RISKS, HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES IN CONSTRUCTION

by Arc. J. O. Toluhi, Abuja, 16 March 2023

Risk Elements in Construction

What Risk means

  
As the opposite of safety, risks are the dangers, hazards, and their
possibility/vulnerability in the whole process of construction.
Construction risk is the probability of loss associated with the physical
(construction) phase of a construction project. It also means the
probability or threat of a damage, injury, liability, loss, or other
negative occurrence, caused by external or internal vulnerabilities,
and which may be neutralized through pre-mediated action1.

Safety statistics

“In Europe (as in most parts of the world), construction is the most
dangerous land-based work sector, after the fishing industry. In the
European Union, the fatal accident rate is nearly 13 workers per
100,000 as against 5 per 100,000 for the all sector average
(Wikipedia, Source: Eurostat)2.

The U.S recorded 1,225 fatal occupational injuries in the construction

sector, in a past report, with an incidence rate of 13.3 per 100,000
employed workers. For the same year the construction industry
experienced 481,400 nonfatal injuries and illnesses at a rate of 7.9
per 100 full-time workers in the industry. Construction has about 6%
of U.S. workers, but 20% of the fatalities - the largest number of
fatalities reported for any industry sector.

1
http//www.businessdictionary.com/definition/construction.html
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union

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The RIBA website on health, safety/security and HSE website 3 have
sometime ago reported that:

i) workers in the construction industry represent just over 6% of the

working population, but account for more than 30% of the fatal
accidents and over 14% of the major accidents:
ii) they are almost five times more likely to be killed than the average
for all industries:
iii) they are more than twice as likely to sustain a major injury than
the average for all industries:
iv) the overall risk of ill health in construction is nearly twice the
average for all occupations.
v) Out of 291 work-related deaths in the UK reported in 2002, 109
were on construction sites.
vi) About 7 workers die yearly and a further 93 are seriously injured
as a result of accidents involving vehicles or mobile plant on
construction sites

The problem is not that the hazards and risks are unknown, it is that
they are very difficult to control in a constantly changing work
environment.

The question is: How conscious are you of risks?

An unsafe site is a badly run site but a safe site is efficient, economic
and productive. Improvements in the quality of workmanship and
standards of health and safety are therefore in the best interest of
everyone and follow from the creation of a more qualified workforce.
Health and safety has become an urgent priority for the construction
process and architects must help to accomplish this through reduction
in site accidents and deaths. The architect is called upon to develop
an understanding of accountability for site health, safety and welfare
within his supervisory or management role.
Apart from risks in construction, it is also pertinent to pay attention to
risk elements in the use of completed and occupied buildings.

3
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/vehiclestrafficmanagement.htm
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a) Types of and Causes of Risks

It is important for the Building Team to understand the risks involved

in the entire process of project delivery: risks associated with the
conditions on site, the construction of various components of the
building and the technology to be deployed in accomplishing various
tasks.

The most common cause of site fatalities is from falls when working
unsecured at height. Motor vehicle crashes, excavation accidents,
electrocution, machines, and being struck by falling objects are other
causes.

Some of the main health hazards on site are dust, solvents, noise,
and manual handling activities. During the construction of the National
Stadium, a specialist working at about 30m height on the cable roof
structure fell to his death and during the completion phase at the
National Christian Centre, a scaffold erector fell from the roof height
but fortunately was picked up still alive to receive medical attention.
Many tilers working on scaffolds on the exterior of tall buildings have
mis-stepped and fallen from such heights. A baby aged less than
three years was reported to have fallen from a 4 th floor balcony
through the improperly spaced handrailing balusters. A site worker
working around a heap of sand was known to have fallen inside and
was buried in the sand heap that caved in on him. Worse still, earth-
moving equipment deployed to rescue him only caused a
dismemberment and instant death. The site was closed for many
days. Try to recall similar hazards or accidents in your construction
environment.

b) Risks Elements/Safety Measures

The height limit where fall protection is required is not defined but
used to be 2 metres in the previous issue of Work at Height
Regulations. It is any height that may result in injury from a fall.
Protection is also required when the employee is at risk to falling onto
dangerous equipment.
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Fall protection can be provided by guardrail systems, safety net
systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning device systems,
and warning line systems. Guard protection is part of the requirement
at section 7.27of the National Building Code (NBC)

Motor Vehicle Crashes are another major safety hazard on

construction sites. It is important to be safety cautious while operating
motor vehicles or Equipment on the site. Motor vehicles shall have a
service brake system, emergency brake system, and a parking brake
system. All vehicles must be equipped with an audible warning
system if the operator chooses to use it. Vehicles must have windows
and doors, power windshield wipers, and have a clear view of site
from the rear window.

Equipment on the job site must have light and reflectors if intended for
night use. The glass in the cab of the equipment must be safety glass.
The equipment must be used for their intended task at all times on the
job site.

Before any excavation has taken place, the contractor is responsible

for notification of all applicable companies that excavation work is
being performed. Location of utilities is a must before breaking ground
(see section 7.61 of the NBC). During excavation, the contractor is
responsible for providing a safe work environment for employees and
pedestrians. The contractor shall comply with all standards set forth in
29 CFR Subpart P.

Access and Egress is also an important part of excavation safety and

means of egress is emphasised in sections 7.3, 7.8-7.13 of the NBC).
Ramps used by equipment must be designed by a competent person,
qualified in structural design.

No person is allowed to cross underneath or stand underneath any

loading or digging equipment. Employees are to remain at a safe
distance from all equipment while it is operational.

Safety by design is a concept and movement that encourages

construction or product designers to "design out" health and safety
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risks during design development. The concept supports the view that
along with quality, programme and cost; safety is determined during
the design stage.

The types and causes of risks are many and varied and a good
understanding of them will help to anticipate and prevent them. Risks
are occasioned by:
 Negligence

 Ignorance

 Mistakes or unconscious actions

 Intentional or conscious actions

of by designers, erectors and building occupants/users

Vulnerability of Construction workers to Risk

i) How would you like a slab being cast to collapse on your head
during site inspection? But this can happen with improper
construction of the formwork left undetected. The important safety
measure is to ensure proper supervision of the formwork construction
before placement of reinforcement and concrete. A good experienced
site supervisor will make supervision less of a burden.
ii) How about a carpenter’s hammer accidentally falling to hit
someone at a lower level of the construction or passers-by? Or an
electric shock from an exposed live wire on site, a nail in the shoe,
exposure of the eyes to the glare of acetylene welding, or a splash of
paint on your dress as you move around on a site inspection?
All these risks arise from the site activities which require safety kits to
be worn by people working on a particular site or on particular tasks.
Such safety kits include safety boots, helmets, belts, goggles, and
overalls.
iii) A person passing by a tall building under construction could
have a concrete piece being chiseled hit him if the site is exposed and
unprotected. That is why it is necessary to screen off a building site
by a temporary fence and provide a safety net round the building to
protect passers-by from falling objects. This is the essence of the

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J. O. Toluhi, March 2023
NBC requirement in section 7.49 for protection of the public and
workers.
iv) A concrete slab could suddenly collapse when the formwork or
props are being removed because the reinforcement was not properly
placed. This can be prevented when proper supervision is carried out.
v) Faulty equipment and tools, hurry, worry and inexperience can
occasion a carpentry machinist to accidentally injure himself like
crushing or sawing off his finger. It is therefore important that
equipment should not be handled or operated when sick, tired, hungry
or by an inexperienced personnel.
vi) You might have heard of someone falling to his death from a
10 floor position or from a ladder or scaffold. It is not uncommon to
th

find many height positions exposed. Guardrails and safety belts are
important to preventing accidents in these instances. Breaking for
food and rest will also help to maintain a worker’s balance at heights.
vii) People are known to have fallen into ditches and deep trenches
on site when these are left unprotected or unscreened (see section
7.50 of the NBC). Adequate signs are also necessary to warn people
to be careful around such risky locations.
vii) Wrong application of material can also pose a danger even in
an occupied building. For example a glazed ceramic tile on an
external pavement means of egress has occasioned falls, which could
be devastating, and one or all of the building team stands the risk of
liability for negligence for such occurrences. Such eventuality is
catered for by section 7.25.4 of the NBC.

viii) Fire Risk: This is easily the most important risk that an
occupied building is exposed to. Provisions for fire safety and
protection of lives and property in a building required to be made as
the National Building Code requires a building to be evaluated for fire
safety purposes as regards fire safety, means of egress and general
safety (section 7.45). It may be difficult to prevent a fire, but
prevention of spread will minimize the effect of the fire. The architect
should incorporate in his design, measures that will prevent the
spread of fire if it starts, those that will ensure that occupants could be
warned of the onset of fire to escape to safety and to provide that
occupants could be rescued if the fire goes out of control.
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 Buildings should therefore be properly signed to indicate exit routes
and fire exits. Fire escapes should be provided. Fire escape stairs
must be fire protected. Fire-rated doors should be provided to
contain fire for a period long enough for the fire service to arrive.
Fire hydrants must be provided to provide firefighting water in the
premises for water sprinkler systems, occupants and the fire fighters.
Good set backs ensure that the fire engines can move round a
building close enough to a fire scene. Fire protected lobbies ensure
safety of occupants of a building before rescue can come. Fire
escape stairs must be a maximum of 25m from any part of a building
to ensure that occupants don’t run too far to exit thereby panicking or
getting trapped by smoke. These stairs must be protected to make
them safe. Ducts must be well detailed to ensure that they don’t act
as fire conduits. Fire prone areas must be well specified with fire
proof or high fire-rated materials. Smoke detectors in a building help
early detection of fires while fire alarms warn of the outbreak of fire.
Sprinkler systems help in the automatic extinguishing of fires.
Ensure that buildings are provided with fire fighting water, which can
be delivered through fire hose reels at convenient points on every
floor. The water storage must ensure that firefighting water is not
used up in the event of water scarcity in that building. Portable fire
extinguishers are also very important as an easy means of
firefighting by a building occupant. Good designs will zone fire prone
areas from other spaces and ensure adequate protection. Fire spread
is very common at the roof level and fire compartmentalization will
help to arrest this.
Because many fires are started by faults from electrical installation,
care must be taken to ensure proper design and installation by
qualified engineers and technicians.
Remember, you can never err on the side of caution to ensure that
fire out break does not become a safety concern that would occasion
loss of life or property. After all, no price is too high to pay to save a
life.

Fire Terms To be familiar with

These terms may change between countries and documents

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 Fire Fire grading Fire rating
Fire alarm Fire hazard Fire reserve
Fire alarm indicator Fire hose reel Fire resistance
Fire barrier Fire hydrant Fire retardants
Fire break Fire lift Fire riser
Fire cell Fire lobby Fire safety sign
Fire certificate Fireman’s panel Fire shutter
Fire compartmentalization Fire officer Fire spray
Fire detectors Fire performance Fire stop
Fire development Fire point Fire testing
Fire door/fire break door Fire precautions Fire tower
Fire escape Fire precautions Fire venting
Fire extinguishers Act Fire wall
Fire fighting shaft Fire prevention Fire
Fire floor/ fire break floor Fireproof Intumiscent material
prevention
Fire protection

Safety Awareness at a glance4

 Site organisation - Everything you need to know about organising a safe and
healthy construction site.
 Slips, trips and falls - Assess, eliminate and control the risks of slips, trips and
falls on construction sites.
 Work at height - The hierarchy of controls for working at height, from working
at ground level, using towers, scaffolds, platforms and ladders and, as a last
resort, fall restraints and safety netting.
 Structural stability - Assess the risks and prevent unintentional structural
collapse during alterations, demolition and dismantling; and the measures you
need to take to prevent accidents in excavations.
 Cranes - All lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be properly
planned by a competent person; appropriately supervised; and carried out in a
safe manner.
 Electricity - Work safely with power supplies and electrical equipment; map
overhead power lines and underground cables to prevent accidental contact
with machinery.
 Fire - Identify the risks of fire; control combustible materials and ignition
sources; and make it clear exactly what to do if fire does break out.

4
http://www.hse.gov.uk
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 Mobile plant and vehicles - Assess the risks, establish competence to operate
and control access to telehandlers, excavators, mobile work platforms,
dumpers and road vehicles.
 Demolition - All demolition, dismantling and structural alteration should be
carefully planned and carried out by competent practitioners.

Reading List
1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), US Dept of Labor; Worker Safety
Series: Construction, online available from
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3252/3252.html

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