Design for

Construction Safety (DfCS)

2 to 4 Hour Course
What Is Designing For Construction
Safety?

The process of addressing

construction site safety and
health, and planning for future
maintenance in the design phase
of a project.
 Why is DfCS Necessary?

 Currently there are no requirements

for construction safety in building
codes

 IBC Chapter 33 Safeguards During

Construction-Pedestrian Safety
 OSHA 1926-Engineering Controls

 1926.452 Scaffolds
 1926.502 Fall Protection Anchorages
 1926.552 Hoists
 1926.652 Excavations
 1926.703 Shoring
 1926.705 Lift Slabs
 DfCS Process1-It’s a Team Concept
• Establish design for
safety expectations
• Include construction and
operation perspective
• Identify design for safety
process and tools

Design Internal External Issue for

Kickoff Design
Review Review Construction

Trade contractor • QA/QC • Focused safety

involvement review
• Cross-
discipline • Owner review
review
1 Gambatese
 Construction Accidents In U.S.1

 Nearly 200,000 serious injuries and 1,200

deaths each year

 7% of workforce but 21% of fatalities

 Construction has the most fatalities of any

industry sector

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics-2005

 Construction Accidents In U.S.1

1 Photos courtesy of New York Times

 Most Frequently Cited / Highest Penalty
OSHA Violations In Construction1

 Scaffolding 29 CFR 1926.451

 Fall Protection 29 CFR 1926.501
 Ladders 29 CFR 1926.1053
 Excavations 29 CFR 1926.651
 Aerial Lifts 29 CFR 1926.453

1Most Frequently Cited Standards 2005 www.osha.gov

 Construction Fatalities By Occupation1
 Total fatalities 1,234
 Construction laborers 283
 Carpenters 107
 Construction Managers 95
 Roofers 94
 First-line supervisors 93
 Electricians 70
 Painters/paper hangers 57
 Truck drivers 56

1 BLS, 2004
 Considering Safety During Design
Offers the Most Payoff1

High
Conceptual Design

Detailed Engineering
Ability to Procurement
Influence
Safety Construction

Start-up
Low

Project Schedule

1 Szymberski 1987
 Design Can Influence Construction
Safety1,2
 22% of 226 injuries that occurred from 2000-2002 in
Oregon, WA and CA linked to design

 42% of 224 fatalities in US between 1990-2003

linked to design

 In Europe, a 1991 study concluded that 60% of fatal

accidents resulted from decisions made before site
work began
1 Behm, “Linking Construction Fatalities to the Design for Construction Safety Concept”, 2005

2 European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

 DfCS Examples: Roofs
Skylights Upper story windows
and roof parapets
 Course Objectives

 To provide design and construction

professionals with skills to identify
construction safety hazards
 To provide design and construction

professionals with skills to eliminate or

reduce the risk of a serious injury in the
design phase
 Course Objectives

 Safety Engineering-skills to recognize

hazards and uncover “hidden” hazards

 Design features to eliminate or reduce

the risk of an injury due to a hazard

 OSHA resources for DfCS

Crash Course in Safety Engineering
 Safety Engineering is a specialty within the
engineering field that deals with the identification
and elimination of hazards.

 Safety Engineering cuts across all engineering

disciplines: Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical,
as well as many branches of science.
 What is a Hazard?
 A HAZARD is the potential to do
harm or damage

 RISK is a measure of the probability

of a hazard-related incident
occurring and the severity of harm or
damage
 Recognized Hazards
 Gravity-Falls from elevation
Falling objects
 Slopes-Upset
Rollover
Unstable surfaces
 Water- Drowning
 Recognized Hazards
 Walking/working surfaces-
tripping, slipping

 Mechanical hazards-
Rotation, reciprocation, shearing,
vibration, pinch points, hydraulics,
pneumatics, entanglement
 Recognized Hazards
 Stored energy- springs, pneumatics
hydraulics, capacitors
 Electrical-electrostatic, current,
voltage, sparks, arcs
 Chemical-corrosive, combustion,
toxic
 Recognized Hazards

 Biological-allergens, carcinogens

 Radiant Energy-sound, nuclear,

X-rays, light, lasers
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
ANSI Standards
 ANSI Z49.1 Safety in Welding and Cutting
 ANSI Z117.1 Safety Requirements for
Confined Spaces
 ANSI D6.1 Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices
 ANSI 10.8 Safety Requirements for
Scaffolding
 ANSI 14.2 Safety Requirements for
Portable Ladders
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
ANSI Standards
 ANSI Z93.1 Fire Hazards in Oxygen
Enriched Atmospheres
 ANSI A14.4 Job Made Wooden
Ladders
 ANSI A10.6-Safety Requirements for
Demolition Operations
 ANSI A1264.1-Safety Requirements
for Workplace Floor and Wall
Openings, Stairs & Railing Systems
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
ANSI Standards
 ANSI A10.13 Safety Requirements
for Steel erection
 ANSI A145.1 Recommended Practice
for Concrete Formwork
 ANSI Z244.1 Lockout/Tagout of
Energy Sources
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
ASTM Standards
 ASTM F802 Guide for Selection of
Certain Walkway Surfaces When
Considering Footwear Traffic
 ASTM 04.09 Wood Construction
 ASTM D4532 Respirable Dust in
Workplace Atmospheres
 ASTM STP 1150 Fire Hazard and Fire
Risk Assessment
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
ASTM Standards
 ASTM O 4.07 Building Seals and
Sealants
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
NFPA Standards
 NFPA Volume 13, 53M Fire Hazards
in Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres
 NFPA 654 Prevention of Fire and
Dust Explosions in the Chemical,
Dye, Pharmaceutical, and Plastics
Industries
 NFPA 241 Safeguarding Construction,
Alteration, and Demolition
Operations
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
NFPA Standards
 NFPA 30 Flammable and Combustible
Liquids
 NFPA 325M Fire Hazard Properties of
Flammable Liquids, Gases & Volatile
Solids
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
Government Regulations
 OSHA 1926.550 Cranes and derricks
 OSHA 1926.251 Rigging Material for
Material Handling
 OSHA 1926.452 Scaffolds
 OSHA 1926.800 Underground
Construction
 OSHA 1926.52 Occupational Noise
Exposure
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
Government Regulations
 OSHA 1918.95 Longshoring
Operations in the Vicinity of Repair
and Maintenance Work
 OSHA 1926.1050-1053 Stairways
and Ladders
 OSHA 1926.650 Excavations
 Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations
 Recognized Hazards-Sources
Other Sources
 National Safety Council
 MSHA
 SAE
 NIOSH
 US Army Corps of Engineers
 ACI
 Recognized Hazards-Examples
Fall Hazards 6 Feet or More1
1Photos courtesy of Washington Group International

Unprotected
edges
Recognized Hazards-Examples
Confined Space
Recognized Hazards-Examples
Power Lines
 Worker electrocuted when his
drill rig got too close to overhead
power lines.
 Design engineer specified
groundwater monitoring wells
were to be dug directly under
power lines.
 Engineer could have specified
wells be dug away from power
lines and/or better informed the
employer of hazard posed by
wells’ proximity to powerlines
through the plans, specifications,
and bid documents.
 Hidden Hazards-Examples
 Underground utilities
 Electrical wire buried in a wall
 Asbestos
 Rot/Decay of structural members
 Gas lines
 Any hazard uncovered during project
execution
Hidden Hazards-”What If” Analysis
 A “What If” analysis is a structured
brainstorming methods of uncovering
hidden hazards
 Select the boundaries of the review
and assemble an experienced team
 Gather information-video tapes of
operation, design documents,
maintenance procedures, etc.
Hidden Hazards-”What If” Analysis
“What If” Situation Questions
 Failure to follow procedures
 Procedures are followed, but are
incorrect
 Equipment failure
 Utility failure
 Weather
 Operator not trained
 Hidden Hazards-”What If” Analysis
Example
Highway Construction Project-
 What if workers have to access drains? Are drains
a possible confined space?
 What about the power lines? Will equipment be
operating near power lines?
 What about worker/public injury from traffic
accidents? Do trucks have enough turning space?
Is there signage/barriers to re-direct pedestrians?
 Will construction vehicles have enough shoulder
space to stop on road
 What if worker attempts to manually pick up
drain covers? Are they lightweight? Do they have
handles?
 Hidden Hazards-Other Methods
 Fault Tree Analysis
 Design Check Lists
 Plan review, if your gut feeling tells
you that something is unsafe, it
probably is.
 Read case studies on construction
accidents
 “Fatal Facts”
Fatal Facts
Fatal Facts
Fatal Facts
Fatal Facts
Fatal Facts
 Design for Safety (DFS)
 Identify the hazard(s)

 Assess the Risk

 Propose design features to eliminate

the risk or reduce it to an acceptable
level
 DFS- Risk Assessment
Estimate Injury Severity

Severe-Death or serious debilitating

long-term injury such as amputation
or coma

Serious-Permanent or nonreversible
injury that severely impact
enjoyment of life and may require
continued treatment
 DFS- Risk Assessment
Estimate Injury Severity

Moderate-Permanent or reversible
minor injury that does not
significantly impact enjoyment of life,
but requires medical treatment.

Slight-Reversible injury requiring

simple medical treatment with no
confinement
 DFS- Risk Assessment
Estimate Probability of Hazardous
Event
High- Very likely to occur, protective
measures are nearly worthless

Medium-Occurrence is likely. The

frequency of control measures is
significant or control measures are
inadequate
 DFS- Risk Assessment
Estimate Probability of Hazardous
Event
Moderate-Occurrence is possible, but
not likely

Low- Occurrence is so unlikely as to

be considered nearly zero
 DFS-Risk Assessment Matrix
Severity
Probability Severe Serious Moderate Slight

High High High Medium Low

Medium High Medium Low Low

Moderate Medium Low Low Negligible

Low Low Low Negligible Negligible

 Other Forms of Hazard
Identification/Prevention Matrix1
1Hazard Information Foundation, Inc.

Eliminate the Guard the Provide a Provide Provide

Hazard Hazard Safety Factor Redundancy Reliability

Hazard Safety Hazard Safety Hazard Safety Hazard Safety

Natural

Structural/
Mechanical

Electrical

Chemical

Radiant
Energy
Biological

Artificial
Intelligence
 DFS-Design Hierarchy
 First-Design out the hazard
 Second-Provide safety devices
 Third-Provide warning devices
 Fourth- Implement operating
procedures and training programs
 Fifth-Use personal protective
equipment
End Of Crash Course In
Safety Engineering
 Typical Construction Project
Arrangement
 Project owner separately contracts with a
Architect/Engineer and either with a general
contractor or a construction manager

 Above entities may subcontract out some or

all of the work to specialty trade contractors

 Project owners occasionally contract with a

design-build firm to perform both design and
construction
 Root Causes for Construction
Accidents1
 Inadequate construction planning
 Lack of proper training
 Deficient enforcement of training
 Unsafe equipment
 Unsafe methods or sequencing
 Unsafe site conditions
 Not using safety equipment that was provided

1 Toole, “Construction Site Safety Roles”, 2002

 Potential Areas of Concern in
Construction Safety
 Falls
 Hazardous materials
 Fire Protection
 Electrical
 Scaffolding
 Floor and wall openings, stairways,
ladders
 Potential Areas of Concern in
Construction Safety

 Cranes, derricks, hoists

 Material handling and storage
 Excavating and trenching
 Confined Space
 Work Zone
 Potential Areas of Concern in
Construction Safety
 Trade specific
Steel workers
Electrical
HVAC
Plumbing
Excavators
Concrete
 Designing for Construction Safety
(DfCS) – What is it?
 An extension of DfS to cover
construction projects

 Recognizes construction site safety

as a design criterion

 The process of addressing

construction site safety and health in
the design of a project
 Designing for Construction Safety
Process1
1Gambatese
Prelim. Design Review

30% Review

Planning 60% Review

Review
90% Review

Planning Preliminary Design Construction Operation

design/ and
Schematics Maintenance
 DfCS Examples: Prefabrication

Concrete
Wall Panels

Concrete Segmented Bridge

Steel stairs
DfCS Examples: Anchorage Points
DfCS Examples: Residential Fall
Protection
 DfCS Examples: Roofs
Skylights Upper story windows
and roof parapets
 DfCS Examples: Steel Design
 Avoid hanging connections;
design to bear on columns
instead using safety seats

 Require holes in columns for

tie lines 21” and 42” above
each floor slab

 Specify shop welded

connections instead of bolts
or field welds to avoid
dangerous positions during
erection

 Consider approximate
dimensions of connection
tools to prevent pinches or
National Institute of Steel Detailing and Steel
Erectors Association of America. Detailing awkward assemblies
Guide for the Enhancement of Erection Safety.
 Other DfCS Design Examples
 Design underground utilities to be placed
using trenchless technology1

 Specify primers, sealers and other

coatings that do not emit noxious fumes
or contain carcinogenic products2

 Design cable type lifeline system for

storage towers3

1 Weinstein, “Can Design Improve Construction Safety”, 2005

2 Gambatese, “Viability of Designing for Construction Worker Safety”, 2005
3 Behm, “Linking Construction Fatalities to the Design for Construction Safety
Concept”, 2005
CASE STUDY #1-CIRCULATOR
PUMPS
 Case Study #1-circulator Pumps
 Replacing circulator pumps requires
a ladder, pumps are located in a tight
space.

 Maintenance worker could fall off

ladder, drop pump, or suffer hand
injury from hitting adjacent piping
 Case Study #1-Circulator Pumps

Design review questions-

Is there enough room to replace the
pumps?

How high off the ground are the pumps?

What if a maintenance worker has to shut

off a valve an emergency?
 Case Study #1-Circulator Pumps

Identify Hazard-

Fall and mechanical

 Case Study #1-Circulator Pumps
Assess Risk-
severity- slight (knuckles) to serious
(head injury)
probability-medium (likely)
risk- low to medium

Additional consideration- solution is

simple and inexpensive
 Case Study #1-Circulator Pumps

DfCS solution: design pumps close to

ground level so that a ladder is not
required, provide adequate space around
pumps, provide a metal identification tag
for each valve and provide a permanent
identification board in the mechanical
room that identifies each valve and it’s
purpose.
Case Study #1-Circulator Pumps
 Case Study #2-
Installation\Maintenance Of HVAC
System in Attic
 HVAC System installed in the attic of
a commercial office building

 No floor or platform/walkways were

designed or installed

 HVAC technicians had to walk on

joists/trusses
 Case Study #2-
Installation\Maintenance Of HVAC
System in Attic
 Case Study #2-
Installation\Maintenance Of HVAC
System in Attic
Design review questions
What will workers stand on when installing
HVAC system?
Will regular maintenance be required?
What will the maintenance workers stand
on?
What are the pertinent OSHA regulations?
 Case Study #2-
Installation\Maintenance Of HVAC
System in Attic
Identify hazard

FALL
 Case Study #2-
Installation\Maintenance Of HVAC
System in Attic
Assess Risk-
severity- serious (knee) to severe
(death)
probability-medium (likely)
risk- medium to high
 Case Study #2-
Installation\Maintenance Of HVAC
System in Attic

DfCS solution: design permanent

platforms and walkways with
guardrails
 Case Study #3-Raw Coal Reclaim
Facility1
 Plant utility worker was fatally
injured while performing clean-up
duties at a raw coal reclaim area

 Victim either fell through a 56” x 80”

opening in a platform or entered
through a coal feeder opening

1Case study courtesy of Washington Group International

 Case Study #3-Raw Coal Reclaim
Facility1

Design review questions-

Will workers need to have access to
conveyors?
Are covers and/or guardrails provided
for all openings near or over
conveyors?
Are covers and/or guardrail gates
interlocked?
Case Study #3-Raw Coal Reclaim
Facility1
Case Study #3-Raw Coal Reclaim
Facility1

Identify hazard

Mechanical
 Case Study #3-Raw Coal Reclaim
Facility1

Assess Risk-
severity- severe (death)
probability-medium to high
risk- high
 Case Study #3-Raw Coal Reclaim
Facility1

DfCS solution: design covers and/or

guardrails over conveyor belts and
opening to conveyor belts. Design
interlocks for covers and gates.
Case Study #4-Blind Penetration Into
Concrete1

A construction worker penetrated an

embedded electrical conduit
containing an energized 120-volt line
while hand drilling into a concrete
bean to install pipe hanger inserts.
The conduit was 1 inch from the
surface.
1 Dept. of Energy Blind Penetration Incidents
Case Study #4-Blind Penetration Into
Concrete1

Design review questions

How will the worker install the pipe
hangers?
Are there any electrical lines in the
concrete beam?
Are there any pipe hangers that will be
near an electrical line?
Case Study #4-Blind Penetration Into
Concrete1

Assess Risk-
severity- severe (death)
probability- moderate to medium
risk- medium to high
Case Study #4-Blind Penetration Into
Concrete1

DfCS Solution: Design embedded

electrical lines deeper than the
maximum depth of the pipe hanger
bolts, clearly mark locations of
electrical lines on contract drawings
 Summary / Closing

 Introduce the DfCS Process

 Basic Safety Engineering
 Design Features
 Case Studies to Illustrate Process
 Summary/Closing

Designers Can Have A

Positive Impact On Reducing
Construction Accidents
 DfCS Tools/Resources
 Construction Industry Institute database
• www.construction-
institute.org/scriptcontent/more/rr101_11_more.c
fm
 United Kingdom Health & Safety Executive
designer guides
• www.hse.gov.uk/construction/designers/index.ht
m
 CHAIR
• www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Publications/OHS/Saf
etyGuides/chairsafetyindesigntool.htm
 OSHA Website
• www.osha.gov
 DfCS Tools/Resources
 Inherently Safer Design Principles for
Construction, The Hazard Information
Foundation, Inc.
besafe@hazardinfo.com
DfCS Tools/Resources