The Importance of Health and Safety in Construction Industry
The construction plays an important part in the development of the country’s economy with the help of its contribution of gross and domestic product, creation of employment as well as production of capital facilities, gross domestic capital formation, and assets required for the production in some other sectors. It has been found that despite its importance, the construction sites and the construction industry is referred to as being risky along with frequent as well as high accident rates and ill-health issues to workers, practitioners as well as end-users (Dixit, Sharma and Singh, 2020). Health and safety during the projects at the construction sites tend to deal with both, that is, psychological and physical wellbeing of the workers on the construction sites and other people whose health is likely to be adversely affected by the activities which are held at the construction sites. Moreover, it is known to be the primary concern for the employees, employers, governments as well as project participants. Health and safety therefore are known to be an economic as well as humanitarian concern which also requires proper management control (Osnovina and Maltsevich, 2021). The report will emphasize preparing a health and safety report based on the risk as well as breaches found which are usually found on the construction sites and herms the employees. the report will also reference the applicable legislations for the identified breaches of health and safety as well as it will mention the recommended solutions for the risks.
The case focuses on Mainway Construction Services (MCS), which is a medium-sized firm as mentioned in the case study. The firm tends to undertake civil engineering, demolition work, and construction. Moreover, the company has an annual turnover of £29 Million. It has been observed that the company’s management understands the requirement as well as the importance of implementing some of the health and safety practices for the employees of the construction firm and considering this, the company has appointed Mathew Jones as the safety officer for the Mainway Construction Services. Being the safety officer, Mathew had the key role or the responsibilities such as writing and reviewing the safety procedures, work instructions, and developing safe systems of work. Besides this, Mathew is also responsible for carrying out site inspections to analyse and monitor the company’s compliance along with the applicable regulations. Moreover, Mainway Construction Services is classified as a high-risk industry wherein the industry also has its own set of regulations for managing health and safety. In addition to this, the company tends to work on several projects out of which, some are even notifiable to the national regulator.
It has been mentioned in the case that Mathew upon visiting a construction site to conduct a health and safety inspection identifies the key issues and the risks at the workplace which need to be eliminated for ensuring the benefits and the health of the employees. Issues and the risks which were identified were:
- Breach related to the temporary security facing of the site.
- Construction worker inside the trench exceeding 1.2m in depth.
- Poor housekeeping regulations as well as welfare amenities on the premises that are being utilized as a store.
- Stack of pallets further away.
- Undefended excavations with solid concrete pallets arranged at the excavation’s boundary.
- Storage of rebar in a secure compound. Rebar mesh, on the other hand, is deposited on the floor at several sites on the property. The cement in the stormwater outflow under construction contains protruding rebar.
- Difficulty in accessing the cement mixer area and the storage unit. Other areas also have significant issues concerning access as well as workplace safety.
- The stell-framed structure is under construction with a mobile crane as well as a mobile elevating work platform present. Another issue in this area was that the stabilizer of MEWP is positioned on a concrete brick.
- Steel-framed structure mass excavation is unguarded with protruding rebar.
- Storage unit being used for the storage of welding equipment.
- Palletized supplies are stored beneath overhead services next to the steel-framed construction.
Therefore, based on the risk observed by Mathew Jones at the construction site, it can be mentioned that the construction workplace was lacking in the proper health and safety measures as well as an effective understanding of the health and safety measures. It is needed that the management, that is, Mathew being the safety officer must focus on providing certain key legislation and approaches for guiding workplace safety and according to this, the solutions are also needed to be provided for the internal improvements of the company.
Case Study: Mainway Construction Services
Around 20 sections of regulation relating to the health as well as safety of the constructing company’s personnel, consumers, including visitors must be observed. There can probably be no comparable company that conducts several of its services inaccessible locations and exposes its personnel and the broader public to the risks of falling objects, vehicle collisions, hoisting activities, as well as other dangerous activities. Health and Safety are critical, and the regulations and legislations have succeeded in reducing fatalities from thousands to hundreds every year. Such regulations and the legislations for the construction industry and in the context of the case can be defined as:
- Working at height regulations act 2015: Protective equipment, as well as the safe usage of cranes, ladders, and other related objects, are usually included. Ladder elements like double guard rails and guard rails, for example, protect the workers while also preventing debris and waste from falling on passers-by (Health and Safety Executive, 2021a).
- The LOLER (Lifting Operations as well as Lifting Equipment Regulations) of 1998: The use of ladders and auxiliary operating gear on vehicles is considered, among other things. Regular vehicle inspections, suitable training, and prominent machine identification are all required (First Practice Management, 2021).
- Asbestos Control Regulations of 2012: gives thorough rules for handling asbestos debris as well as concrete to reduce the risk to employees and the general public, especially during demolition operations (Health and Safety Executive, 2021b).
- The building (Design and Management) Regulation of 2015: it helps in identifying hazards and also ensures that preventative measures are in existence to decrease identified risks with the help of a risk assessment collaboration approach (Health and Safety Executive, 2020).
- Vibration control at Work Regulations of 2005: it is a response to the understanding that use of vibratory devices like jackhammers result in health problems with users, such as hand/arm injuries as well as whole-body injuries in some cases (Health and Safety Executive, 2021c).
- Noise Control at Work Regulations of 2005: Recognizes that loud occupational noises cause irreparable hearing loss and requires measures such as restricting the maximum permissible decibels as well as providing protective equipment (Health and Safety Executive, 2021d).
- The Manual Handling Activities Regulations enacted in 1992: The underlying risks that people confront when they dwell, travel, or accelerate a load or item are discussed. Employers must do risk assessments, as well as employees should always be instructed in safe procedures and techniques (Osteopaths for industry, 2021).
The following report discussed the key issues related to health and safety in the construction industry were discussed. It was found that there were many issues related to breaches and safety were faced by the construction firm which could even harm the worker’s health and safety. So, few recommendations and solutions can be proposed to resolve the health and safety concerns for both, that is, the firm and the workers as well as to eliminate the risks present in the construction industry (Buniya, et al., 2021).
Start with safety training: the first and foremost need for Mainway Construction Services is to ensure and to begin with the safety training to its employees. Mathew being the safety officer at Mainway Construction Services can take the responsibility of conducting the safety training to mitigate the risks such as breaches related to the temporary security facing of the site, construction workers inside the trench exceeding 1.2m in depth, poor housekeeping regulations as well as welfare amenities on the premises that are being utilized as a store, and many more. Moreover, before starting operations on-site, all staff must have a valid white card. Every employee or worker should additionally receive site-specific introductory training to identify any elevated zones as well as provide emergency handling guidelines (Ahmed and Arocho, 2020).
Minimize and management of risk: Although, there were numerous risks and safety issues were found at the construction firm. So, it may be impossible for the safety officer to mitigate all the risks, however, the safety officer can commence some of the safety audits to minimize some number of risks if not fully. Due of the intricacy of construction activities, it has likewise been discovered that minimising all safety concerns is difficult. On the contrary side, recurrent safety problems can be avoided by conducting regular safety audits including implementing processes to identify, assess, and mitigate any dangers (Oke, et al., 2021).
Site security: Site accessibility controls should be established for greater than only safeguarding machinery from damage or theft, according to the Mainway construction works. Protection is required both during and outside of ordinary operating periods to protect pedestrians from potential construction threats. This group consists of people who have been authorised accessibility to the site. Furthermore, if employers adopt strict protection and stability precautions, they should be shielded from liability and irresponsibility in the occurrence of a protection incident or breach (Oke, et al., 2021).
Compliant chemical storage: To eliminate the risk of Storage of rebar in a secure compound, difficulty in accessing the cement mixer area and the storage unit, it can be recommended to Mainway construction services that chemicals must be stored with extreme caution on construction sites to avoid fires, combustion, suffocation, chemical damage, as well as contamination. To separate compounds and avoid spillage, Mainway construction services can use elevated, compliant exterior storage options like explosive containment cabinets (Ahmed and Arocho, 2020).
Identified Health and Safety Breaches and Risks
Safe work process assessment: Another recommendation based on the risks identified includes that before construction begins on any high-risk building project, a secure workplace method statement (SWMS) should be established at Mainway construction services. The SWMS should contain details regarding the project’s characteristics, any potential hazards or security problems, and also how hazards will be prevented and managed. As per the law, development work cannot commence until the SWMS requirements are met (Buniya, et al., 2021).
Entry and exit points: In addition to all the recommendations and the solution provided above, to mitigate or eliminate the risk of any additional safety issue, the construction industry must establish separate entry and separate exit points for all the employers. It can also help the firm in accessing and maintaining a proper way for heavy machinery and vehicle which will eventually ensure the safety of the pedestrians, especially at high traffic points (Ahmed and Arocho, 2020).
Providing personal protective equipment (PPE): Last, but not least, PPEs tend to eliminate most of the safety and health concerns for the employees. In many cases, a company is required to offer PPE to construction project employees, such as high-visibility vests, eye protection, as well as safety harnesses. So, Mainway construction services can look after to provide the safety gear to ensure the utmost safety of the workers (Buniya, et al., 2021).
Conclusion
From the above report, it can be concluded that in today’s economic environment, companies especially construction sites are faced with many risks and challenges which can harm the health and safety of the workers so the management must protect employee health and safety while expanding their operations. It was observed that Mathew Jones who was the safety officer at Mainway Construction Services identified a few risks at the construction site related to the breach of the worker’s safety. It was also discussed that there are a few regulation acts and legislations which help the companies to mitigate the risks including the Working at height regulations act 2015, LOLER, and many more. Getting back to the case of Mainway Construction Services, few solutions and recommendations were made to eliminate the risks identified by Mathew Jones including compliant chemical storage, site security, safety training, and many more. hence, it can be concluded that such practices and the safety measures will help the construction firm in eliminating the safety risks as well as issues and the company will be able to align its business practices with the legal needs as well as requirements during the construction projects.
References
Ahmed, S. and Arocho, I., 2020. Mass timber building material in the US construction industry: Determining the existing awareness level, construction-related challenges, and recommendations to increase its current acceptance level. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 1, p.100007.
Buniya, M.K., Othman, I., Durdyev, S., Sunindijo, R.Y., Ismail, S. and Kineber, A.F., 2021. Safety Program Elements in the Construction Industry: The Case of Iraq. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(2), p.411.
Dixit, S., Sharma, K. and Singh, S., 2020. Identifying and analysing key factors associated with risks in construction projects. In Emerging Trends in Civil Engineering (pp. 25-32). Springer, Singapore.
First Practice Management., 2021. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). [Online]. Available at: https://www.firstpracticemanagement.co.uk/health-and-safety-guidance/lifting-operations-and-lifting-equipment-regulations-1998-loler/ [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Health and Safety Executive., 2020. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Health and Safety Executive., 2021a. The law. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/the-law.htm [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Health and Safety Executive., 2021b. Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/regulations.htm [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Health and Safety Executive., 2021c. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/hav/regulations.htm [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Health and Safety Executive., 2021d. Employers’ responsibilities – legal duties. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/employers.htm [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Oke, A., Akinradewo, O., Aigbavboa, C. and Ndalamba, M., 2021. Challenges to the Implementation of Lean Construction Practices in the South African Construction Industry. In Collaboration and Integration in Construction, Engineering, Management and Technology (pp. 133-137). Springer, Cham.
Osnovina, L. and Maltsevich, I., 2021. Assessment of innovative solutions and risks of development in the construction industry. Budownictwo o zoptymalizowanym potencjale energetycznym, 2021(2), pp.7-14.
Osteopaths for industry., 2021. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.ofi.co.uk/manual-handling-training/manual-handling-operations-1992/ [Accessed on: 24-12-2021].
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
