Fall Hazard in Construction Industry
First and foremost, hazards are vital ingredients which often have immense potential impacts and causes harms in the long run. In the United States of America, it is recorded that fall as a hazard has contributed to at least 150-200 fatalities in the construction industry. Furthermore, there have been at least 100,000 which has resulted from the related workers injuries in the field. Notably, fall in the construction industries, has continued to result in various vital and serious injuries as well as deaths and thus, the norm related to its causes and the overall impacts in the field should be underestimated at any point. Construction industry has been faced with numerous instances of not only injuries but also the death related issues. These issues mostly are caused by the fall related issues and accidents which tend to happen in the various jobsites. Therefore, necessary precautions are not only important in these fields but also imminently important in the long run. subsequently, it is important for different employers to develop decisive workspace with the aim of ensuring that their employees often protect as far as the overhead platforms in line with the falling offs are concerned. Furthermore, there are various fall hazards often associated with the elevated working stations as well as the walls and the floor holes. In addition, there are different fall hazards often recorded in the construction site and some of the accidents have impacted heavily on the individual’s lives and as even lead to death. Therefore, it is important to embark on having protective gears as well as designing the working space in a manner that it will help in curbing the anomalies related to the falling hazards.
There are different causes of the fall hazards in the construction industry, the causes mainly results from the actions of the either the workers or the overall nature of the work space in which the employees are operating as far as the activities in the jobsites are concerned. According to the OHSA.gov, fall hazard mainly defined as the definite or indefinite elements in the workspace which often leads to the intended balance or body support loss and results to immense injuries as well as deaths if to properly handle. Furthermore, the hazards related to the fall impacts are often foreseeable in many instances. In addition, the fall hazards can be identified by an individual as well as they are eliminable if proper mechanism is employed in due course. In essence, it is a paramount approach and essential in ensuring that the hazard is not only controlled but also eliminated before it impact as well as results to either death or injuries in the long run. Moreover, it is evidential that at least 50% of the overall deaths demarcated in the building and the construction industry mainly occurs from the construction industry. Also, the 15% of the makeable occupational deaths results from the parametric fall and the related hazards in the field. Furthermore, the all the analysis as well as the in-depth studies indicates that the different fall related hazards in the construction industry have resulted to different related deaths of workers. For instance, the data gathered appraised between the 1992 up to 2010 indicated that there different percentage levels and the makeable fatal effects which they have in the building and construction. For instance, the data indicated that at one third of all the related deaths comes from the fallings demarcated in the roofing sections of the building. Additionally, the 18% mainly occurs from the overall staging and the scaffolding. Finally, there those that are being depicted in line with the structural steels as well as ladders and this mainly recorded at 8% and 16% respectively. Also, 25% of all the related fatal fall hazards essentially results from either the non-moving vehicles or the via the existing floor openings. Thus, the analogy and the concept analysis by the OSHA often demarcates that working at various designated heights have different risks in the long run. Thus, it is important to take precautionary measures and embark on using the protective gears in line with the overall process.
Causes of Fall Hazards
There four paramount causes of the overall fall hazards in the construction industry. Firsts and foremost, the term fall hazards mainly defined using the concept of the OSHA as the makeable downward movement recording in the building site and entails all the movement from the top sections of the house to the parametric floor in the long run. furthermore, the study indicated that the fall hazards mainly demarcated as all the related risks which can cause most of the workers to loss the overall body balance when they working in the construction site. The four main causes of the fall hazards include unsafe act, communication problems, unsafe working conditions as well as management commitment. Most of the workers often exposed to the parametric fall hazards as well as the related norms mainly believed to have been caused by either improper health protection as well as the safety attitude. In essence, the tendency can also results from the utilization of the improper communication channel between the team leaders and the employees working in the construction site. Therefore, it is not only important but also paramount to ensure that one reduces all the risks and the hazards related to the overall falls in the building construction sine they will impact in fall fatalities.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health (2014) typical measures are essential to be employed in handling the various norms and the overall fall hazards as well as related issues. Some of the issues to be considered in the process include training, enforcements of the building laws, fall protections as well as the creation of the overall safety hazards and awareness campaigns. Furthermore, the government as well as the construction stakeholders should embark on ensuring that there is proper channel and criteria for handling the effective safety management as well as encourages the adoption of the workplace inspection as the decisive mechanism fore handling the hazards in the long run.
There are various mechanisms and methodologies often applied in designing as well as in designing the overall influence and impacts of the related fall effects in the construction sites. The equation below mainly applied in developing the norms and the overall evaluation approach which one can apply in the process. This equation is of imminent advantages when handling the correlations which exists between the working spacing and the risks associated with the falls or the movements from the denoted as well as the designated heights in the due cause. Moreover, it is important to note that the equation mainly grounded on the data gathered in line with the statistical context in the meantime.
Measures to Control Fall Hazards
Using the equation above in line with the data gathered from the primary sources as well as the literature reviews, then one can develop and come up with the overall conclusions as well as the correlations often associated with the fall hazards in the building industries. This analysis is not only important in the due course but also essential since it helps in curbing all the fatalities which one is likely to encounter in line with the movements from heights in the construction site or in the workspace.
Overly, the identifications for the various risks in line with the overall process in the construction sites as far as the past studies are concerned can be depicted and evaluated based on the scale of the performance index. This is illustrated as indicated in the table below
Figure showing the scale index used in appraising the fall hazards in the construction sites. Furthermore, the statistical data mainly used in depicting and appraising the concept in line with the overall process essentially illustrated as indicated below. The statistical analysis and the overall data on the examination mainly grounded in line with the fall hazard types in due course.
There are various control measures that employees as well as the works should embark on in line with the overall hazards as well as the concepts in line with the construction management. The embankment of the control measure helps in curbing the sophistications regarding the overall fall hazards in the construction sites. The adoption of the measures helps in ensuring that all the effects as well as the preventative actions mainly employed and this will ensure that there are no fatalities recorded in the process. Furthermore, the adoption of the various policies aims at improving the overall construction works efficiencies while at the same time improving and hasting the employees’ morale in the long run. The norm is important in ensuring that high quality work output mainly delivered within the time frame in due course. Some of the control measures mainly discussed in this paper illustrated as indicated in the three tables below
The recommendation on the overall workspace mainly illustrated and summarized as indicated in the analysis in the table below
Figure Showing the Recommendations for the Workspace
Often the acts forms the fundamental grounds for the hazards since the establishment of the laws governing the operations in line with the movement from heights not only helps in ensuring that the proper channel and criteria is adopted in line with the overall process but also aims at ensuring that workers safety and health mainly considered at all the times. There various acts both locally and internationally which governs the overall process and these laws primarily summarized as indicated in the table below
Recommendations for the Workspace
Policies and Acts In Line With the Fall Risks in the Construction Sites
This illustrates on the various approach and the overall mechanism for responding to the emergencies regarding the fall hazards.
Illustration on the Accident Meeting Points and Reporting
Conclusion
In summary, it is evidential that most of the demarcated fall risks recorded in the construction site mainly results from the scaffolding and the roof falls. Furthermore, communication barriers also contribute significantly to the risks and impacts immensely on the overall process. Subsequently, worker’s negligence, high elevations, opening equipment, failure to adapt to the set procedures, poor site management as well as the workers attitudes often demarcated as the essential contributes to the risks recorded in the process. Moreover, improper application of the information, writing as well as reading alongside language barrier also contributes significantly to the fall hazards denoted and depicted in the jobsites. Grounding on the data gathered and the decisive appraisal, it is established that the imminent and in-depth approach, workplace inspect mainly established as the best approach to curb the movements risks in line with the construction in the process. The workplace inspection if properly conducted on the weekly basis helps in not controlling but also in curbing the overall fall risks in the long run. Some of the issues which the workplace inspection checklist incorporates include workers, materials, site management as well as environmental issues.
References
Dong, Xiuwen Sue, Julie A. Largay, Sang D. Choi, Xuanwen Wang, Chris Trahan Cain, and Nancy Romano. “Fatal falls and PFAS use in the construction industry: Findings from the NIOSH FACE reports.” Accident Analysis & Prevention 102 (2017): 136-143.
Fernández-Solís, José L., and Harshavardhan Tupe. “MORTALITY RATE IN THE USA CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY (2004–2014).” (2018).
Karakhan, Ali, and John Gambatese. “Hazards and risk in construction and the impact of incentives and rewards on safety outcomes.” Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction 23, no. 2 (2018): 04018005.
Kaskutas, Vicki, Ann Marie Dale, Hester Lipscomb, and Brad Evanoff. “Fall prevention and safety communication training for foremen: Report of a pilot project designed to improve residential construction safety.” Journal of safety research 44 (2013): 111-118.
Keenan, Terry. “Understanding the Proper Fall Protection Methods for Aerial Lifts.” In ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition. American Society of Safety Engineers, 2017.
Lingard, Helen. “Occupational health and safety in the construction industry.” Construction management and economics 31, no. 6 (2013): 505-514.
Marín, Luz S., and Cora Roelofs. “Engaging small residential construction contractors in community-based participatory research to promote safety.” Annals of work exposures and health 62, no. Supplement_1 (2018): S72-S80.
Qi, Jia, Raja RA Issa, Svetlana Olbina, and Jimmie Hinze. “Use of building information modeling in design to prevent construction worker falls.” Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering 28, no. 5 (2013): A4014008.
Scott, Kenneth A., Gwenith G. Fisher, Anna E. Barón, Emile Tompa, Lorann Stallones, and Carolyn DiGuiseppi. “Same?level fall injuries in US workplaces by age group, gender, and industry.” American journal of industrial medicine 61, no. 2 (2018): 111-119.
Teizer, Jochen, Tao Cheng, and Yihai Fang. “Location tracking and data visualization technology to advance construction ironworkers’ education and training in safety and productivity.” Automation in Construction 35 (2013): 53-68.
Umer, Waleed, Heng Li, Grace Pui Yuk Szeto, and Arnold YL Wong. “Proactive Safety Measures: Quantifying the Upright Standing Stability after Sustained Rebar Tying Postures.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 144, no. 4 (2018): 04018010.
Zhang, Sijie, Kristiina Sulankivi, Markku Kiviniemi, Ilkka Romo, Charles M. Eastman, and Jochen Teizer. “BIM-based fall hazard identification and prevention in construction safety planning.” Safety science 72 (2015): 31-45.
Winge, Stig, and Eirik Albrechtsen. “Accident types and barrier failures in the construction industry.” Safety science 105 (2018): 158-166.
Zhang, Sijie, Jochen Teizer, Jin-Kook Lee, Charles M. Eastman, and Manu Venugopal. “Building information modeling (BIM) and safety: Automatic safety checking of construction models and schedules.” Automation in Construction 29 (2013): 183-195.