
considered as a last resort measures.
PPE can be used to protect employees from a range of hazards on construction sites including
falling objects, chemical splashes and harmful vapour. However, employers need to make sure

that the PPE they select matches the job and fits the wearer correctly, the types of equipment.
The types of equipments that are available include:

Eye protection : spectacles, goggles and face screens

Breathing protection :half or full-face respirators and air-fed helmets
Body protection : boiler suits and disposable overalls
Hand and arm protection : gloves, gauntlets or mittes and
Foot and leg protection : Safety boots and shoes with steel toe-caps

Emergency Procedures
Since there are so many risks inherent in construction, it comes as no surprise that emergency
situations for example, flooding during underground work or inhalation of toxic gases during
work in confined spaces can frequently occur on building sites.
Therefore, employers should ensure that emergency procedures are planned before
construction work begins and are in place when the work starts. These procedures can range
from rescuing an injured person to evacuating part of a construction site. Other areas to
consider when planning emergency procedures include:

The type of work being done

The characteristics and size of the site
The plant and equipment being used
The number of people on the site and
The substances or materials that are on the site

Once these area have been looked into preparation should be taken to ensure that the
likelihood of an emergency occurring is as low as possible and that everyone on the side can be
alerted in the event of an emergency. This means that everyone must know what signal will be
given in an emergency and what procedures they should follow when it is given.
Fire Precautions
One of the most common emergency situations is the outbreak of a fire which can destroy
construction sites and spread to surrounding areas.
The majority of fires can be avoided by carrying out a risk assessment of fire hazards on the site.
This can be done as part of a general risk assessment as a separate exercise. The results of the
assessment will allow employers to plan and control work activities and reduce the likelihood of
fire.
Some of the precautions that can be taken in order to prevent a fire during construction work
include:

Using fewer flammable materials;

Storing flammable materials in suitable closed containers
Prohibiting smoking in areas where ignition sources are present
Having a fire extinguisher to hand when carrying out hot work such as welding
Checking the site regularly and at the end of the day to see that all equipment is turned
off and
Removing rubbish from the site promptly.