Assessment of Occupational Health and Sa

ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
IN CONSTRUCTION WORKPLACES
BY
MA PYAE PHYO WIN ( VIC – 16 )
MG THURA ZAW ( VIC – 26 )
MG CHAM MYAE ( VIC – 42 )
MG AUNG ZIN PHYO ( VIC – 43 )
MG AUNG PAING HTWE ( VIC – 49 )
( B.E. MINI THESIS )
SEPTEMBER, 2019
MYITKYINA
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (MYITKYINA)
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

BY
A MINI THESIS
SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
( CIVIL )
SEPTEMBER, 2019
MYITKYINA
BY
( B.E. MINI THESIS )
SEPTEMBER, 2019
MYITKYINA
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL
We certify that we have examined, and recommend to the University

Steering Committee for Under Graduate Studies for acceptance of the mini thesis
entitled “ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN
CONSTRUCTION PLACES” submitted by MA PYAE PHYO WIN, Roll No.
VIC-16, MG THURA ZAW, Roll No. VIC-26 , MG CHAM MYAE, Roll No.
VIC-42, MG AUNG ZIN PHYO, Roll No. VIC-43, MG AUNG PAING HTWE,
Roll No. VIC-49 (December, 2018) to the Department of Civil Engineering as the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Civil).
Board of Examiners:
1. Daw Thet Thet Aung
Lecturer and Head
Department of Civil Engineering ……………………...
Technological University (Myitkyina) (Chairman)
2. Daw Khine Moe Ohn

Lecturer
Technological University (Myitkyina) (Supervisor)
3. U H.Seng Naw Awng

Demonstrator
Technological University (Myitkyina) (Co-Supervisor)
4. Daw Moe Moe San

Lecturer
Technological University (Myitkyina) (Member)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks are due to Dr. Min Min Oo, Pro Rector of Technological
University (Myitkyina), for his motivation, his all supports and guidance.
The authors would like to express the heart felt gratitude to chairman,
Daw Thet Thet Aung, Lecturer and Head of Civil Engineering Department,
Technological University (Myitkyina), for her interest and guidance.
The authors wish to acknowledge their gratitude to their supervisor,
Daw Khine Moe Ohn, Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Technological
University (Myitkyina), for the necessary help and invaluable suggestions in making a
success of this thesis.
The authors wish to acknowledge to co-supervisor, U Hkyeng Seng Naw
Aung, Demonstrator, Department of Civil Engineering, Technological University
(Myitkyina), for his kind advice and encouragement.
The authors would also like to express sincerely thankful to our member of
the Board of Examiners, Daw Moe Moe San, Lecturer, Department of Civil
Engineering, Technological University ( Myitkyina ) for her helpful comments and
suggestions.
The authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to their beloved
parents, for their unique loving kindness to attain my destination without any trouble.
Finally, the authors thank to all who helped then with necessary assistance
for this thesis.
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ABSTRACT
Safety in the construction industry has always been a major issue. Wherever
reliable records are available , construction is found to be one of the most dangerous
on safety and health criteria, particularly in developing countries. Though much
improvement in construction safety has been achieved, the industry still continues to
lag behind most other industries with regard to safety. In developing countries, safety
rules do not usually exist; if any exist, the regulatory authority is usually very weak in
implementing such rules effectively. Further, work hazards at the construction
workplace are either not perceived at all, or perceived to be less dangerous than what
they actually are. Myanmar is a developing country that is currently enjoying a
relatively strong growth in construction activities. Unfortunately, Myanmar’s
construction industry suffers from poor safety and health conditions. The framework
of the existing occupational and health conditions is fragmented and inadequately
enforced, making construction sites more hazardous. It may even be argued that
relevant regulations are outdated and irrelevant in day-to-day construction operations.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i
ABSTRACT ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF FIGURES v
LIST OF TABLES vi
CHAPTER TITLE
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. General 1
1.2. Objectives of the Study 1
1.3. Scope of the Study 2
1.4. Outlines of the Study 2
2 LITERATURE REVIEW 3
2.1. General 3
2.2. Safety Engineering 3
2.3. The Concept of Safety Engineering 4
2.4. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) 4
2.5. Health and Safety Engineer Responsibilities and 4
Duties
2.6. Importance of OHS in Construction Workplace 5
2.7. Defining Health and Safety 7
2.7.1. Health 8
2.7.2. Safety 8
2.7.3. Welfare 8
2.7.4. Accident 8
2.8. The Need for Health and Safety Practices in 8
Construction Workplace
2.9. Safety Management in the Construction Workplace 9
2.10. National culture 10
2.11. Injuries Caused by Workplace 12
2.11.1. Types of Medical Conditions Caused by 12
Construction Injuries
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2.12. Diseases Caused by Workplace 13

2.13. Direct and Indirect Cost of Construction Accident 15
3 METHODOLOGY 17
3.1. General 17
3.2. Research Strategy 17
3.3. Data Collection Procedure 18
3.4. Sampling Procedure 18
3.4.1. Sampling Method 18
3.4.2. Sample Sizes 18
3.4.3. Sample Locations 18
3.4.4. Study Duration 18
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 19
4.1. Survey Results 19
4.2. Statistics for Safety in Construction 20
4.3. Personal Protective Equipment Investigation 29
4.4. Face to Face Interview Results 36
5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 40
5.1. Conclusion 40
5.2. Recommendation 41
REFERENECES 43
APPENDICES 44
v
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
4.1. Child Labour 21
4.2. Warning Signboard 21
4.3. Warning from Engineer 22
4.4. Priority of Cleanliness 22
4.5. PPE for Guests 23
4.6. Medical Checks 23
4.7. Safety Green Net 24
4.8. Well Keeping of Tools 24
4.9. Safety in Entry and Exit Point 25
4.10. Check the Machines 25
4.11. Fire Alert 26
4.12. Tool Box Meeting 26
4.13. Throw Tools 27
4.14. Smoking 27
4.15. Drainage around the Work Sites 28
4.16. Labour to Labour Safety Warning 28
4.17. PPE Usage of Labour 29
4.18. Safety Gloves 29
4.19. Safety Helmets and Gloves during Welding 30
4.20. Safety Belts, Safety Nets at High 30
4.21. Proper Clothes 31
4.22. Use of Safety Boots and Mask 31
4.23. Safety Boots 32
4.24. Porter in Sites Wear 32
4.25. Engineers Wear PPE 33
4.26. Engineers Wear Reflection Belt 33
4.27. Proper use of Tools and Equipment 34
4.28. Intoxicating Things 34
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
4.1. Interview Details for SIW and PPE 19
4.2. Face to Face Interview Details 19
4.3. Statistics for Safety in Construction 20
4.4. Frequencies Table for SIW 20
4.5. Personal Protective Equipment Investigation 29
4.6. Frequencies Table for PPE 29
CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
1.1. General
The construction industry in developing as well as developed countries is one

of the most significant industries in relation to the contribution to the Gross Domestic
Product ( GDP ). Also, it is having a significant impact on the health and safety of the
people working in it. Workplace accidents are basically linked with unsafe behavior.
The worker who carries out a task is directly exposed to its associated risks and
passively exposed to risks produced by nearby co-workers. Building design, materials,
dimensions and site conditions are often unique, which requires adaptation and a
learning curve from site to site. Injuries may occur in a number of ways and at every
juncture of the process.
As a result of this situation, there is a high frequency of accidents in
construction, which makes it an unsafe industry. Degree of safety in this selected
sector of the economy is not indicated by a single accident but by a set of accidents
that have occurred within a specified time interval. Knowledge about the noticeable
trends in accidents is required in order to assess the level of safety and also directions
for changes.
1.2. Objectives of the Study

In this study, there have been many objectives:
1. To identify present Status of Safety measures at construction site of
Myitkyina.
2. To evaluate the safety measures applied practically.
3. To aware on the need of construction safety to all the stakeholders of
construction project and to encourage the health and safety practices
during construction.
4. To aware on the existing legal provisions on health and safety during
construction and make it more effective.
5. To recommend best practices and policy for construction safety.
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1.3. Scope of the Study

The scopes of the study are:
1. Construction workers, engineers, managers and contractors from civil
engineering field in Myitkyina Region are considered.
2. Questionnaire sets are distributed to construction workers, engineers,
managers and contractors.
3. Conducting face-to-face interviews with educators and contractors in
Myitkyina Region.
4. Analyzing the survey data is done by Statistical Package for the Social
Science ( SPSS ) sampling method and evaluation central tendencies.
5. Collecting data from newspaper, journals and internet.
1.4. Outlines of the Study

This study is classified into five chapters. Chapter 1 presents Introduction.
Chapter 2 explains Literature Review. Chapter 3 describes Methodology. Chapter 4
includes Results and Discussion and Chapter 5 presents Conclusion and
Recommendation.
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CHAPTER
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. General
This chapter covers the concept of engineering, the concept of safety
management in civil engineering, the important of safety in construction workplaces.
Civil engineers are responsible for the construction of numerous structures in the
private and public sectors, including bridges, dams, tunnels, airports, water facilities,
sewage treatment plants, utility plants, stadiums, and museums. No matter the project,
civil engineers must adhere to certain rules and regulations, as failing to do so can
result in safety violations. Civil engineers often help design and construct various
infrastructure projects that are built to accommodate large amounts of people. Any
possible construction defects found in bridges, dams, sewage systems, and other
infrastructure projects can result in building failure and possible safety concerns for
the surrounding population.
2.2. Safety Engineering

Safety engineering is a field of engineering that deals with accident
prevention, reducing the risks associated with human error, and deriving safety
benefits from engineered system and designs. It is associated with industrial
engineering and systematical engineering and applied to manufacturing, public works
and product designs to make safety an integral part of operations.
The purpose of safety engineering is to control risk by reducing or completely
eliminating it. It also aims to reduce the rate of failures and if failure does occur, it is
not life threatening. Safety engineering usually begins during the design of a system
or product development. Safety engineers often make use of computer models,
prototypes, or recreations of a situations to assess the hazards and risks. Safety
engineers consider a number of factors that may affect the safety of a situation . Such
a culture is reflected in practice in the managerial systems , personnel policy ,
product, including design , technical safety , material reliability , legislation and
human factors.
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2.3. The Concept of Safety Engineering

Safety engineering is the process of designing workplaces to prevent
accidents. Engineering Safety Concepts provides detailed approaches and modes for
accident reduction by using a risk management process to identify and "design out"
hazards.
Accidents can and do happen. Workplaces and factories which may use
machinery, chemicals, and other potentially hazardous elements, are always possible
sites for accidents which may cause injury, or even death if a comprehensive
engineering safety approach is not taken. The multidisciplinary nature of safety
engineering means that very broad arrays of professionals are actively involved in
accident prevention or safety engineering.
2.4. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

Occupational Health and safety deals with all aspects of health and safety in
the list of risks which they need to address for the safety of their own employees.
Many organizations did implement safety measures without the laws but there are
many people who feel, it is a waste of time. These laws force all the organizations
across industries to take care of the health and safety of their employees to ensure an
increase in productivity.
2.5. Health and Safety Engineer Responsibilities and Duties

A safety engineer is a company employee whose primary responsibility is
designing procedures and implementing systems to keep staff safe.Responsibilities are
1. Executes safety programs for location and minimize company safety
losses.
2. Develop a culture to anticipate and prevent health hazardous conditions.
3. Drive behaviors preventing illnesses in work place by engaging
management commitment.
4. Interpret legal requirements and standards by monitoring R and D projects.
5. Deploy Automation and Controls Solutions Health, Safety and
Environmental Management Systems program.
6. CHAPTER
Investigation incident, determine root cause and develop corrective
actions.
7. Manage reports and present summaries to management with suggested
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solutions.
8. Execute environmental management processes such as chemical and waste
management and pollution prevention.
9. Handle industrial hygiene, equipment protection, machine guarding and
other health and safety programs.
10. Handle safety assessments and deploy Health and Safety Director with
dotted line to operation. corrective measures to minimize hazard risk
profile.
11. Report to Metals Recycling Business (MRB)
12. Administer MRB safety policies and develop uniform safety practices as
per long term company safety goals.
13. Offer quality product safety and effectively and decrease errors and
accidents and increase profits.
14. Achieve health and safety management excellence.
2.6. Importance of OSH in Construction Workplaces

Health refers to our general well beings. It means that we enjoy freedom of
diseases or infirmity and have a sense of mental, physical and social well beings.
Safety is a feeling of security. People can work without fear of danger or
injury. Workplace safety is very important for each and every employee in the
industry because all the workers desire to work in a safe and protected atmosphere.
Health and safety is the key factor for all the industries in order to promote the
wellness of both employees and employers. It is a duty and moral responsibility of the
company to look after the employee‟s protection. These days, workplace health and
safety procedures are important for the well-being of both employees and employers
because human loss is immeasurable and intolerable. Such the losses or injuries can
employ major loss to the families. All industries do have safety risks but the
management should devote their time to think and strategize the things that what
safety precautions are required in their company to make sure that their workers are
safe enough for all the time. Also, the management should confirm with all the
workers related to their daily work and comfort.
So, that the management can take the same step according to the desired
aspects of workers. This helps them in improving the productivity and quality of the
products and lot more.
There are some ways to stay safely in workplaces:
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1. Aware about the surroundings : There are many employees who doesn‟t
bother about their surrounding hazards . But , it is important to observe co -
employees working circumstances . Once can get to know about the hazards
that can occur at workplace, then it will help in reducing the risk and allow
to take the precautionary steps.
2. Reduce workplace stress: Most of the employees are not fit and healthy
because of their busy schedule, which includes long working hours, work-
pressure and conflicts occur with co-workers or with the boss of the
organization. And, all these can lead to some illness or depression to the
employees. Also, this not only affects their professional life but also creates
the nuisance in their personal lives too. So, instead of waiting to get unfit, it
is better that start taking care of health, by taking regular breaks, sit in an
appropriate posture with appropriate diet. It will be better for you to
schedule the work accordingly and manage the things to reduce your
workplace stress.
3. Use tools appropriately:Take appropriate precautions while using machinery
or any other tool, instead of taking any shortcuts. Taking shortcuts is one of
the biggest reason behind workplace loss. It‟s a biggest safety risk to use
scaffolding as a ladder or one tool instead of another for a particular job. So,
it is always recommended to use the correct tools and reduce the opportunity
of workplace injury.
4. Keep crisis exits which are easily accessible :In case there is an emergency,
you will need quick access to the exits. It is also advised to keep clear usage
of equipment shutoffs which might stop you from performing at emergency.
5. Update supervisor about the unsafe conditions: It is important that you keep
updating your supervisor about the hazards or risks occur at workplace.
They should be legally obligated to ensure that their employees are working
a safe environment or not. And, in case , if the employees are not working
in safe conditions , then it is the responsibility of the supervisor to listen and
understand their condition and to create safe working environment for the
employees.
6. Use mechanical assistance: Whenever , people want to carry or lift up heavy
equipment then they should use a conveyor belts , cranks or forklifts. There
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are lot of risks involved , if people try to lift something which is heavier, it
can affect your weighing capability and can lead to some muscle displace
-ment. So , make sure that use the appropriate equipment for not harming
yourself.
7. Stay alert : There are many employees who usually compromise or ignore
the alerts of advance warning and due to this , a number of workplace
injuries or fatalities occur.
8. Reduce workplace environment stress: Stress to any employee or to any co-
worker, can lead into depression and into concentration problems. And the
main reason includes , extended working hours , excess of work , insecurity
of job and issues which occur at co-workers or professionals. So , instead of
taking stress on shoulders , that should discuss it with the supervisor and ask
him/her to look after the problems which are facing in the organization.
9. Wear the right safety equipment : It is essential that wear right protection
equipment tools during the work. And, the equipment‟s can be in any form
like, earplugs, earmuffs, hard hats, gloves, full-face masks, safety gloves and
any other equipment which is required to wear while working. These tools
will prevent the workers from the incidents that occur at workplace.
10. Sit in a proper posture: If have a sitting job, then it is essential than keep the
posture correct, while working on a desk. People need to keep the shoulders
in line and straight back to avoid any spine problem. Try to ignore stooping
and twisting regularly and if possible, then try to use the comfort designed
furniture and the safety equipment‟s, so that the desired things will be in
people‟s reach.
Safety is one of the biggest issue and it is completely the responsibility of the
mangers and the business owners to make sure that their employees are working in
motivating and boosting the employees to make them active in the working process.
Also, to motivate the workers, management should provide rewards as an appreciation
towards their work. Thus , these steps will make workplace very secure and safe for
the employees to work.
2.7. Defining Health and Safety

Before delving into the issue of construction health and safety , the basic
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definitions on health and safety are required so as to have a clear understanding of the
nature of the construction industry, its working conditions and safety organizations in
other to develop an efficient framework or tool to tackle the issue of poor H and S
practices within the construction industry.
2.7.1. Health
World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not necessarily the absence of disease or
infirmity. The key concepts that are captured in the above definition clearly place
more emphasis on the human body and mind, hence applying this concept at the
workplace will see to the protection of the bodies and minds of workers against illness
resulting from the processes and materials used at a workplace environment.
2.7.2. Safety
Safety in general terms can be defined as the protection of people from mental
and physical injury. The fine line between health and safety is inexplicit in the sense
that both words are normally used simultaneously to indicate a concern for the mental
and physical well-being of an individual.
2.7.3. Welfare
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines welfare as the provision of the
necessary facilities to maintain and support the well-being of individuals at a
workplace.
2.7.4. Accident
Accident can be defined as an unexpected or unplanned event that has resulted
in an injury or ill health of an individual, loss or damage to a property, materials or
environment. Hence, the research will adopt the use of the following definitions.
2.8. The Need for Health and Safety Practices in Construction Workplace
Construction plays an important role as part of the major industries around the
world. However, construction activities and works carried out within the industry
seems to be more hazardous than any other sector as evidently supported by the
research, revealing that works associated with construction result in a large number of
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accidents and injuries. Majority of accidents associated with construction works

include; falling of workers, objects and equipment from heights specifically during
roof works, using scaffolds and ladders as well as the collapse of structures on site
causing severe injuries and fatalities.
2.9. Safety Management in the Construction Workplace

Construction accident causes many human tragedies, de-motivate workers,
disrupt sites, delay project progress, and adversely affect the overall cost, productivity
and reputation of the construction industry. The deteriorating conditions of workplace
health and safety, as well as the emergence of new regulations and international
standards, have driven organizations to improve their safety performance. Both
development and developing countries have recognized the necessity of improving
occupational safety and health management on construction sites, particularly to
reduce the number of occupational accidents, As a result, organizations have, to some
extent, shifted from a reactive to a proactive approach toward safety. Many
construction industries around the world are showing an increasing interest in the
concept of construction safety management as a means of reducing the potential for
large-scale disasters, as well as accidents associated with routine tasks. The causes of
the accidents are not only the carelessness of the workers; sometimes accidents
happen due to the focus on the accidents has been driven by the awareness that
organizational, managerial and human factors, rather than purely technical failures,
are prime cause of accidents.
Governments worldwide have maintained an on-going commitment towards
establishing a working environment free of injury and disease. This commitment is
reflected by establishing performance-based workplace health and safety legislation
which sets generalized performance objectives and provides a system of clearly stated
responsibilities to encourage greater self-regulation for the construction industry.
However, the introduction of legislation alone cannot be the solution , with an
improvement in the cultural approach being essential to achieving workplace safety.
According to interview results; comparisons with a high and low accident rate
workplaces show that organizations with a low accident record have a list of factors
that appear to be associated with good safety performance. Construction managers
often view safety as a cost that conflicts with production, take little direct interest in
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safety, and rely on the site supervisor to manage safety; they neglect safety when they
feel strong program and / or financial pressures. Other key factors affecting safety
training, effective control of site hazards by the main contractors, and specific safety
responsibilities for managers and workers.
Safety management relates to actual practices, roles and functions associated
with remaining safe. It is therefore more than a „paper system‟ of policies and
procedures. An audit of the official safety management system may begin and end
with an analysis of what is contained within the paperwork but it therefore says little
about how the system is being enacted in the field. Such an analysis identifies what an
organization should be doing to protect its workers, the public, and the environment
from harm but it does not reveal what is actually happening at the work site; whether
people and the environment are being protected; and whether adverse events are
occurring.
The development of a safety management system is seen as essential for the
control of risk. Research work suggests that safety management should be proactive
rather than reactive, and that management should assess the adequacy of its safety
management effort through safety performance audits.
2.10. National Culture

The societies in which grow up have their own sets of rules about the way
people behave and interact with others. These rules or norms are not written down,
and often people are not even conscious of them. Such norms or rules, which enable
societies to act accordingly with-in their own environment, are collectively called
“Culture”. As organizations are in many ways embedded in the larger society in
which they exist. Consequently workers working within those organizations constitute
part of the organizations; thus the workers will ultimately exhibit the society‟s
attitude and behavior as well. An organization‟s safety culture cannot flourish without
interacting in harmony with the prevailing societal culture.
Indeed societal forces that dictate prevalent attitudes and behaviors relating to
safety within a given countries as a product of national patterns of early childhood and
formative experiences and education, language, religion and geography. As culture is
a learned behavior not genetically transformed, therefore studying culture has become
very important in understanding management and employee styles of working.
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A great deal of research has been undertaken in an attempt to understand just

what culture is and how it differs from region to region. The larger portion of
available literature on culture has addressed cross-culture studies, rather than inter-
cultural investigations.
“Culture” is composed of shared assumptions, beliefs, norms and values that
guide people‟s behavior. Define culture as the culmination of “knowledge,
experiences, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, timing, roles,
spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions
acquired by a large group of people in the course of generations through individual
and group striving”.
Culture is to humans collectively what personality is to an individual.
Personality is defined as the patterns of an individual‟s behavior that reappear in a
variety of situations. Therefore, individual beliefs, values and behaviors are echoes of
the habits and practices of the cultural group from which an individual hails. The
cultural literature argues that behaviors differ from culture to culture because culture
groups hold divergent values. Thus different societies have different and distinctive
sets of values and priorities within their respective cultures that give guidance on how
their members should proceed. Attributes cultural variations are;
1. Physical habitants and resources.
2. The range of possibilities inherent in various areas of activity such as
language, customs, the use of tools and the degree of social development;
and
3. Attitudes,values, ideals and beliefs of individuals, which are greatly
influenced by the culture in which they live.
Thus changes take place within and among cultures by:
1. Means of ecological and environmental changes.
2. Diffusion of advantageous cultural traits.
3. Acculturation, which refers to the process of changes that result from contact
of societies with different cultural traditions.
4. The evolution of cultural elements over a period of time.
Expression of culture include observable artifacts, patterns of behavior, values
and assumptions. Macro aspects of culture include language, laws, rituals and
worldviews; while micro aspects, e.g. motivation, trust and violations, are located at
the individual or group level. In summary, national culture makes a unique
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contribution to understanding management policies and practices. National culture is

the software of the mind, and it is deeply embedded in everyday life and fairly
resistant to change.
2.11. Injuries Caused by Workplace

Every 7 seconds, a worker is injured on the job. These numbers are staggering
and the worst part is that each one is preventable. Taking preventative action can
spare workers needless pain and suffering.
People working in different types of job obviously face a range of different
hazards. For example, an office worker is much less at risk from burns than a chef –
but there are a range of common accidents and injuries which occur across all
occupational sectors – and trips/slips and falls invariably top the league.
These accounted for almost four out of every 10 major workplace injuries.
Other national statistics for the same year show that the most common „over-three-
day injury‟ was caused by handling, lifting or carrying.
A total of 34 million work days were lost because of workplace-related
accident or illness. Of these, 6 million were due to injuries within the workplace while
28 million were „work-related‟ ill health days.
A total of 229 people were killed at work and although this equates to just 0.8
per 100,000 workers, it is still a lot of lives lost (Long term, death rates have fallen,
but the fatality figures have changed very little over the past six years).
The most commonly cited workplace hazards involved in accidents / ill -ness
were manual handling , sitting for long periods and the handling of harmful
substances. More than 2 million people believed that their current or previous type of
work had caused them to suffer an illness or made a previous illness worse.
Overall, the three most common types of injury were:
1. Trips/slips or falls
2. Electrical incidents
3. Manual handling/lifting
2.11.1. Types of Medical Conditions Caused by Construction Injuries

The construction injuries described above can lead to medical conditions
including:
1. Amputation of a finger, toe, or limb,
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2. Broken bones or fractures,

3. Burns for fires, explosions, or electrocutions,
4. Cuts or lacerations from exposed nails, tools, machinery, etc.,
5. Death, in which case the construction worker's family should consider a
wrongful death claim to be compensated the loss of their loved one,.
6. Eye injuries or loss of vision from being impaled by objects, such as shrapnel
from grinding metal, can also lead to loss of vision, or dangerous chemicals
or gases,
7. Shoulder, knee, or ankle injures such as sprains or overuse damage,
8. Loss of hearing from the loud noises on construction sites or failure to wear,
hearing protection while using machinery like a jack hammer,
9. Paralysis and other spinal cord injuries, especially from falls,
10. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the experience of a traumatic
accident, such as when fellow workers are also injured or killed,
11. Toxic exposure to chemicals, such as from welding jobs and
12. Head or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often from falls or having objects
dropped on a construction worker on the job site.
Construction workers also are often required to use powerful machinery, climb
to great heights or work on roadsides where traffic accident may occur. Unfortunately,
because of the inherent nature of the work, construction workers face a serious risk of
injuries on the job.
2.12. Diseases Caused By Workplace

Getting to the most obvious point first; what and where are the hazards?
It seems that the main issues in this industry are related to Silicosis – caused by the
inhalation of dusts and respiration crystalline silica (RCS), Asbestosis – caused by the
inhalation of asbestos, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and
asthma.
These are all caused by inhaling something that is damaging to health, so apart
from the usual slips, trips and falls, cuts and bruises, etc. Breathing seems to be the
biggest battle. So, stop breathing, there we go, all sorted.
However, this is not reasonably practicable, meaning it may cause more issues
than it solves. In the same way, construction workers staying at home would save
lives, but nothing would ever get built. An easy example would be, driving at 20 mph
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on a motorway. We would all agree that this would be a lot safer, but at the end of the
day it is not reasonably practicable.
So safer ways of working also need to be reasonably practicable. Looking at
the hierarchy of controls would be a great place to start when trying to work out
practicable ways of working, that still get the job done.
The hierarchy is as follows:
1. Elimination (of the hazard)
2. Substitution
3. Engineering controls
4. Administrative Controls and
5. PPE ( Personal Protective Equipment )
Although PPE is the lowest on the hierarchy, this does not mean that it is not
important. After all of the other options had been ruled out, PPE is the one that
actually protects the individual from the environment. People have to work in. And in
this case, it is the use of dust masks and breathing equipment that may help prevent
the illnesses.
Construction workers perform a large variety of duties concerned with
building, repairing and wrecking buildings, bridges, dams, roads, railways, and so on.
The work may include mixing, pouring and spreading concrete, asphalt, gravel and
other materials. Despite the increasing mechanization of construction and the more
frequent use of pre-cast concrete sections, contact with wet cement still occurs,
particularly in small jobs. The work is hard physical labor, often under difficult
conditions, including hot, cold, and wet weather. Occupational diseases of the skin in
the construction have paralleled industrial development.
Cement and concrete are products used widely in the construction sector, with
a traditional perception that any hazards that they have are limited to dermatitis in a
small number of workers. In some cases, employers and builders do not think that
concrete is a chemical. However, contact dermatitis is one of the most frequently
reported health problems among the construction workers. A review of the available
literature suggests that cement has constituents that produce both irritant contact
dermatitis and corrosive effects (from alkaline ingredients such as lime) and
sensitization, leading to allergic contact dermatitis (from ingredients such as
chromium. While construction sites may appear to be dangerous, many of these
accidents can be avoided through common sense and protective measures. Prevention
1
begins with adequate awareness and a properly maintained working environment that
is safe and secure.
2.13. Direct and Indirect Cost of an Accident

In construction, the cost of materials, labor, equipment, etc., and all directly
involved efforts or expenses for the cost object are direct costs. In manufacturing or
other non-construction industries, the portion of operating costs which is directly
assignable to a specific product or process is a direct cost.
The direct costs are included;
1. Lost due to the absence of the injured worker or workers.
2. Lost productivity of employees who assist in the rescue, cleanup, and
repairs cost by an accident.
3. The cost to repair or replace damaged property, equipment or vehicles.
4. Rental costs while equipment or vehicles are repaired.
5. The loss of a revenue stream or contracts.
6. Damage to an organization‟s public image.
7. Overtime expenses incurred by additional staff needed to make up for the lost
worker or workers.
8. Lost time of supervisors and management who must respond to the accident.
9. Cost of first aid supplies used to treat the injured.
10. Cost of hiring and training new employees to fill in for the injured.
11. Negative impact on customer relations due to reduced quality or service.
The indirect costs accidents can be even greater than the direct cost. As a
conservative estimate, on average for every one dollar lost costs per accident there are
three dollars of indirect costs. In fact, some studies indicate the indirect cost can be
four to ten times the direct costs.
Indirect costs of accidents are;
1. loss of an employee‟s skill and work output
2. downtime during investigations and pay of people investigating
3. training costs for replacement operators
4. lost orders
5. increased Insurance Premiums
6. defining criminal and civil prosecutions, fines
7. compensation claims
1
8. workplace effects: poor productivity due to low morale and

9. effect on sales
1
CHAPTER
METHODOLOGY
3.1. General
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards reveal a
methodology is needed to identify hazards, measure safety performance, and provide
feedback in stimulating improved safety performance. As it is indicated in the title,
this chapter includes the research methodology of the dissertation. In more details, in
this part the author outlines the research strategy, the research method, the research
approach, the methods of data collection, the selection of the sample, the research
process, the type of data analysis, the ethical considerations and the research
limitations of the project.
3.2. Research Strategy

Generally research design directs the research strategy by defining an action
plan that proceeds from the initial research strategy by defining an action plan that
proceeds from the initial research questions to the conclusion. It is the overall
configuration of the research, including specifying what kinds of evidence were
gathered and from where and helps to achieve the objective of the research by various
methods such as interviews, observations, textual material, open ended survey and
focus group.
Direct observation while the job is being performed – walkthrough;
1. interviews with workers and managers,
2. check work accidents and occupational diseases records,
3. check equipment/machine technical data,
4. examine material safety data sheets regarding chemical substances used in
workplace and
5. consider legislation, standards and company regulations applicable to the
workplace under study.
1
3.3. Data Collection Procedure

Two existing data sets were used for this study. Data from safety management
and consisted of responses from 50 labours on a 28-items survey, each item Likert-
scaled from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating “Poor”, 2 indicating “Fair”, 3 indicating
“Average”, 4 indicating “Good” and 5 indicating “Excellence”. Data from
construction workplaces consisted of 50 responses on a 28-item survey. These two
data sets were utilized to validate the research instrument. While each survey
instrument asked questions specific to the work environment measured. Data was
analyzed using “ SPSS DATA ANALYSIS ” in conjunction with additional tests to
check fit statistics of the model. Qualitative measurements are demonstrated during
the audit by seeing employees wear safety equipment on their own initiative.
3.4. Sampling Procedure

3.4.1. Sampling Method
Sample random sampling is the most basic and well-known type of random
sampling technique. In sample random sampling , every case in the population being
sampled has an equal chance of being chosen.
3.4.2. Sample Size

Sample Size include,
a. Check lists of fifty labours in seventeen construction companies.
b. Face to face interview of fifteen engineers and two contractors.
c. High rise building (1st to 10th floor).
3.4.3. Sample Location

The survey got from seventeen construction sites in Myitkyina Township.
3.4.4. Study Duration

The survey started on 6,August 2019 to 12,August 2019 (one week).
1
CHAPTER
RESULTS AND DISSCUSION
4.1. Survey Results
This study was relied on questionnaire and face to face interviews to gain
individual perspectives of the engineers, workers, and contractors in terms of OSH in
construction workplaces. The data have been collected from 17 different workplaces.
Safety in workplaces and personal protective equipment checklists are ticked and
interviewed to labours. Face to face interview details are interviewed to engineers and
contractors.
Table 4.1. Interview Details for SIW and PPE
Position of Person Number of Person Interviewed
Labour 50
Total 50
Table 4.2. Face to Face Interview Details
Position of Person Number of Person Interviewed
Site Engineer/Site Manager 15
Contractor 2
Total 17
Number of persons interviewed are total 67 persons and include site engineer/
site manager, contractor and labours.
2
4.2. Statistics for Safety in Construction

Table 4.3. Statistics Table for Safety in Construction Workplaces
SIW
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
N Valid 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
Miss-
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ing
Mean 4.0 2.5 3.2 3.5 1.9 1.6 2.9 2.9 2.6 3.0 2.0 1.9 3.1 2.9 2.0 3.5
Median 5.0 2.0 3.0 3.5 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 1.5 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0
Std
1.4 1.2 1.1 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.1
Deviation
Range 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Minimum 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Maximum 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
Table 4.4. Frequencies Table for SIW
Grade Poor Fair Average Good Excellent Total
Questions No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%)

SIW1 4 8 6 12 3 6 8 16 29 58 50 100
SIW2 10 20 19 38 12 24 5 10 4 8 50 100
SIW3 3 6 6 12 25 50 8 16 8 16 50 100
SIW4 2 4 3 6 20 40 18 36 7 14 50 100
SIW5 22 44 16 32 7 14 1 2 4 8 50 100
SIW6 33 66 5 10 10 20 2 4 0 0 50 100
SIW7 8 16 11 22 13 26 10 20 8 16 50 100
SIW8 6 12 15 30 12 24 11 22 6 12 50 100
SIW9 8 16 18 36 13 26 9 18 2 4 50 100
SIW10 6 12 12 24 12 24 14 28 6 12 50 100
SIW11 28 56 7 14 5 10 5 10 5 10 50 100
SIW12 25 50 11 22 7 14 5 10 2 4 50 100
SIW13 7 14 8 16 15 30 11 22 9 18 50 100
SIW14 7 14 12 24 17 34 6 12 8 16 50 100
SIW15 24 48 12 24 6 12 5 10 3 6 50 100
SIW16 3 6 3 6 22 44 8 16 14 28 50 100
Total(No) 196 164 CHAPTER
199 126 115 800
Total(%) 392 328 398 252 230 100
2
Figure 4.1. Child Labour
It is clear that the result of “Excellent” is the highest among all conditions.
Percent of 8 and 6 are very low than others. Mean of this result is 4.04. This is
because all contractors afraid to post child labour, due to child labour protection law.
This case can be problem in the future of their work.
Figure 4.2. Warning Signboard
According to the results, “Fair” condition is the highest and the lowest is 8%
of “Excellent”. Others are not much different. Mean is 2.48. This is because the
warning board needs to stand in site to notice safety cautions but in this result almost
all construction site didn‟t have that. Just a few of them have that.
2
Figure 4.3. Warning from Engineer
According to the results, the highest rank is 50% of “Average” and the lowest
is 6% of “Poor” condition. “Good” and “Excellent” has the same percent of 16. Mean
of this result is 3.24. This is because the negligence of some engineer to say warning
all work place. Even in small building engineers said warnings but sometimes they
can‟t tell all cautions to avoid.
Figure 4.4. Priority of Cleanliness
It is clear that percent of “Poor”, “Fair” and “Excellent” is much lower than
that of “Average” and “Good”. Mean of this result is 3.5. This result can be said
“Good”. It is because their consecutive work can‟t be done step by step if workplace
without cleanliness.
2
Figure 4.5. PPE for Guests

According to the results, the highest rank is 44% of “Poor” and the lowest is
2% of “Good” condition. Mean of this result is 1.98. This result can be said “Poor”.
Because safety items are very expensive and they can‟t care to any visitors‟ safety
rather than their works quickly and dementedly. But some company care about the
safety of site visitors.
Figure 4.6. Medical Checks
It is clear that 66% of Poor” is the highest and others are slightly lower than
that. 4% of “Poor” is the lowest. Mean is 2.92. This grade just very “Poor” and
“Excellent” just unconditionally. This is because the complex to contact with medical
specialists and there is no permanent labours in companies.
2
Figure 4.7. Safety Green Net
It is clear that 26% of “Average” is the highest and others are slightly lower
than that 16% of “Poor” and “Excellent” is the lowest. Mean is 2.98. As results, some
sites didn‟t have safety net. Almost all sites have net but it only starts on three storied
buildings and the quality of net is also required to consider.
Figure 4.8. Well Keeping of Tools
It is clear that 30% of “Fair” is the highest and others are slightly lower than
that. 12% of “Poor” and “Excellent” is the lowest. Its mean is 2.92. Without
maintenance of tools, working schedule will delay. Every labours and companies
value their tools which is useful for work. But not keep neat and tidy.
2
Figure 4.9. Safety in Entry and Exit Point
It is clear that the condition of “Fair”, “Average”, and “Good” are not much
different. The one “Good” is the highest with 18. This result is similar with above,
“Fair. If it is without security in workplace, their equipment and tools will unsafe and
can happen their alive.
Figure 4.10. Check the Machines
According to this graph, the percent of “Good” is the highest and “Fair”,
“Average” have the same percent of 24. The percent of “Poor” and “Excellent” is 12.
Mean is 3.04. This result can be said “Good”. Without checking the equipment before
use will harmful and delay the work schedule.
2
Figure 4.11. Fire Alert
In this graph, “Poor” is the highest with 56%, “Fair” is 14% and others are the
same in 10%. The result Mean is 2.04. Median is 1. This result can be called very
“Poor” because other all results are very low about 10% of each. This is because they
don‟t remember for fire alert and didn‟t prepare fire extinguisher. But nobody
consider that the construction site can start fire easily.
Figure 4.12. Tool Box Meeting
According to this graph, the highest is “Poor” with 50% and the lowest is
“Excellent” with 4%.Mean of this graph is 1.96. Median is 1.5. This result can be
called “Poor” too. They even don‟t know to start tool box meeting and very poor for
safety knowledge in this case. Even engineer didn‟t do. Foreign company based on
this country have this culture.
2
Figure 4.13. Throw Tools
It is clear that almost all conditions are nearly in the same percentage and
among them “Average” is the highest. Mean of this graph is 3.14. Median is 3. This
result, although can be called “Average”, there are not different high with other.
There is no knowledge about throwing equipment who can harmful from one person
to another.
Figure 4.14. Smoking
According to this graph, the highest is “Average” with 34% and the lowest is
“Good” with 12%.Mean of this graph is 2.92. Median is 3. This result can be seen as
“Average”. Although they smoke everyday, they clearly know where can be
dangerous by smoking in combustible place.
2
Figure 4.15. Drainage around the Work Sites
It is clear that the graph is descending from “Poor” to “Excellent”. In percentage the highest is 48% and
Figure 4.16. Labour to Labour Safety Warning
Average is the highest with 44%. The lowest are “Fair” and “Poor” with the
same percent of 6%. Mean of this graph is 3.54 and Median is 3. This result can be
called not only “Average” but also “Excellent”. Every workers said awareness about
4.3. work
their Personal Protective
site and Equipment
said warning speeches to each other.
2
4.2. Personal Protective Equipment Investigation

Table 4.5. Use of Personal Protective Equipment Investigation Results
PPE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
N Valid 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
Missing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mean 2.7 3.2 3.4 2.1 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.5 2.8 2.2 2.8 4.2
Median 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 3.0
Std
1.0 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2 0.9 1.3 1.1. 0.9
Deviation
Range 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Minimum 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Maximum 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
Table 4.6. Frequencies Table for PPE

Grade
Poor Fair Average Good Excellent Total
No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%)
Questions
PPE01 7 14 10 20 25 50 5 10 3 6 50 100
PPE02 6 12 6 12 16 32 16 32 6 12 50 100
PPE03 2 4 5 10 23 46 12 24 8 16 50 100
PPE04 20 40 12 24 11 22 5 10 2 4 50 100
PPE05 7 14 21 42 14 28 4 8 4 8 50 100
PPE06 7 14 14 28 20 40 6 12 3 6 50 100
PPE07 5 10 13 26 18 36 9 18 5 10 50 100
PPE08 11 22 20 40 10 20 3 6 6 12 50 100
PPE09 2 4 18 36 20 40 8 16 2 4 50 100
PPE10 19 38 14 28 9 18 3 6 5 10 50 100
PPE11 8 16 11 22 19 38 9 18 3 6 50 100
PPE12 1 2 1 2 9 18 17 34 22 44 50 100
Total(No) 95 145 194 97 69 600
Total(%) 190 290 388 194 138 100
3
Figure 4.17. PPE Usage of Labour
The bar graph is 50%in “Average” condition and others are lower than that.
In this bar graph, mean is 2.74, median is 3 and mode is 3. It means not every labors
didn‟t wear safety helmet and boots while in workplace. Half of all worker use that.
Figure 4.18. Safety Gloves
It is clear evident that the percent of “Average” and “Good” is the same in
32%. Others are also in the same frequency and percent like 6 and 12. Mean of this
graph is 3.2, median and mode is 3. The cutting and bending of steel in workplaces,
the use of gloves is in balance condition. It means not every workers use gloves
during that time.
3
Figure 4.19. Safety Helmets and Gloves during Welding
The bar graph is 46% in “Average” condition and others are lower than that. In
this bar graph, mean is 3.38, median is 3 and mode is 3. The results of using glasses
and masks are in average condition is very high because of the balance use of that
equipment.
Figure 4.20. Safety Belts, Safety Nets as High
It is clear evident that “Poor” is 40% and this is the most in all conditions.
Mean of this graph is 2.14, median and mode is 2 and 1. Almost all workers didn‟t
use safety belt when they climb high. Even many companies didn‟t provide them to
wear. Only some company provide safety belt for labors.
3
Figure 4.21. Proper Clothes
As a result the high rank is “Fair” and a little bit lower than that is “Average”.
Mean in this graph is 2.54, median 2 and mode 2. There is “Fair” condition as the
result of wearing proper clothes in workplaces. As in Myanmar tradition, a lot of
workers didn‟t wear pants. Some worker wears and others didn‟t wear in workplaces.
Figure 4.22. Use of Safety Boots and Mask
According to the bar graph, “Average” is the highest with 40% and the lowest
is “Excellent”. Mean of this graph is 2.68, Median and mode is 3. As the results
during the mixing of concrete, only some labors wear safety boots and masks. They
should wear boots in that condition. But the wearing of boots in workplaces is not in
satisfied condition.
3
Figure 4.23. Safety Boots
According to the bar graph, “Average” is the highest with 40% and the lowest
among them are “Excellent” and “Poor”. Mean of this graph is 2.92, Median and
mode is 3. Wearing of safety boots are between poor and excellent. Not every people
wear boots and didn‟t wear boots. So the average use of safety boots is the highest.
Figure 4.24. Porter in Site Wear Safety Helmets
According to the bar graph, the percent of 40 “Fair” is the highest among
all. The lowest is in “Good” condition. In this graph mean is 2.46. Median and mode
are 2. The wearing of head covers among the porters in “Fair” is quite high. Not all
porters didn‟t wear head protection.
3
Figure 4.25 Engineers Wear PPE
According to the graph, the percent of “Fair” and “Average” is quite high.
Mean is 2.8, Median is 2 and mode is 1.Not wearing of PPE and always wear PPE is
very low condition. The use of PPE among engineers is not very high. May be because
of there is no strict rule of safety.
Figure 4.26. Engineers Wear Reflection Belt
According to the graph, the percent of “Poor” to “Good” is downward and in

“Excellent” is quite high. Mean is 2.22, Median is 2 and mode is 1. For that case there
is no use of reflection belt even an engineer didn‟t use. They only use lots of light in
workplaces. Some engineer wear but it is not much. “Poor” condition is high because
of that.
3
Figure 4.27. Proper use of Tools and Equipment
It is clear evident that the highest is “Average” with 38% and others are not much different. Mean in thi
Figure 4.28 Intoxicating Things
It is clear that the graph goes up from “Poor” to “Excellent” and percent is 2
to 44%. Mean of this graph is 4.16. Median is 4 and mode is 5. It means nobody in
workplaces use intoxicating things. People use these are very rare. That‟s why the
result of this chart is Excellent.
3
4.4. Face to Face Interview Results

( i ) The responsible person for the safety in workplaces
The answer got from face to face interview with some engineers and
managers are the almost all company didn‟t have safety engineers and safety
officers. Only Site engineers are responsible for their workplaces safety. But
all the labors know they also have responsibility for their personal safety. In
our survey range, the company doesn‟t have their own labors, the
contractors lend his own labors to company. So the company doesn‟t need to
pay wages and compensations to general labors.
( ii ) Preparation and solution for accidents

As the interview results, companies didn‟t give any training or one day
workshop to each labors. But in some companies, the company gives
training to the leader of the labor‟s groups. The thing why companies never
give training to all labors has two facts:
- Labors are not their own company labors.
- Work time delay and daily wages delay for one day while labors are in
the training day.
( iii ) Obedience of safety rule

The obedience of worker are not very satisfied because they didn‟t
aware the safety issues and the work in their traditional ways. For an
example, Long Gyi are not suit for the workplaces but the workers don‟t
care and they never thought that they should wear pants. Even Safety
helmet didn‟t wear in some workplaces.
( iv ) Company‟s safety rule and regulations

Only a few of companies have their own rule of construction safety.
Most of them didn‟t have it. Companies have never been thought about the
safety issues and also the labors they don‟t even know what the safety
situation is to them. The only thing they care about is to get income.
( v ) Preparation to become safety workplaces

Safety sign boards are standing on the wall of the construction site but
3
that kind of posters are very rare in all construction workplaces. Some
companies provide masks, gloves, safety helmet, boots, safety belts etc…
and also some companies keep first aid tool box for minor accidents.
Engineers always consider about the workplace safety and remind their
labors to work safely in each work process.
( vi ) Profit from safety workplaces

Engineers and some company owners know they can get a lot of profits
from the workplace safety. They said;
( a ) minimize downtime,
( b ) increase profits,
( c ) attract the best staff or workers,
( d ) improve employee morale,
( e ) increase customer loyalty and reputation and
( f ) reduce compensation insurance.
(vii) Losses from big accidents

Financial costs of construction accidents represent the losses incurred by
the private investors, such as contractors, due to the occurrence of
construction site accidents.
Loss due to the injured person –The compensation paid to the injured
worker by the contractor is 2/3 of the wage of the injured person for each
day of absence from work.
Disability compensation, which depends on the percentage of disability
(determined by a registered doctor) that the injured worker suffers.
( a ) Loss due to medical expenses - Medical expenses of the injured worker
including the cost of transport to hospital.
( b ) Loss due to fines and legal expenses - If the contractor faces
prosecution, he may have to pay the solicitor‟s fees and fines imposed
by the court.
( c ) Loss of productivity of other employees - The safety officer, site agent,
site engineer and the foremen may be involved in assisting the injured
and carry out works relating to the accident such as accident
investigation and accident report writing.
3
( d ) Other workers may have to stop work immediately after the occurrence
of the accident - Loss assumptions (based on the experience of site
safety staff interviewed): (1) Site agent: 0.05 day (2) Site engineer:
0.05 day (3) Foreman: 0.25 day (4) Other workers: 0.25 day for each
worker and on average 4 other workers are involved in each accident.
( e ) Loss due to damaged equipment or plant.
( f ) Loss due to damaged material or finished work.
( g ) Loss due to idle machinery or equipment.
(h) After the accident occurred, the workers may stop work temporarily
and hence there will be idle machinery or equipment.
( viii ) Common injury type

The causes of construction injuries are numerous and varied. While
some of these causes are easy to spot, others are less obvious.
( a ) Falls; One of the most common types of construction injuries are falls.
Construction workers are at risk from falls from scaffolding, crane,
roof, ladders, and other heights at work.
( b ) Falling Objects ; Construction workers are at risk of being struck by
objects from above, for example, tools used above the worker or
construction materials that aren‟t properly secured. Brain and spinal
injuries can occur, even if you‟re wearing appropriate safety
equipment such as hardhats.
( c ) Equipment Related Accidents ; Heavy machine equipment used on
construction sites can fail or be dangerous. For example, a forklift
could fail to work properly, a dumpster could fall over unexpectedly,
or a nail gun could misfire. If equipment is unsafe or dangerous and
that caused your injuries, you may wish to discuss with your attorney a
legal theory called “product liability”. That‟s the law about who‟s
responsibility for defective or dangerous products.
( d ) Backovers and Crushed - Between ;the workers are at risk of being run
over by large trucks backing out of construction sites. They are also
sometimes crushed between large vehicles and walls or concrete.
These types of accidents can be related to supervisor neglect in
controlling a work site.
3
( e ) Fires and Explosions ; Construction sites often contain hazardous

conditions such as exposed wiring, leaking pipes, and flammable
chemicals that could lead to fires and explosions. Less common than
some other types of accidents, however, these can be fatal or result in
serious injuries.
( f ) Trench or Building collapses ;Another common type of construction
injury is when a trench that‟s being demolished or that‟s under
construction can suddenly or unexpectedly collapse, killing or
seriously injuring those inside.
( ix ) Compensation for accidents

If accidents occur in construction workplaces, the accident is
happened in the company area. So the company has responsibility for paying
compensation and also have to give medical costs. Contractors must pay
compensation to injured labors because of his labors.
( x ) Improvement after the safety law

Even some engineer didn‟t know about the safety law in Myanmar. If
safety law occurs every company, it will call safety engineer or safety officer
role. So, the site engineer doesn‟t need to consider about safety in
workplaces.
4
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1. Conclusion
The study is identified the following Assessment of Occupational Health and
Safety in construction workplaces. Questionnaire survey conducted with 50
employees of 17 construction sites located in Myitkyina. Usage of personal protective
equipment was very minimal. PPE except from safety helmet are not familiar in most
of the sites. Awareness among the workers regarding the usage of PPE was lacking.
The contractors / employers are not providing the PPE to the laborers at their site. In
some sites, even though workers were provided with PPE, workers are not using it
properly. At the time of interview with the workers, they feel discomfort while
working with the PPE. This shows the lack of management commitment towards safe
working environment and their lack of motivation for safe work practices. Contractors
said that the laborers do not use PPE even they provide them and so they are not
buying PPE for their site and some said they are quite expensive.
Construction work places tend to have several employers working on
them simultaneously; making safety co-ordination in such a dynamic environment a
very complex process. Construction industry has many special features that adversely
affect the safety to its workers. These special features and problems arise from the
following: Contractors often feel that their bids will be considered even if they do not
make provisions for safety costs. The questionnaire distributed to construction
companies, most contractors do not consider safety costs in their tender unless it is
recognized by the contract documents. The absence of a set of safety regulations
adversely affects the enforcement of safety on the job site. National standards have
not been updated to comply with the new technology and constructability methods.
The specialization of activities on building sites has been a main factor leading
to extensive employment of subcontractors. Many companies look for safe and fast
profit, selling their projects to subcontractors for a certain percentage of the profit.
This causes many problems in coordination, safety planning, allocation of
4
safety responsibility, and communication. Proper provision is permitted for the

subcontractors to consider safety in their bid; it is doubtful whether they will take
safety seriously. The analysised was used to explore the relationship between safety
issues and personal characteristics for the various levels of companies. Significant
relationships were found between safety issues, company‟s involvement in safety and
individual safety behavior. The employees who have a clear idea about the job are
involved in a more positive perception of safety issues than those who do not have a
clear job clarity visions. The results imply that with increased job responsibilities and
job clarity, the employees will have better safety attitude and belief. This emphasizes
the importance of awareness and training in the company. Finally the employees who
seldom break any regulation are less prone to accidents and major problems.
5.2. Recommendations
With increasing construction works the accidents have increased a lot. It is
recommended the following for safety of workers:
1. Safety training should be given to workers.
2. They should be made aware of types of accidents and should be informed
about the use of equipment.
3. Safety equipment should be provided to proper extent.
4. Safety supervisors should be provided.
5. Workers should be psychologically motivated to reduce carelessness in using
equipment.
6. Provision for safety awards should be made to encourage the workers.
7. Major priority should be given to safety in a project.
8. Regulations and laws should be strictly implemented.
9. Extra amount of money should be allocated for the safety equipment so as to
prevent the huge loss in the future.
Modern construction project involves many hazardous materials, equipment,
plant, manpower, methods etc, therefore, many accidents occur in construction
projects. It involves thousands of different types of dangerous construction materials
and substances. They include chemical, powder, dust, fiber, steel, aggregate, sand,
cement, stone, brick and gases lots of equipment, hence construction process is itself
dangerous and hazardous so give adequate attention for safety in construction site. As
it do not have any rules to protect construction workers against accident and not
adequate safety standard has been set for construction industry. The contractors are
42
not properly trained and they wrongly believe that they can save money by lowering
safety standard. The workers are un-organized and not trained properly.
Construction is basic activity to development of nation. Also the rate of

accident can be minimized if adequate attention is given for safety in construction..
It should believe without any doubt that the safety is needed for following reasons:
1. To minimize rate of accident.
2. Raising morale of construction workers
3. To increase efficiency of works.
4. To improve quality of works.
5. To eliminate fatal accident
6. To reduce cost of construction etc…
4
REFERENCES
[1] Ali,T.H.(2006). “Influence of National Culture on Construction Safety Climate

in Pakistan.” https://experts.griffith.edu.au
[2] https://www.scibd.com / document / 97938305 / Types- of-Random-Sampling
-Techniques
[3] https://cmta.net /page / legupdate-article.php?legupdate_id=922066
[4] https://www.odblaw.com / construction-accidents / causes - of- construction -
accidents
[5] https://www.perecman.com /blog /2014 /may /how-to-prevent-an-accident-at-
construction-site
[6] https:// oshwiki.eu / wiki / Occupational- safety-and- health- risk- assessment-
methodologies
[7] https://www.ensec.org / id=349:risk-management-and-lessons-learned-in-libya
[8] https:// www.slideshare.net /construction-management-jump-start -second edit
-ion
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Construction - management
4
APPENDICES
4
APPENDIX A
Table A.1. Indication of Poor and Excellent Conditions for SIW Question
No Questions Poor Condition Excellent Condition
1 Child labour Full of child labours No child labours
Signboard in every
2 Signboard No precautions signboard
dangerous places
Warning from No warning from

3 Always talk safety procedure
Engineer engineer
Priority of Dirty with waste in work
4 No waste in work site
cleanliness sites
5 PPE for guests No PPE for guests Prepare safety helmets
Medical checks for each
6 Medical checks No medical checks
labours
Cover the green net in high
7 Safety green net No green net in high rise
rise
Well keeping of Good organize of
8 Disorganized of tools
tools construction tool
Safety in entry Dangerous condition near Safely condition and

9
and exit point entry and exit point separate entry and exit point
Check the
10 Never check before use Always check before use
machines
11 Fire alert No fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher
Never make toolbox

12 Tool box meeting Tool box meeting everyday
meeting in every morning
Always throw tools to Never throw tool to each

13 Throw tools
each other other
Smoking near the

14 Smoking No smoking in workplaces
combustible place
Drainage around No drainage around work

15 Drainage around work sites
the work sites sites
No alert from labour to
Always remind safety
Labour to labour labour
16 precautions from labours to
safety warning
labours
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Table A.2. Indication of Poor and Excellent Conditions for PPE Question
No Questions Poor Condition Excellent Condition
PPE usage of Lacks of PPE use in Full of proper PPE use in

1
labour labours workplaces
2 Safety gloves Never wear safety gloves Always wear safety gloves
Safety helmets
3 and gloves Never wear Always wear
during welding
Safety belts,
4 safety nets at Never wear Always wear
high
5 Proper clothes Not suit clothes in work Wear proper clothes
Use of safey
6 Never wear Always wear
boots and mask
7 Safety boots Never wear Always wear
Porter in site
8 wear safety Never wear Always wear
helmets
Engineers wear
PPE
Engineers wear
reflection belt
Proper use of
11 tools and Never use Always use
equipment
Intoxicating
12 Never use Always use
things
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APPENDIX B
Table B.1. Check List for Safety in Workplaces ( SIW )
Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

0 ´ e ę°, x´ v
၁ ၂ ၃ ၄ ၅
n,vćφ´ cé c´ x n n,v´→v v nx´ ˚ 0

၁ °,c´ ∞v ( c´
n,vćφ´ c´ s & ęvx´ xc´ ę,c´ ę →e° v œ°,c´ s,e´∞v ę°,(

၂ c´
cý c´φ xv , n,v´→ v v v n,vćφ´ c´

၃
& ęvx´xc´ ę,c´ ę e x´→e° v (vv (xv
၄ n,vćφ´ c´ →φ´ ę,c´ ę x°, 0v v
n,vćφ´ cé c´ nv ęvx´ →v

၅
8ç´ →ç´ v vPPEv0 ç´ v ∞v ę°, v
n,vćφ´ cé c´ 0 °,c´ , n,v´→ v v vx

၆ φ´ v ę 00´ œ v
∞v´( c´ œvx´ v eç´ œvx´ęve c´v°,x´ 0°

၇ ´ v xvę˚
၈ n,vćφ´ c´→,˚, v0 ç´ v x°, 0φ0éx →° ´ œç´

oc´ vEx´ ∞ x´ vEx´ v v & ęvx´
၉
xc´ vc´0 ˚∞v ę°,
၁o 0x´ v →˚, (vµ , → v0 v00´ œ
s & ęvxé x´ (x°µec´(vc´œc´∞v ( c´
၁၁
( →e´s„ v ၊→`v,˚ v )
၁၂ n,vćφ´ c´ 0 c´ Tool box meeting (vµn,v´( c´
v0 ç´ x°ę°xv v v e φ,c´ e ∞x´
၁၃
vx´v0´ v ( c´
nvcń x´ →vv0 ç´ v ∞v ę°, →v φęv
၁၄
e c´ œ n°v´ →vx´→˚, ( c´
၁၅ n,vćφ´ c´veóφ´ x cé c´ ęφ e´ ( vc´ ∞v ę,°
n,vćφ´ cé c´ & ęvx´xc´ 0ęφ´ n,v´

၁၆
→ v c´ c´ (vφ´ n,φ´→e° v (vv(xv
4
Table B.2. Check List for Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE )
Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

0 ´ e ę°, x´ v
၁ ၂ ၃ ၄ ၅
၁ n,v´→ v e°,c´ ∞,v´၊ e°φv´ oe´œc´
→˚(ee´ evx(´ c´ ( ç´ x )n,v´ęve cńx´

၂ °e´óe´œc´
oę°φ´ œv´ęve c´ n,v´→ v v x´ ,φ´&,cé,φ

၃ ´xvev´œc´
( c´ ex´→ç´ n,v´→ v v →x´xx´(x°µ

၄ oe´œc´
n,v´→ v v oe´ 0v v n,vćφ´ c

၅ ´∞è c´ ˚oc´ c´x ę°,
၆ s°nv´ ( e v´0 ´ e°φv´φ,c´ e,φ´xvoe´œc´
x φ´xę0´ nvc´ 0 ´ &,c´ ( e„ 0 ´

၇ safety boots oe´œc´
၈ v0 ç´ →x´→„ v Ec´ xv x xóe´œc´
cý c´φ xv x°,x´ & v xv x x´ v0 ç´

၉ v oe´œc´
çœ°,c´ v e c´ n,vćφ´ c´ cý c´φ xv

၁o
ęvc(´ vφóe´œc´
x°,x´ & v xv x x´v0 ç´ v x°,

၁၁ ,φ´xφ´0 v →,˚ (vµ( c´
( →°,c´ (x°µ °,c´( `0 vev´œc´ )
၁၂ n,vćφ´ cé c´ „ x0´ 0 →v ęv v →,˚ 0`( c´

4
Table B.3. Face to Face Interview Questions

φç´ vçvex.→°,n´ (( 0´(x φv
) ( °µ (v cý c´φ xvçvφ
n,vćφ´ c´ s &ęvx´xc´ ę,c´ ę 00é ´
၁။ →c´ n,vń,v´ →v company e c´ safety v°,c´ x°, θ°xevoφ´x„ œvc´ę x´→ç´ evoφ´ę,°→„ ę,°vE→nv ၊ →„
(vc´sx´→„ e ,v evoφ´ę,°exń°, x„œvE→n`။
( v v - Supervisor, Safety Manager, Contractor)
၂။ →c´ n,v´ cé c´ (e0´ n ę,° →v s & ęvx´ v φ` accident v ။

၃။ & ęvx´ v (e0ńvn, c´ ę vTφç´ n ´ v x°,n,v´ œvc´&°,c´ 0ęφ´ n,v´→ v v e x°, sxń°, →°vçv(eφ´ o
v n`။
၄။ Safety φ` vx´→x´(v →c(´ xv v vT n°,x´φv ę,°(xvE→nv ။
၅။ →cćompany ,v s & ęvx´xc´ ę,c´ ę œ°,c´ęv 0ç´ x ´ v ∞,e´(vφ´∞v vE→nv ၊sv e vEn`။
၆။ Safe (e0é` n,vćφ´ c´(e0´ vc´ n,vćφ´ c´ e c´ ,v sv e (vc´œc´∞v ę,°vE→n`။
၇။ Safe (e0´ →vn,vćφ´ c´ (xvc´ company ,v sxń°, x °µ x a„ e ęę,°&°,c´→n`။
၈။ n,vćφ´ c´ e c´ (x v →v accident e0´ , , (xvc´ company sx´x sxń°,φ0´φv e ę,° eeń`။
၉။ n,vćφ´ c´ e c´ ∞° °,x´ e e x´ company sx´ , sxń°,(vc´œcń,v´ œvc´ v vE→n`။
၁ o။ x ,Safety Law x°, eç(´ vµ(v e` φvx´v°,c´ ęę,ç´ ,v v°, °, s xc´ (v ev x °µ (e0´∞ φ´ e` sv e
(x°µec(´ vc´œc´∞v vEn` n,vćφ´ c´(e0é°, e x´။
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ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

( B.E. MINI THESIS )

ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

MA PYAE PHYO WIN ( VIC – 16 )

MG THURA ZAW ( VIC – 26 )

MG CHAM MYAE ( VIC – 42 )

MG AUNG ZIN PHYO ( VIC – 43 )

MG AUNG PAING HTWE ( VIC – 49 )

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING

( B.E. MINI THESIS )

We certify that we have examined, and recommend to the University

2. Daw Khine Moe Ohn

3. U H.Seng Naw Awng

4. Daw Moe Moe San

2.12. Diseases Caused by Workplace 13

The construction industry in developing as well as developed countries is one

1.2. Objectives of the Study

1.3. Scope of the Study

1.4. Outlines of the Study

2.2. Safety Engineering

2.3. The Concept of Safety Engineering

2.4. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

2.5. Health and Safety Engineer Responsibilities and Duties

2.6. Importance of OSH in Construction Workplaces

2.7. Defining Health and Safety

accidents and injuries. Majority of accidents associated with construction works

2.9. Safety Management in the Construction Workplace

2.10. National Culture

A great deal of research has been undertaken in an attempt to understand just

contribution to understanding management policies and practices. National culture is

2.11. Injuries Caused by Workplace

2.11.1. Types of Medical Conditions Caused by Construction Injuries

2. Broken bones or fractures,

2.12. Diseases Caused By Workplace

2.13. Direct and Indirect Cost of an Accident

8. workplace effects: poor productivity due to low morale and

3.2. Research Strategy

3.3. Data Collection Procedure

3.4. Sampling Procedure

3.4.2. Sample Size

3.4.3. Sample Location

3.4.4. Study Duration

4.1. Survey Results

Table 4.1. Interview Details for SIW and PPE

Position of Person Number of Person Interviewed

Table 4.2. Face to Face Interview Details

Position of Person Number of Person Interviewed

Site Engineer/Site Manager 15

4.2. Statistics for Safety in Construction

Table 4.4. Frequencies Table for SIW

Grade Poor Fair Average Good Excellent Total

Questions No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%)

Figure 4.1. Child Labour

Figure 4.2. Warning Signboard

Figure 4.3. Warning from Engineer

Figure 4.4. Priority of Cleanliness

Figure 4.5. PPE for Guests

Figure 4.6. Medical Checks

Figure 4.7. Safety Green Net

Figure 4.8. Well Keeping of Tools

Figure 4.9. Safety in Entry and Exit Point