Question 1:
(a) Provide an analysis of a company’s health and safety policy with particular emphasis on how effective it is in ensuring that visitors, members of the public and employees are safe in and around the working environment.
(b) Determine the training needs that will be required for the development from risk assessments. These will include on-site induction training and relevant sector certification for construction personnel.
(a) Identify the hazards that are associated with construction processes using current data derived from Health and safety statistics.
(b) Explain how risk assessments and method statements are used to record and identify construction hazards.
The significance of the health and safety policy emphasized by its aim of proactively implementing effective measures in preventing health hazards, traumatic conditions and clinical morbidities in context to the organizational perspective. The health and safety policy also advocates the acquisition of protective measures in prevention, prophylaxis and treatment of diseases and injuries happening within the confinements of the corporate environment. The intent of practicing an efficient health and safety policy related to safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of employees and workers resulting in enhancement of productive competency and sustainability of the employed personnel. The health and safety policy emphasizes maintaining hygiene and healthy work environment, and implementing safe storage conditions to minimize the risk of diseases and trauma inside the corporate premises.
The health and safety policy of a construction company engaged in developing affordable housing project for Notting Hill Trust Housing Association defines parameters regarding measures warranted in context to general health and awareness of employees. These predefined parameters related to company’s health and safety plan of the site development project, responsibilities of the staff regarding health and safety, and disaster management policy. However, other important necessities include the requirements related to healthcare training and induction, awareness of staff regarding hazards, regulatory requirements for maintaining health and safety, and minimizing risks related to hazards during the working hours. The essential requirement of the safety policy related to effective management of occupational safety and health of the associated employees and workers. Chaturvedi (2006:p. 168) describes the standardization of work related safety measures in terms of obtaining credentials by OHSAS 18001:99. The policy warrants the utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE) for ensuring safety from potential hazards and accidents at work place. Reese and Eidson (2006:p.238) illustrate the utility of protective tools including head and neck shields and defensive devices, breathing equipments and specialized clothes in challenging fatalities related to chemical exposure, radiation hazards, construction material and pollutants during the working hours. The other components of the health and safety policy advocate the contention of ensuring availability of purified water, sanitation and transport for all workers and employees at the construction location. Rom and Markowitz (2007:p.726) discuss about the spread of contagious diseases due to sustained impurities in the drinking water. Ingestion of infected water indeed predisposes the population to diseases like hepatitis and typhoid. Similarly, Jensen (2012) emphasizes the importance of improved sanitation and housekeeping facilities in preventing the infectious conditions including, influenza and other respiratory manifestations. Hislop (1999:p.3) describes the annual mortality rates (of the construction workers) resulting from serious fatalities during working hours. The major causes of these documented fatalities attribute to improper physical conditions, consistent variations in the work sites, lack of adequate planning and unsafe construction material adding to the risk of injury to the workers. The administrative safeguards and emergency management procedures highly warranted to create awareness among the workers in strategically tackling the traumatic emergencies during accidents and trauma. Bartley & Olmsted (2007:pp.328- 330) describe about the importance of practicing life safety code in preventing the spread of infectious conditions during construction procedures at the development location. These procedures correspond to establishing effective barriers in terms of enhanced ventilation to antagonize the negative pressures induced during the construction procedures. Hughes & Ferret (2011:p.22) illustrate regarding the administrative safety policies warranted for construction workers employed during the night shifts. These policies advocate conducting periodic health care campaigns at the construction site, reducing the number of working hours and maintaining the clinical database for all employees enrolled for the night shift. Additionally, development of potential barriers in terms of effective fire protection systems and regulation of standardized codes in defining remedial actions following construction explosions required to safeguard the workers from potential life threatening fatalities expected at the construction location (Diamantes, 2011:p.125).
The training needs for the workers employed in the construction company defined by the statistical assessment of risk factors associated with the construction process. The construction risk assessment includes practicing proactive measures in precisely identifying the predisposing factors for infection dissemination, traumatic fatalities and other serious risks in accordance with the epidemiology, geographical location, ventilation and design of the construction premises (Miler 2004:p.115). The risk assessment procedures required for a housing project include identifying workers in terms of low, medium, high, and greatest risk groups, and proportionately devising antagonistic strategies for the concerned population in the construction environment. The fire risk assessment in the construction matrix focuses in identifying the sources of high energy and the proximity of inflammable materials from these ignition leads (Perry, 2003:p.195). The heat sources attribute to the welding devices, electric wires, cooking appliances, fire lamps, boilers and hot grills utilized during the construction process. The next step in evaluating the risks of an expected explosion from these ignition sources include tracking of the storage location of these fire materials and exploring their access routes in context to the inflammable items at the construction location. The statistical evaluation of these risk factors warrant conducting onsite training program for workers in challenging the potential risks pertaining to the incidences of explosion at the construction location. Holt (2005:p.202) describes the training requirement for the construction workers predisposed to the events of fire or explosion during their job hours. These training protocols include conducting onsite training program for workers in context to utilizing emergency exit routes, raising fire alarms and efficiently using first aid tools in events of onsite explosion or fire. The precise risk assessment regarding fire events in the construction matrix followed by onsite training of workers to develop the skills including effective handling of fire extinguishers, ladders, water supply and ventilators during fire emergencies (Iafc, 2012). The onsite induction training to the construction workers further ensures imparting skills and knowledge regarding tackling combustible materials, using protective gloves, trousers, helmets and goggles against fire and dealing with the portable fire extinguishers in accordance with the intensity and nature of onsite explosion. The workers training in context to the risk assessment must comply with the standards established by Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), and all workers essentially required to acquire CSCS cards for ensuring compliance and competence, while practicing escape measures during events of spontaneous fire or explosions (Fewings, 2013).
The fatalities among workers experienced during the construction process vary proportionately with the pre-established hazards predisposing the employees (of the construction company) toward diseases and life threatening outcomes. Bunni (2003:pp.26-29) statistically evaluates the risk of potential fatalities in context to the hazards and consequences associated with the construction process. The potential for occupational adverse events or hazards measured in relation to their expected outcomes resulting in marginal, negligible or catastrophic emergencies during the construction process. Reese & Eidson (2006a:p.17) illustrate the statistics of construction related diseases in context to the pre-existing morbidity hazard in the construction matrix. The data reveals dermatitis as the most prevalent outcome, with 14.1% reported cases among the employees deputed in various construction companies. However, other illnesses related to the environmental influences, mental conditions, respiratory disorders and toxicities correspond to a weightage of 3−7.8% among the target population. Leigh (1995:p.35) provides the statistical ranking of various construction hazards in context to the reported fatalities of the workers employed in multiple construction companies located across USA. The statistics reveal the annual death toll of 297 workers associated with stone cutting and carving jobs, as evidenced by the US census code 546. This death toll attributes to the silica exposure to these workers, thereby resulting in maximum fatalities from silicosis. Therefore, potential of silica exposure ranked as the principal hazard responsible for major fatalities among construction workers according to the statistical findings. Similarly, painters, lumberjacks, motormen, pilots, blasters and other workers acquire the second until seventh ranks in context to their occupational hazards including injuries from falls, traumatic conditions by plants, logs, vehicles, planes, explosions and other unknown causes.
The standard formats prescribed in terms of method statement for precise identification and recoding of hazards in context to the construction matrix. The method statement indeed includes all activities requiring execution by the workers during the construction process. It also covers entire safety protocols, including manuals and equipments devised to prevent and tackle the traumatic and accidental facilities encountered onsite at the construction location (European Construction Institute, 1995:p.62). The method statement indeed warranted prior to the commencement of construction development associated with considerable risk of fatalities. The mandatory fields in the method statement for recording construction hazards include the elements of the entire construction processes in context to the use of potential materials, gases and chemicals predisposing the workers to life threatening fatalities. Additionally, the protocols for reducing the risks of trauma and accidents in the construction environment require thorough description in the method statement. The details of the associated hazards in terms of the inventory of injurious chemicals, material and other causative factors require thorough documentation in the method statement. The necessities related to accurate labelling of fire sources, gases and their safe handling in appropriate containers, description of their storage location and methods of safe disposal, fixation of appropriate signboards as caution-indicators, and the expected outcomes from the listed construction hazards constitute the essential ingredients of the method statement warranted to precisely ascertain, record and identify potential construction hazards.
References
Bartley & Olmsted 2007, Construction and Renovation, APIC, USA.
Bunni, N 2003, Risk and Insurance in Construction (2nd ed.), Spon, USA.
Chaturvedi, P 2006, Challenges of Occupational Safety and Health, IEI, India.
Diamantes, D 2011, Priniciples of Fire Prevention, Delmar, USA.
European Construction Institute 1995, Total Project Management of Construction Safety, Health, and Environment (2nd ed.), Telford, UK.
Fewings, P 2013, Construction Project Management: An Integrated Approach (2nd ed.), Routledge, USA.
Hislopt, R 1999, Construction Site Safety: A Guide for Managing Contractors, CRC, Florida.
Holt, A 2005, Principles of Construction Safety, Blackwell, UK.
Hughes & Ferret 2011, Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction, Routledge, USA.
Iafc 2012, Live Fire Training: Principles and Practice, Jones & Bartlett, USA.
Jensen, R 2012, Risk Reduction Methods for Occupational Safety and Health, Wiley, New Jersey.
Leigh, P 1995, Causes of Death in the Workplace, Praeger, USA.
Miller, K 2004, Environment of Care Handbook (2nd ed.), JCR, USA.
Perry, P 2003, Construction Safety Questions and Answers: A Practical Approach, Telford, Lodon.
Reese, C & Eidson, J 2006, Handbook of OSHA Construction Safety and Health (2nd ed.), Taylor, Florida.
Reese, C & Eidson, J 2006a, Handbook of OSHA Construction Safety and Health (2nd ed.), CRC, Florida.
Rom, W & Markowitz, S 2007, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Lippincott, Philadelphia.
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