Risk Assessment And Strategies For Hazard Management In Construction

Introduction to Risk Assessment and Hazard Management in Construction

Risk assessment includes the overall process to identify risk and hazards. And hazard is something that could be dangerous to an individual, to an individual’s health and safety and to the company’s or an individual’s reputation. According to Occupational Safety, and Health (OSH), “hazard is a condition that poses a level of potential risk (Burke, Scheurer & Meredith, 2007).

In the non-building sector, the bridge is the biggest growth segment also the highly impacted in the bridge collapsed (U.S. Bridge, 2018). On the afternoon of December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed while handling the load of heavy traffic and killed around 46 people and many others were injured. Around 5’o clock in the evening, the chain on the upriver side suddenly snapped. The roadway started to incline; cars started falling into the river 80 feet below. There was one witness who told to Time magazine, “The Bridge just capsized over, starting slowly on the Ohio side and then folding like a deck of cards to the West Virginia side.” The bridge provided crossing for US route 35 over the Ohio River and connected to Columbus, Charleston, and West Virginia. The bridge was built by the American bridge company of Pittsburgh. According to the National Transportation Safety Board report, “The accident was caused by a fractured eye bar”. The government eventually improved the way bridges were examined to ensure safety and functionality. If the proper risk assessment was implemented then the whole incident was avoidable (Johnston, 2007).

At the time of construction of any infrastructure it is important to keep one thing in mind that can because of harm by exposure to risk, for example, accidents of workers and the general public, damage of property, loss of money on agreements, loss of time, production, reputation, and future business for example, “A properly implemented risk assessment could save the life of 46 people if Silver bridge incident has not happened”. To protect these risks it is important to have a planned descriptive risk assessment and strategies that can easily identify future hazards (KarimiAzari, Mousavi, Mousavi, & Hosseini, 2011).

1. Design and construction errors: The Bridge was formed with an eye bar design, with the cables fastened to inflexible metal rods. Instead of the outmoded wire chains and chain-link anchors of most postponement bridges (Johnston, 2007).
2. Overloading: Engineers had designed the bridge of the Model-T Ford that could weight up about 1500 pounds. And the regularly traveled vehicle such as trucks carries as much as 60,000 pounds on the Silver’s span (Johnston, 2007).
3. A cleavage fracture in the lower limb of eye-bar: This was the main reason for the breakage of the silver bridge, there was a minor crack in the eye bar and it was formed with the suspension chain. The failed eye bar was of number 330 and is positioned at the Ohio end of the bridge (Johnston, 2007).
4. Corrosion: The failure of the entire structure had happened because of the crack in the eye bar and the stress corrosion and the corrosion fatigue was the reason that allowed it to get grow. The material that engineers have used for the bridge construction was not aware of the durability and subduing to corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion. (Johnston, 2007).
5. Collision: Collision happens because of vessel impact and it causes severe damages to bridges. Many collapses in bridges started by the local component failure (Johnston, 2007).
6. Lack of inspection and maintenance: Bridges are constructed to serve a long period of time for at least 100 years or more. And in service bridges are not just constantly handle loads but also handle the environmental attack. It is important to do the inspection and maintenance work in a timely manner otherwise it could lead to serious damage same that happened with the silver bridge (Johnston, 2007).
7. Incomplete designs and poorly defined scope: Having proper designs and descriptive scope plan is important for a successfully completed infrastructure. Otherwise, a poor vision and incomplete designs can lead to big problems such as waste of money, time and labor efforts (Haimes, 2015).
8. Improper project controlling: It can be included the loss of time and money If the project management will be bad at the time of construction then there is a possibility of delay in completing the project and also can cause in result of damage of property if it is not in a good supervision (Hopkin, 2018).

Cause of failure

Design Error Save Time On Research and Writing Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper. Get My Paper

Lack of maintenance

Deficiency in construction

Material defect

Earthquake

Scour

Flood

Collision

Environmental Degradation

Overload

Fire

Wind

Source: – Bridge Master (2017)

Risk management

Risk management is the process of identifying the hazards in advance; analyze the risk and taking protective steps to reduce it (The Economic Times, 2018).

1. Identify the hazard: For identifying the hazard, it is always very important to know the difference between risk and danger. The risk is the first step where the hazard can be realized and the hazard is a possibility to cause harm. In other words, it is a process to assume the future and controlling the possibilities. Identification of risk includes the types of risks such as schedule risk, reputational risk, health, and safety risk and cost risk for example; crack in the eye bar of the silver bridge was an identified hazard (Hopkin, 2018).
2. Identifying who might be harmed and how: Identifying the number of hazards is a possible way to identify the number of those who might be harmed such as, residing people, public, and workers. It helps in preventing the harmed people with a proactive approach, for example; If the risk assessment was properly implemented while construction then if they could have saved the life of many people (Hopkin, 2018).
3. Evaluating risk and deciding on control measures: Evaluating the risk is the process to protect individuals from the hazard. Either hazard can be removed or can be controlled completely (Hopkin, 2018).
4. List down all the findings: By implementing the risk evaluation it is important to note down at least for five or more people to show the identification of hazard, eliminating the risks (Jones, 2017).
5. Review the assessment and update it when required: Few things at the time of construction stay the same so for the safer side keep reviewing the assessment and update it when required (Tummala, & Schoenherr, 2011).

Risk management strategy is the process of reviewing the assessment and regularly updates it on the basis of new plans and actions to be taken for the development (The Economic Times, 2018).

1. Avoid the risk: It can be included the activities that are happening in different ways. The project manager or controller can also change or apply the different method to isolate the troubled objectives. There are some risks that can be controlled by the early observation and received information. Avoidance can lead to the extent in the schedule and also if the risk is too dangerous that could lead to loss of life then it can be avoided by completely shut off (Nieto-Morote, & Ruz-Vila, 2011).
2. Dispersion of risk: This directly includes the third party such as, insurance company or vendor, which is paid to take or handle the risk on an individual’s behalf, and the payment that is included in it is known as risk premium (Smith, Merna, & Jobling, 2009).
3. Risk mitigation: This includes the reduction of risk in an acceptable manner. This is a method which reduces the probability of risk instead of fixing the damages after the risk occurs (Pinto, Nunes, & Ribeiro, 2011).
4. Acceptance of risk: This includes the risk acceptance with no other activities except documentation whether by doing work in the same situation and where there is a possibility of risk which is kind of passive acceptance, and the other acceptance of risk is an active approach which is designed to recover the losses of time, resources and cost (Pinto, Nunes, & Ribeiro, 2011).

Understanding Hazards and Its Impact on Individuals and the Company Reputation

This includes the method of techniques and practices of management which is a help in preventing unnecessary risks. It also includes the best practices, quality, best planning methods and forecasting (Modarres, 2016).

Risk assessment, machines inspection, and proper coordination provide proper knowledge and information, workers training regarding their jobs, and safety rounds these are some points which comes under the risk protection or risk prevention. According to OSHA, one out of every four or five workplace deaths is a construction worker (OSHA, 2018). To make the construction business safe occupation workers should be trained and must be aware of the danger. Below are some points that can be implemented for the risk protection strategies (The perecman firm, 2014).

1. Safety training for all workers or employees: Safety training is as important as the possibilities of the hazard on the construction site. Without providing training regarding the safety standards and the hazard that they could face while doing their job, there will be always a chance of risk. Before accepting the job or doing the job employees should review all the policies related to safety and health. The policy should include the safety procedure and the details of first aid responder. Employees or any worker at the construction site should not work with the equipment they are not trained on or enough qualified to use the tool (Li, 2014).
2. Frequently crew safety meetings: Safety meetings held for the employees on daily basis, if there are some high-risk work is being done. These meeting should be held to remind the workers about daily safety features from the risk and also to stay focused and if there are some issue occurs then they should be addressed in daily meetings. These frequently crew safety meetings could save the failure of the bridge, that could help to identify the hazard and the depth of the hazard (HAS, 2018).
3. Knowledge and information: Changes in a construction site on daily basis is a general aspect. People and workers come and go. Constant changes at the workplaces need the more practice, planning, and skill for the workers. Knowledge of requirements in a documented format and information regarding any change and any other requirement should be float on daily basis. Knowledge of the steel subduing and corrosion could help the engineers to save the life 46 people and damage of bridge. (Cretu, Stewart, & Berends, 2011).
4. Keeping the workplaces clean: This intends fewer injuries by keeping the workplace clean. Sometimes open wires at the workplaces, water, and some sharp tools and material could be a reason of serious injuries at the workplace such as fallen down, trips and slips, electric shock and some cuts at the body. It is important to store tools and materials after finishing the work or at the time of leaving (Jones, 2017).
5. Prevent from falling down: Falling down at the construction site leads to the cause of fatalities. The properly detailed weight on the bridge at a time should be described on the board. Protection systems at the construction should be installed such as screens, guardrails, canopy structure, and toe boards etc. It is also important to check them on a daily basis if the installed system such as scaffolding, for the safety purpose, is well constructed to hold the intended weight load (Burnaby, & Hass, 2009).
6. Be careful with vehicles: There are many fatal accidents that include the vehicle in a way of rash driving, backing and parking (Haimes, 2015).
7. Utilizing of protective stuff to wear: Protective clothes and gears include the hard hat, High visibility such as yellow or red clothing, gloves, protective shoes, goggles, steel-toed shoes. These protective clothes are mandatory and recommended for the people to wear while working at the construction site (Valentic, 2018).
8. Maintaining and managing the tools and equipment: It is important to have a properly maintained and workable machine or tool at a construction site or at the workplace for the use of workers. Before using any of equipment or tool one should ensure its condition if it is properly working or not. A broken part of any machinery can be a cause of high and serious injury and death such as workers can get trapped under the heavy equipment which is not working in a proper way (Burger, 2015).
9. Making a plan for the recognized hazards: At the construction building site, there are many things which can cause any unusual hazard. Before starting the project a risk assessment can prevent the workers for their health and safety by covering all the expected hazards. It is important that working employees and other staff should be educated and trained about the risk factors and ensures if they are receiving the appropriate and proper information (Akintoye, Beck, & Hardcastle, 2008).
10. Use of equipment in the prescribed manner: Sometimes it happens that workers use that equipment which is not made for that same purpose. And in this situation, the manufacturer’s built-in safety features can no longer be relied on. Misusing of the equipment can also lead to the damaged equipment and can cause of an injury. The equipment should meet OSHA standards (OSHA, 2018).
11. Preparations are made for emergency situations: These preparations and emergency drills should be conducted as needed. There should be a backup plan for any such hazard that could help for a few hours as a warning sign. These preparations include the responsibilities and provision of immediate medical attention and first aid on the spot, communication of the site and at the site such as transportation, health, and care, ambulance, home offices, member of the family, with documenting events and identifying the witnesses. This also covers the uncontrolled hazards such as fire and any natural disaster or flood (OSHA, 2016).

Conclusion

In the conclusion of the above text, risk assessment and its strategies to manage and maintain the hazard are really important, to stabilize the environment and situation at the time of hazard. Risk assessment includes the health and safety features to prevent the people internal (workers) and external (general public). Before starting the construction work proper guidelines related to safety and health should be implemented and the worker must be educated and trained over those guidelines. And if any changes are implementing in the middle which was not mentioned in the requirements then workers should be informed about the same. Workers should be trained and educated for all the tools and equipment that can be used for the construction work. The effective risk assessment must include all the functions and processes and it should be successfully installed in the project to achieve the goal and to gain a clear understanding of the duties and feasibility of the work. If the proper guidelines were implemented then this hazard could be avoided by maintaining and managing the bridge aspects in a timely manner.

A risk and control culture should be experienced by everyone included in the project and the effectiveness of the structural and organizational measures of the risk management. Effective risk assessment includes the commitments and the risk-conscious behavior of every individual. For the success of the project motivation and the interplay of the parties should be involved to determine the quality of the work.

References

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