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Construction Project Safety

RSMeanserschienen am01.07.2013
This introduction to construction safety for construction management personnel takes a project-based approach to present potential hazards in construction and their mitigation or prevention. After introducing Accident Prevention Programs and OSHA compliance requirements, the book integrates safety instruction into the building process by following a building project from site construction through interior finish. Reinforcing this applied approach are photographs, drawings, contract documentation, and an online 3D BIM model to help visualize the onsite scenarios.



JOHN SCHAUFELBERGER is Chairman of the Department of Construction Management at the University of Washington, where he has taught since 1994. He is the author of Construction Business Management and Construction Cost Estimating: Process and Practices.
KEN-YU LIN is Assistant Professor in the Department of Construction Management at the University of Washington and the principal investigator of several safety interventions funded by OSHA and other sponsors.mehr
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EUR92,00
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EUR72,99

Produkt

KlappentextThis introduction to construction safety for construction management personnel takes a project-based approach to present potential hazards in construction and their mitigation or prevention. After introducing Accident Prevention Programs and OSHA compliance requirements, the book integrates safety instruction into the building process by following a building project from site construction through interior finish. Reinforcing this applied approach are photographs, drawings, contract documentation, and an online 3D BIM model to help visualize the onsite scenarios.



JOHN SCHAUFELBERGER is Chairman of the Department of Construction Management at the University of Washington, where he has taught since 1994. He is the author of Construction Business Management and Construction Cost Estimating: Process and Practices.
KEN-YU LIN is Assistant Professor in the Department of Construction Management at the University of Washington and the principal investigator of several safety interventions funded by OSHA and other sponsors.
Details
Weitere ISBN/GTIN9781118421000
ProduktartE-Book
EinbandartE-Book
FormatEPUB
Verlag
Erscheinungsjahr2013
Erscheinungsdatum01.07.2013
Seiten288 Seiten
SpracheEnglisch
Dateigrösse30082
Artikel-Nr.3084164
Rubriken
Genre9201

Inhalt/Kritik

Leseprobe


1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 NATURE OF CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS

Other than mining and agriculture, construction project sites are the most dangerous workplaces in the United States. The construction industry accounts for about 10% of the disability injuries and 20% of the fatalities that occur in the industrialized work force, even though construction workers account for only about 8% of the industrial man-hours worked in the United States. The construction industry includes a wide variety of companies, specialized crafts, and types of projects. Projects vary from single houses to multibillion-dollar major infrastructure projects.

Fatality and recordable injury and illness cases within the industry from 2007 to 2010 are shown in Table 1.1. Therefore, construction safety is a very important topic. The ability of a construction company to eliminate or mitigate the risk of accidents is essential in the execution of a successful construction project. Implementing effective safety measures reduces project costs and demonstrates concern for the welfare of people working on or passing by the project. Safety records are often considered by project owners when selecting construction firms to construct their projects.

Table 1.1 Construction Workplace Fatalities and Injuries/Illnesses per 100 Full-Time Workers

There are two major aspects of project site safety: (1) safety of persons working on the site and (2) safety of the general public who may be near the project site. Both aspects must be addressed when developing project-specific safety plans. These plans identify all hazards to be faced by construction workers and the general public during the various phases of construction and measures to be taken to minimize the risk of injury to workers or the public. Examples of construction worker safety measures are requiring the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and placement of barricades around floor openings. Examples of public safety measures are perimeter fences and warning signs to prevent entry into the project site by unauthorized individuals.

The primary causes of construction job site injuries are:
Falling from an elevation
Being struck by something
Trenching and excavation cave in
Being caught between two objects
Electrical shock

Many hazards exist on all construction sites: sharp edges, falling objects, openings in floors, chemicals, noise, and a myriad of other potentially dangerous situations. Mitigation measures are required to minimize the potential for injury, and continued training is needed to ensure the entire work force maintains a work safely attitude.

Most construction projects are unique and executed in varied work environments. Construction workers, therefore, are constantly expected to familiarize themselves with new situations that potentially may be hazardous. In addition, the composition of construction project teams varies from project to project, and many craft workers may work for different employers leading to a lack of conformity and continuity. Craft workers may only work on a project site during certain phases of the work and then move to another project site. The continuing change in the composition of the work force on a project presents significant leadership challenges to the project manager, superintendent, and field supervisors.

Another major safety challenge for construction site supervisors is the increased employment of workers for whom English is a second language. Not only do these workers have difficulty reading and understanding safety signage, but they may be unwilling to report unsafe job site conditions or working practices. It is critical that the supervisors be able to enforce good safety practices among all individuals working on a job site. This may require that safety signage be posted in multiple languages and that safety orientations be conducted in multiple languages.

As construction projects are being executed, there is a continuous series of situations in which construction workers and/or the general public may be exposed to risk of injury. It is extremely important for construction leaders to recognize these situations and take action to control or mitigate these job site hazards. Many construction operations occur in excavations below the surface of the ground or in the air above the ground. In many cases, construction activity is exposed to natural elements, such as rain, snow, wind, or other climatic conditions. Implementing measures to protect workers and the public is the best way to minimize the potential for injury. This is illustrated in Figure 1.1, which shows construction workers constructing a concrete masonry wall from a vertical scaffold.


Figure 1.1 Masonry workers construct a concrete block wall from a vertical scaffold


Creating a safe work site is a function of the physical conditions of the working environment and the behavior or working attitude of the individuals working on the site. Safety planning must begin during the initial planning for a construction project along with the development of a cost estimate and project schedule. The initial safety plan needs to outline how safety will be managed on the project, including roles and responsibilities of project participants, resources available, anticipated hazards and mitigation measures, training requirements, and safety equipment needs. Requiring everyone on the project site to wear appropriate PPE may impact worker productivity, and the purchase of appropriate safety equipment may impact project costs.

1.2 IMPORTANCE OF SAFE PRACTICES

A disabling injury or a fatal accident on a construction project will have a significant negative impact on the execution of construction operations. Accidents cost money, have an adverse impact on worker morale and productivity, and lead to adverse publicity about the project, the construction company, and the project owner. It is the construction company's responsibility to provide a safe working environment for all construction workers on the project site, including those employed by subcontractors, and to protect the public from harm. This is a significant concern when major construction activity occurs within a facility, such as a hospital, that is in operation.

The primary factors that motivate safe practices on construction sites are:
Humanitarian concern for workers and the public
Economic cost of accidents
Regulatory requirements for work site safety

Each of these factors is discussed in the following paragraphs.

It is a normally accepted principle that an individual should not be injured while working for an employer. This is based on humanitarian concern for the well-being of every individual. In addition to the humanitarian concern, there is a significant adverse economic impact if an accident occurs. Accidents are costly, as will be discussed in the next section, and often result in uncompensable delays in the completion of the construction project.

Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the OSH Act) in 1970 establishing mandatory workplace safety and health procedures. These required procedures will be discussed in greater depth in Chapter 4. The act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) within the Department of Labor to administer the act. OSHA regional and area offices employ inspectors whose duties include visits to construction projects to ensure compliance with mandated safety and health procedures and to assess significant fines for failure to comply with the required procedures. Job safety and health requirements generally consist of rules for avoiding hazards that have been proven by research and experience to be harmful to personal safety and health.

The act authorized individual states to establish their own occupational health and safety requirements as long as the state requirements are at least as effective as the federal requirements. Several states have enacted their own occupational safety and health statutes and employ inspectors to ensure compliance on construction project sites within the state. Failure to comply with statute requirements usually results in significant citations and fines.

Most successful construction companies have recognized the importance of safety management and have developed effective company safety programs that include:
New employee orientation
Safety training
Project-specific accident prevention plans
Job site surveillance

Good safety practices reduce the cost of doing business because they lead to reduced premiums for workers' compensation and liability insurance and minimize the costs that result from accidents and injuries on a job site. Construction companies, depending upon the type of craft labor that they employ, often pay 10 to 20% of their direct labor costs for workers' compensation insurance premiums, which is a significant cost of doing business. This will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

The effectiveness of a construction company's safety program often is a key factor in the ability of the company to become prequalified and allowed to submit a proposal on a project. Project owners do not want unsafe contractors working on their projects, because the owners do not want the negative publicity associated with construction accidents. Unsafe project sites also often lead to citations and resulting fines from state or federal occupational safety and health inspections.

Implementing and enforcing a strong safety program also demonstrate company management's interest in the welfare of individuals working on the job...

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