1 The Common Hazards in Construction Workplace

Chapter 1
The Common Hazards in Construction Workplace
Chong Xiao Qi

1.1 Introduction
1.1.1 Working at Height
1.1.2 Poor Housekeeping
1.1.3 Electrical – Extension cords
1.1.4 Forklifts
1.1.5 Lockout/tagout
1.1.6 Chemicals
1.17 Confined spaces
1.2 Conclusion

1.1 Introduction
The construction works are labelled as a high risk, dangerous and damage activity. Nearly6.5
million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given
day and the fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this
category for all industries. Based on the research from The National Safety Council, they found
several common safety hazard that always happened in construction site, which are:

1) Working at Height
2) Poor Housekeeping
3) Electrical –Extension cords
4) Forklifts
5) Lockout/ tagout
6) Chemicals
7) Confined spaces
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1.1.1 Working at Height

A lot of construction activities need carry out at height. So, there are not surprisingly if the worker
fall from height. It may cause death or serious injury for the worker. Why the falling case happened?
It is because the workers does not wear the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during work, the
employers do not install the protection at the height and the safety officer does not check the
worker PPE sticky when the construction work is carry out. Besides, unstable working surfaces,
scaffold are not erected properly, misuse to use fall protection and human error also the factors
that cause the falls happened.

Hence, to overcome this problem, the employer or site officer can consider to use aerials lift or
elevated platform to provide safer elevated working surfaces. For the scaffold, the scaffold must
be sufficient and rigid to handle its own weight with 4 times the maximum intended load without
displacement, and it must be installed on solid footing. Next, the safety net systems or personal
fail arrest system are considered to use when the construction work is carried on. For the
construction work that carry out near the edges of floors and roof, the site officer or contractor can
consider to erect the guardrail systems with the warning lines or the control line systems to protect
the workers falling from height.

1.1.2 Poor Housekeeping

A lot of waste materials and existing products will be produced during the construction work.
Some of the site did not manage the waste management properly, the workers may stumbled by
the materials and fall down. Besides, some of the waste materials such as plastic cover may cause
the stagnant of the water, and it will cause the breeding of the mosquito and affect the health of
the workers.

The site officer should be manage the waste management well such as set a location for collecting
the waste materials. Strictly banned the worker eating food at site to prevent them throw their food
packaging everywhere.

1.1.3 Electrical – Extension cords

On average, three construction industry workers are electrocuted each year during refurbishment
work on commercial and domestic buildings. People working near overhead power lines and
cables are also at risk. There are also a growing number of electrocutions involving workers who
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are not qualified electricians but who are carrying out electrical work, such as plumbers, joiners
and decorators.

There are some precaution that can carry out to make sure the safety of the worker:

 Work on new and existing energized (hot) electrical circuits is prohibited until all power
is shut off and grounds are attached.
 An effective Lockout/Tagout system is in place.
 Frayed, damaged or worn electrical cords or cables are promptly replaced.
 All extension cords have grounding prongs.
 Protect flexible cords and cables from damage. Sharp corners and projections should be
avoided.
 Use extension cord sets used with portable electric tools and appliances that are the three-
wire type and designed for hard or extra-hard service. (Look for some of the following
letters imprinted on the casing: S, ST, SO, STO.)
 All electrical tools and equipment are maintained in safe condition and checked regularly
for defects and taken out of service if a defect is found.
 All electrical tools and equipment are maintained in safe condition and checked regularly
for defects and taken out of service if a defect is found.
 Do not bypass any protective system or device designed to protect employees from contact
with electrical energy.
 Overhead electrical power lines are located and identified.
 Ensure that ladders, scaffolds, equipment or materials never come within 10 feet of
electrical power lines.
 All electrical tools must be properly grounded unless they are of the double insulated type.
 Multiple plug adapters are prohibited.

1.1.4 Forklifts

Based on the research, approximately 100 employees are fatally injured and approximately 95,000
employees are injured every year while operating powered industrial trucks. Forklift turnover
accounts for a significant number of these fatalities.
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To solve this problem the safety officer can:

 Assure that rollover protective structure is in place.

 Avoid traveling with elevated loads.
 Do not allow any employee under 18 years old to operate a forklift.
 Do not handle loads that are heavier than the capacity of the industrial truck.
 Do not modify or make attachments that affect the capacity and safe operation of the
forklift without written approval from the forklift's manufacturer.
 Drive safely--never exceed 5 mph and slowdown in congested or slippery surface areas.
 Examine forklift truck for defects before using.
 Follow safe operating procedures for picking up, moving, putting down and stacking loads.
 Make certain that the reverse signal alarm is operational and audible above the
surrounding noise level.
 Operators shall always wear seatbelts.
 Prohibit stunt driving and horseplay.
 Properly maintain haulage equipment, including tires.
 Remove unsafe or defective forklift trucks from service.
 Train and certify all operators to ensure that they operate forklifts safely.

1.1.5 Lockout/tagout

According to the dictionary, lockout-tagout (LOTO) or lock and tag is a safety produce which is
used in industry, construction and research setting s to ensure that dangerous machines are properly
shut off and not able to be started up again prior to the completion of maintenance or servicing
work. A well lockout procedures can help to prevent the serious injuries and accidents, when the
procedures are followed.

Some of the site, they have the best procedures in place, but the implementation of the procedures
are not good enough. Even all the lockout steps are followed, faulty equipment can still lead to
failures. Based on the case from National Safety Council, the equipment was locked out, but the
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instruments he was using to check the system were tampered and failed to read that system was
live. The worker injured, and causing a third-degree burn.

1.1.6 Chemicals

Some of the chemicals materials need to use when the construction is carried on, it might be
flammable chemicals and need to store in a special storeroom to prevent explosion. Besides, the
expiration date of the chemical, usage of the chemical also need to record down as a safety issue.

1.17 Confined spaces

Confined spaces cause a lot of the hazards, such as insufficient oxygen, toxic air, or an explosive
atmosphere, workers falling, being crushed and buried, it is because the worker didn’t issue a
permit or failed to carry out a risk assessment.

In October 2011, there are two brothers, aged 16 and 22, died in an underground drainage system
at a recycling center when the younger brother was overcome by hydrogen sulfide and his brother
rushed to the rescue and was overcome as well.

However, working in confined spaces could not be avoid, so to make sure the worker’s safety
when carry out the construction work in confined space, the site supervisor have to get the
permission from the OSHA. The confined space regulation require all employers to have:

 A written confined space plan, including recognizing and marking all confined space
on the site.
 Procedures to test and monitor the air inside confined spaces before and during all
employee entries.
 Procedures to prevent unauthorized entries and to have an attendant outside the space
at all times.
 Effective controls of all existing atmospheric or safety hazards inside the confined
spaces.
 Employee and supervisor training on safe work procedures hazard controls and rescue
procedures.
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 Effective rescue procedures which are immediately available on site.

1.2 Conclusion
To prevent the hazards happen in site, the employers are responsible for providing a safe and
healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA have responsibility to assure the safety and health
of the workers by setting and enforcing the standards, provide the training, outreach and education,
encouraging continual improvement in workplace and establishing the partnership.

Besides, the worksites should be prevent the behavior “monkey see, monkey do”. It means if the
supervisor or the manager does something in an unsafe manner, the other worker will follow it.
Hence, the supervisor and manager have responsibility to become a role model to the worker to
ensure the safety of the workers.