UP Copyrights 2009

Faculty of Applied Engineering and Urban Planning Civil Engineering Department 2nd Semester 2008/2009

CH 4:

Problem Areas in Construction Safety

Lecture 6 - Week 4

Eng: Eyad Haddad

1

Construction Safety Management

No worker expects to be injured

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

Introduction

Construction Industry holds a big share of injuries and fatalities among other industries.

Focusing on the root causes of injuries is an important way of improving safety performance.
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 3

Problem Areas

It

is

strongly

emphasized

that

Fall

Prevention steps must be taken.

Electrical shock is of importance as well

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

Other (10%)
10% 18% 33%

Falls (from elevation) (33%) Shock (electrical) (17%)

22%

17%

Struck by incidents (22%) Caught in/between incidents (18%)

Figure 5.1 Distribution of Construction Fatalities (1985 1989)

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 5

Problem Regulations

Table

5.1

shows

Ranking

of

OSHA

Paragraphs with the Largest Number of Violations.

69%

of

high to

penalty the

citations in

are the

attributable

standards

standards list.
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 6

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

Standards
( more than 5 high-penalty citations for the three years combined(

1926.652 Requirements for protective systems (excavations) 5A.001 General duty clause of the OSH Act. 1926.21 Safety training and education. 1926.651 Specific excavation requirements. etc..
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 8

Continue

OSHA is a Construction Community not a police agency

Number of citations for willful violations increased dramatically over years.(222)

The author shows figures and facts

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 9

Continue

Willful violations generally result in high

penalties.

Standards associated with more than 5 willful citations

1926.652 Requirements for protective systems (excavations)
5A.001 General duty clause of the OSH Act 1926.652 Material hoists, personnel hoists, and elevators
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 10

Continue

1926.950 (general requirements for power transmission and distribution) is the only standard listed in high-penalty violations but not in willful violation.

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

11

Continue

IMIS: Integrated Management Information System, is the database where worker fatalities are recorded in OSHA

Causes of most construction accidents as in Figure 5.1

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

12

Table 5.2
Frequency of Occurrence of different Causes of Fatalities

Frequency of Occurrence (%)

Event Type Falls Struck by Struck against Caught in/between Electrical Shock Other

1980 1985 1990

34.8
18.8 2.5 16.0 19.7 8.2

1985-89 OSHA Study

36.6
27.9 0 13.3 17.1 5.1

39.6
29.5 0 9.3 16.9 4.7

33
22 0 18 17 10
13

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

Types of Falls

Evaluation of specific causes of 508 falls reported 10 types of falls as:

(68% of falls, and first 5 are 45% of the 10)

1.
2. 3.

Off roof
In scaffolding collapse Off scaffolding

4.
5.

In structure collapse
Through floor opening

The other five types are (6. off ladder/ 7. off structure/ 8. through roof
opening/ 9. of edge of open floor/ 10. of beam support)
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 14

Continue

Height of falls was also examined. Low Height does not mean Safety!!!

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety

15

70% of struck-by fatalities

Struck-by
After falls, the most common cause of fatalities was being
struck. The specific circumstance of the struck-by incidents can be ranked as follows:

Worker struck by falling object Worker run over by heavy equipment

Worker struck by crane, boom, or load

Worker run over by private vehicle Worker struck in trench cave-in
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 16

62% of caught in/btw fatalities

Caught in/between

Trench cave-in Worker caught between pieces of heavy equipment

Overturning machinery

of

heavy

equipment

or

Worker caught in moving part of heavy equipment

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 17

45% of electrocution fatalities

Electrical shock

Direct contact with live wire Contact with crane boom with power line

Contact of materials with power line

Contact of ladder with power line

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18

73% of other fatalities

Other

Toxic gas or lack of Oxygen Poor personal health

Fire
Drowning

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19

The Focus of OSHA Inspections

The sources or causes of fatalities and serious injuries should be understood by employer Employers should be committed to

avoiding circumstances that place their workers at risk

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 20

Final comments:

Detailed analysis of data recorded by OSHA provided information about sources of citations and its causes.

Cranes, hoists, and elevators, scaffold design are clearly areas in which employers have been deficient.

Falls are the signal most common cause of fatalities according to IMIS data
(Integrate Management Information System).

They are followed by struck-by incidents, caught-in between causes, electrocutions

4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 21

Thank you for your

Safety
4 Problem Areas in construction Safety 22