| Safety In Construction - Issue # 5 |
| One of the most important aspects in construction is the control of hazards in the site to reduce the risk of accident occurrence.
Construction, based on statistics, shows the highest rate of accidents among industries. Accidents reduce our productivity in terms of time, effort, and money, and as the builders, we first have to understand its causes so we can address it, provide a safe working environment and increase our efficiency for us to deliver our product faster and safer.
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| What makes us unsafe in construction? |
Typically, workers lack in training on safety procedures and persistently use unsafe and inefficient methods in their work. In addition, government regulations and standard codes on safety are often difficult to implement, which tend to make the employers and workers miss some of the important points in safety. The natural environment, especially here in the Philippines also add to the difficulty of considering safety as an important part of their work, and rely on instincts and skills for the safety of their methods.
We have listed down some of the typical construction site conditions that contribute to the risk of accident occurrence.
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Housekeeping - Most of the time, workers leave behind their tools/equipment/materials for their convenience and for easy access. Passageways are blocked or obstructed due to this, decreasing the efficiency of other workers, and increasing the risk of accident occurrence and loss of tools/equipment. This is because of the lack of proper housekeeping and convenient storage areas or toolboxes and similar equipment. |
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Concrete Works - Working with concrete also pose the risk of inhalation of the cement powder. Without any protective equipment, continuous contact with concrete mixture can harm the skin. Most of the workers take this fact for granted and carry on with their work without knowing its harmful effects and with no safety precautions.
Heights - All vertical construction (houses, buildings, etc.) involve workers to operate at heights. Those without safety lines and work on platforms without any railings are in danger of falling, and their tools in the same danger of falling on those below. Some scaffolding does not have guardrails, toeboards, access ladders, or proper bracing to be considered safe.
Electrical Facilities - Switch boxes, those that were left open or those without covers, pose a risk of electrocution to unwary workers. The same risk is also present when fuses burn out and are replaced with copper wires, which doesn't serve the same purpose. This is usually the case when no spare fuse is available or when workers are just too busy, or careless, to find a replacement.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Inconvenience of personal protective equipment is usually the reason of not wearing them. Workers feel confined and hot wearing these equipment and choose to work with more comfortable clothes. Some companies let the workers buy their own PPE and the workers cannot afford this and settle with their own working clothes.
These are only a few things we should notice in a construction site. There are many other equally important points to consider with regards to safety and all of these should be given attention as they increase the risk of accidents and promote inefficiency of the work.
Each of these items has its standards of safety to attain, to reduce, or to limit the risk involved.
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| There are certain government standards that state many rules on safety and health. |
Safety standards, from the DOLE Department Order No. 13, state many rules on how an employer and his workers should act, and what they should do to keep their working environment free from accidents. |
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Employer's Responsibilities
As employers, they should provide a safe working environment, free from hazards that may cause risk of injury, or otherwise endanger the health and lives of his employees. All equipment should be approved and assured to be safe for use.
We should give complete instructions to all employees, including those that pertain to their safety, making sure they know what measures to observe and what procedures to follow in case of emergency. They should familiarize themselves with their work environment. A short briefing on safety is recommended for all those involved in the project before they begin their work.
Employers should comply with all the standard government requirements for safety, particularly the D.O. No. 13. We have listed some of these standards below:
- Every employer shall, at his own expense, furnish his workers with personal protective equipment.
- Construction safety signages must be provided to warn workers and the public of hazards existing in the workplace.
- The employer shall provide for adequate supply of safe drinking water, and adequate sanitary and washing facilities in order to ensure humane conditions of work.
- Workers should be informed of the potential safety and health hazards to which they may be exposed in their workplace.
- Workers should be instructed and trained on the measures available for the prevention, control, and protection against those hazards.
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Employee's Responsibilities
Employees and workers should also take part in the promotion of their safety and health. They should be able to understand all instructions and information given to them not only about their work but also with regards to their safety. Everyone should be safety-conscious and perform only safe practices, which will not endanger his safety or the safety of others around him.
Workers should properly equip themselves with their personal protective equipment when they come to work. This usually consists of safety shoes, safety shirts, safety helmets, and safety glasses worn when they enter the project premises.
Workers and employees should report any cases of accident occurrence or hazards that may endanger the safety of their working environment to identify the possible causes of accidents and help prevent it from happening.
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Personal Protective Equipment |
Personal protective equipment, or PPE, are items worn by the workers in the site to prevent them from being harmed or injured during work. These are the most basic but important part of safety in construction and using these properly, by all workers and can already reduce the risk considerably.
All personnel visiting and working in the site are required to wear at least the minimum PPE, which include hardhats and safety gloves.
Workers must wear proper working clothes all the time. Many workers wear rugged shirts and pants, because they are more comfortable to wear, but dangling and tattered clothing can hit loose objects and may cause accidents.
Safety belts and lifelines should be worn when working in high places. In case a worker falls, lifelines attached to the scaffoldings will hold him and save his life.
Ideally, all of these safety measures and rules should be strictly followed. Unfortunately, many workers prefer comfort rather than being safe, and most of the time, their own instincts serve them well and survive a period of time without encountering any accident. This encourages them to bypass safety measures but then again, accidents are accidents, and no one can tell how grave it will be, and when, where, or to whom an accident may occur.
As the old saying goes - it's better safe than sorry.
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