Introduction to Construction Safety PDF

Health and Safety in Construction ECE10408 Introduction to Construction Safety CHAPTER-1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering National University of Science and Technology, MUSCAT Chapter Contents Principles of Construction...

Health and Safety in Construction ECE10408 Introduction to Construction Safety CHAPTER-1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering National University of Science and Technology, MUSCAT Chapter Contents Principles of Construction Safety OSHA Standards / World Standards Incident and Accident / Hazard and Risk Safety Training and Safety Meetings Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Ergonomics in Construction 2 Definition of some terms used in Health & Safety (i) Toolbox Talk (TBT) A toolbox talk is an informal safety meeting that is part of an organization's overall safety program. Toolbox meetings are generally conducted at the job site prior to the commencement of a job or work shift. (ii) Hazard identification and risk assessment (HIRA) Study offers a systematic approach to assess hazards and their associated risks. HIRA Safety helps to determine the objective of an identified hazard and provide the technique to manage the risk. 3 Continued- (iii) Last Minute Risk Analysis (LMRA) It is a short assessment that is performed immediately before the start of work to identify and exclude all potential safety, health and environmental hazards at the workplace. (iv) Job safety analysis (JSA) It is a procedure which helps integrate accepted safety and health principles and practices into a particular task or job operation. In a JSA, each basic step of the job is to identify potential hazards and to recommend the safest way to do the job. 4 Principles of Construction Safety Construction safety involves any safety procedure that is related to the construction industry or construction sites Construction safety aims to ○ Ensure that a construction site or the industry as a whole is not the cause of immediate danger to the public around a construction site ○ Ensure the workers at a construction site are safe ○ Ensure that the finished product of construction meets required safety standards 5 Principles of Construction Safety The following are the FOUR principles of safety RECOGNIZE REPORT Awareness of safety Gather facts hazards Complete timely documentation Stay informed Notify appropriate authority Complete training Communicate Identify unsafe conditions PRINCIPLE PRINCIPLE 2 4 PRINCIPLE PRINCIPLE 1 3 REACT REVIEW Act within the level of training Follow up as needed Stay calm Ongoing skill Ask for help development Respond with necessary Make necessary action changes Debrief the situation 6 OSHA Standards Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards are rules that describe the methods that employers must use to protect their employees from hazards There are OSHA standards for ○ Construction Work ○ Maritime Operations ○ General Industry ○ Agriculture These standards limit the amount of hazardous chemicals workers can be exposed to, require the use of certain safe practices and equipment, and require employers to monitor hazards and keep records of workplace injuries and illnesses 7 OSHA Standards The essential elements of OSHA Standards are ○ Management Leadership ○ Worker Participation ○ Hazard Identification and Assessment ○ Hazard Prevention and Control ○ Education and Training ○ Evaluation and Improvement ○ Management of Contractors and Employees The OSHA Standard for Construction Industry can be accessed in the website https://www.osha.gov/construction 8 World Standards International Labor Organization - CLICK HERE Canada - CLICK HERE United Kingdom - CLICK HERE India - CLICK HERE Oman - CLICK HERE Australia - CLICK HERE Euro Zone - CLICK HERE 9 Incident and Accident / Hazard and Risk 10 Safety Trainings and Safety Meetings Safety Training (Make Notes from Chapter 9 of EBook) ○ Three levels of training can be identified in construction industry Craft and Skills It is acquisition of skills needed to do a particular work including safety and quality aspects of that work thru a formal certification process Employer to New Employees It includes the legal obligations as a part of the national safety codes and is to be done regularly Onsite Safety Induction It is given to the site workers on a daily basis for every activity of work done at site 11 Safety Trainings and Safety Meetings Safety Meetings (Make Notes from Chapter 10 of EBook) ○ Three types of meetings are conducted in construction industry Meeting with Contractors A pre-start meeting is conducted between the main contractor and a safety mitigation plan has to be finalized Weekly Safety Meetings Weekly meetings are necessary to take stock of any safety issues that needs immediate attention by client and contractor Monthly Safety Meetings Monthly meetings are conducted to take strategic decisions on certain safety aspects 12 Personal Protective Equipment Employers have duties concerning the provision and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) at work PPE is equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks at work It can include items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses It also includes respiratory protective equipment (RPE) 13 Personal Protective Equipment PPE is needed in these cases to reduce the risk These include injuries to ○ the lungs, eg from breathing in contaminated air ○ the head and feet, eg from falling materials ○ the eyes, eg from flying particles or splashes of corrosive liquids ○ the skin, eg from contact with corrosive materials ○ the body, eg from extremes of heat or cold A detailed list of PPE and its uses are given in subsequent slides 14 Personal Protective Equipment Body Part Hazard PPE Used Eyes Chemical or metal splash, dust, Safety spectacles, goggles, face projectiles, gas and vapour, screens, face shields, visors radiation Head and Impact from falling or flying Industrial safety helmets, bump Neck objects, risk of head bumping, caps, hairnets and firefighters' hair getting tangled in machinery, helmets chemical drips or splash, climate or temperature Ears Noise – a combination of sound Earplugs, earmuffs, semi-insert / level and duration of exposure, canal caps very high-level sounds are a hazard even with short duration 15 Personal Protective Equipment Body Part Hazard PPE Used Hand and Abrasion, temperature extremes, Gloves, gloves with a cuff, gauntlets Arm cuts and punctures, impact, and sleeving that covers part or all chemicals, electric shock, of the arm radiation, biological agents and prolonged immersion in water Feed and Wet, hot and cold conditions, Safety boots and shoes with Legs electrostatic build-up, slipping, protective toe caps and cuts and punctures, falling penetration-resistant, mid-sole objects, heavy loads, metal and wellington boots and specific chemical splash, vehicles footwear, eg foundry boots and chainsaw boots 16 Personal Protective Equipment Body Part Hazard PPE Used Lungs Oxygen-deficient atmospheres, Respiratory protective equipment dusts, gases and vapours Whole Heat, chemical or metal splash, Conventional or disposable overalls, Body spray from pressure leaks or boiler suits, aprons, chemical suits, spray guns, contaminated dust, reflective jackets impact or penetration, excessive wear or entanglement of own clothing 17 Personal Protective Equipment 18 Ergonomics in Construction Ergonomics is a branch of science related to the design of workplaces, products and systems to best fit those who use them ○ The term is derived from two Greek words, ‘ergon’ meaning work, and ‘nomos’ meaning laws As construction is a physically demanding work environment, site workers are often at risk of long-term injury Back sprains and strains are the most common disabling injuries, often due to overexertion and bodily motion 19