Construction Safety Risk Mitigation

The construction industry consistently accounts for the highest fatality rate of all single-service industries in the US. In an effort to design effective safety programs, several studies have quantified the relative effectiveness of injury prevention strategies (i.e., safety program elements). These studies typically examine the effectiveness of safety program elements (e.g., inspections) in isolation. The objective of this paper is to describe a recent research study that aimed to evaluate the influence that various safety program elements have on the effectiveness of one another. Using the Delphi method, the cross-impacts of fifteen highly-effective safety program elements were quantified by determining the percent increase or decrease in effectiveness that each element has on the others. The results indicate that the most influential injury prevention strategies are employing a site-safety manager, upper management support and commitment, worker participation and involvement, safety and health committees, and a site-specific safety plan. The subsequent analysis can be used to better understand the synergistic effects that exist among various subgroups of elements and to strategically create the most effective safety program when resources are limited.

The construction industry is starting to gain momentum as Malaysia is becoming a fully industrialised country by the year 2020. Due to the complexity and dynamic nature of a construction project, specifically on high rise building, various hazards and risks are already in place at any stage of a project lifecycle. Safety and health risk assessment is the core of any safety practices in any industry. Risk at the construction site should be assessed prior to manage or mitigate it. Therefore, this paper intends to recognize the theoretical aspects of the likelihood and severity of the hazards in the high rise building construction project and to recognize a theoretical aspects in formulating a high rise building construction safety and health risk model. The methodology employed f or this paper includes the secondary data collection from journals, articles and government statistics. The successful investigations will lead to the development of safety and health risk model in the construction industry particularly for high rise building construction. This model has prospect to be commercialized through the intellectual property (IP). The health and safety risk model will promote safety climate in the construction site and hence, enhancing the performance of human capital.

Background: Providing occupational health and safety (OHS) services to employees has been a global problem for an extended period. A safe workplace should pose no avoidable risk to employees' physical, psychological, or social wellbeing and should provide opportunities for employees to improve and support their health. This study aimed to assess the occupational health and safety risks and hazards among workers at the construction sites in Kombo North District of the Gambia. Methods: A mixed-method study design was conducted across construction workers in Kombo North District, West Coast Region of the Gambia. Data was generated using validated OHS risk assessment matrix, structured questionnaires, environmental and physical inspection and key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics, including a composite scoring system, were used to present the results of this study. Results: Of the 157 respondents in this study, 98.1% were males, and about one-third of these construction workers were 31-40 years of age. About 46% and 34.4% spent 1-5 and 6-10 years in the construction industry, while about 40.2% of the respondents never been to school. The study revealed that physical risks and hazards in the form of falling from a height, electric shock, etc. were the most common forms compared to other categories such as ergonomics, biological and chemical risks and hazards. There is no reporting system or registry in place across the study sites. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that physical hazards reported being the most common across other forms of ergonomics, biological and chemical risk and hazards. There is an urgent need for reactivation and implementation of OHS advocacies, health education, and other preventive strategies to control common workplace risks and hazards in their various forms.

With the rapid development of science, technology and economic strength in China, the construction industry has developed vigorously. Construction safety and quality management is a systematic project. The quality of construction will directly affect the safety of people's lives and property and the stable development of society. Construction quality and safety is the key to the success of construction projects. It is the fundamental guarantee to maintain the corporate image and obtain long-term economic benefits. Safety-critical system design needs to be guided and evaluated by security analysis. Fault tree based on binary decision graph is one of the commonly used methods of safety analysis in engineering. The risk assessment is based on the risk factor and the simulation application environment design experiment is performed. Correctly handling the relationship between construction safety and quality management plays an important role in the smooth completion of engineering projects and the stable development of society.

The Safety Risk Library [1] is a structured database [2] that integrates knowledge drawn from multiple sources to address the problem of information disaggregation in the construction industry. This knowledge base maps construction safety risk scenarios to treatment suggestions that help designers implement the concept of prevention through design. In the context of the Safety Risk Library, risk scenarios are characterised by six data categories based on a formalised ontology [3]. To build the first iteration of the Safety Risk Library, nine different risk scenarios were identified and mapped to relevant risk treatments in focus groups. Subsequently, the Safety Risk Library was pilot tested in six construction projects, and user feedback and input were used to expand the list of risk scenarios and treatment prompts. Additionally, public press releases reporting construction accidents were analysed to identify and characterise risk scenarios, which were then mapped to appropriate treatment suggestions and included in the Safety Risk Library. This dataset can assist construction industry stakeholders in identifying, characterising, communicating and mitigating safety risks in construction projects. It can also be integrated into building information modelling environments to assist designers to implement prevention through design.

The food industry (FI) is one of the most important parts of any country's industry when it comes to food safety and security. A new approach that can be considered is the use of new technologies in this area. Given the rise in population and per capita food consumption, this sector of the industry should pursue sustainable development through the use of nanotechnologies and increased productivity. In the FI, a number of nanostructured materials (NSMs) have been used, ranging from inorganic metals, metal oxides, and their nanocomposites to nano-organic materials comprising bioactive agents. Given the various advantages of nanotechnology, there are increasing questions concerning its application, as the aggregation of nanoscale materials (NSMs) in human bodies and the atmosphere may pose a variety of health and safety risks. As a result, when producing, handling, intelligently and actively packaging, and using nano-processed food items, safety, and health risks, as well as regulatory policies, must be taken into account. The aim of this analysis is to provide a basic understanding of nanotechnology applications in the food packaging (FP) and processing industries, as well as to recognize possible opportunities and potential risks associated with the usage of NSMs.

The Environment, Safety and Health Risk Assessment Program (ESHRAP) models human safety and health risk resulting from waste management and environmental restoration activities. Human safety and health risks include those associated with storing, handling, processing, transporting, and disposing of radionuclides and chemicals. Exposures to these materials, resulting from both accidents and normal, incident-free operation, are modeled. In addition, standard industrial risks (falls, explosions, transportation accidents, etc.) are evaluated. Finally, human safety and health impacts from cleanup of accidental releases of radionuclides and chemicals to the environment are estimated. Unlike environmental impact statements and safety analysis reports, ESHRAP risk predictions are meant to be best estimate, rather than bounding or conservatively high. Typically, ESHRAP studies involve risk predictions covering the entire waste management or environmental restoration program, including such activities as initial storage, handling, processing, interim storage, transportation, and final disposal. ESHRAP can be used to support complex environmental decision-making processes and to track risk reduction as activities progress.

Accident prevention through design (PtD): Integration of building information modeling and PtD knowledge base

Laboratory workers have potential health and safety risks, health risks in laboratories are potential health and safety risks, and health risks in laboratories are related to exposure to hazardous chemicals. Chemicals often used in laboratory testing are organic solvents such as benzene, toluene, and xylene which have risks to workers' health. Chemical health risk assessments are important for assessing the potential health and safety hazards of workers using the approach cross-sectional which refers to the method Chemical Health Risk Assessment DOSH, Malaysia. Data collection was carried out qualitatively starting with identifying dangerous chemicals, then observing the use of chemicals, followed by assessing the level of health risks, and determining the adequacy of control action priority for inhalation and dermal exposures respectively. The research results at the PT show that the risk level for inhalation exposure is 12 (moderate risk) and the risk level for dermal exposure is 2 (moderate), but still requires improvement in existing risk controls.

The unequal distribution of occupational health and safety risks among immigrants to Canada compared to Canadian-born labour market participants: 1993–2005

Purpose Prefabricated building (PB) has high technical requirements and is susceptible to safety accidents, and its construction occupational health and safety (OHS) problems should not be ignored. To promote the better development of PB, this study aims to measure their construction safety management level and propose corresponding countermeasures. Design/methodology/approach By systematically combing the relevant literature, this study extracts the influencing factors that appear frequently in several studies and categorizes them according to six dimensions: people, materials and components, technology, mechanical equipment, environment and system. Combining expert opinions, the measurement index system, including 6 primary indexes and 24 secondary indexes, is constructed. The structural entropy weight (SEW) method is applied to calculate the index weights. The cloud matter element (CME) model based on the weights is constructed to determine the level of construction occupational health and safety management (COHSM). A project case of a training building is used to verify it. The results obtained from the model are compared with those from other measurement models to verify the feasibility of the model in measuring the level of COHSM for PB. Findings The calculated weights show that technology is the most important for the COHSM of PB. The management level of the project in terms of people, materials and components, technology, machinery and equipment, environment and system is Level II good. The overall safety management level is also Level II, which is good. The model of this study is consistent with other model measurements. The methodology of this study yields reasonable and realistic results. Originality/value This study is the first to include occupational health dimensions in the research on the construction safety management of PB, which not only covers the key elements in traditional construction safety management but also considers the impact of the construction process, material use and technology of PB on safety management, making the measurement index system more scientific. Meanwhile, the introduction of the CME model based on the SEW method effectively solves the deficiencies of the traditional method in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty and provides practitioners with more accurate and comprehensive measurement results. It helps practitioners formulate a more scientific management plan in combination with the actual situation and provides a guiding idea and practical path for the COHSM of similar projects.

The construction industry holds significant importance for any nation; however, it remains a high-risk sectorcharacterized by a significant number of fatalities and grave injuries. Among these risks, tower crane operationsstand out as a leading contributor to the heightened risk rate. This research paper endeavors to assess the safety risks inherent in tower crane operations at construction sites in Vietnam. This assessment is conducted from the perspective of various stakeholders involved in tower crane activities, namely managers, operators, and workers. To achieve this, a meticulously structured questionnaire utilizing a five-point Likert scale was formulated and distributed to gather insights from 78 proficient individuals engaged in tower crane-related tasks. The outcomes from all participants collectively underscore 21 distinct causes that give rise to safety risks during tower crane operations in Vietnam. Nonetheless, noticeable differences in opinions appear when looking at answers from managers, operators, and workers. The operators and workers showed that “Winds (wind intensity seriously affects the lifted load and tower crane itself)” are the most common safety risk. On the other hand, the managers highlighted the issue of whether the “Tower crane operator is an in-house staff member or outsourced” as their main concern. The managers, operators and workers showed that “Experience and skills of the operator during operating tower crane”, “Maintenance management degree of the tower crane and lifting aids”, and “Overhead power lines in the tower crane’s work region” are the most severe cause of safety risk, respectively. Operators and workers pointed out that the "Degree of maintenance management for tower cranes and lifting aids"has the highest safety risk level. However, managers highlighted that “Winds (wind intensity seriously affects the lifted load and tower crane itself)” pose the highest safety risk level.

Construction has been significantly affected by COVID‐19 yet is critical to the post‐COVID economic recovery. Specifically, construction needs to be constantly aware of safety and risk balanced with timely project delivery. Guidance for COVID‐19 must therefore be implemented in a way that reflects working practice and pressures. There is, however, a potential knowledge gap regarding the practical feasibility and impact of applying COVID‐19 measures within construction, made more difficult by factors such as the temporary nature of projects and complex working arrangements. This article presents a commentary on safe construction during, and beyond, COVID‐19, covering the human factors challenges and practicalities of implementing COVID‐19 measures. We observe that while guidance is strong on risk management, understanding of how best to implement this guidance is not yet stable. Also, care must be taken that implementing guidance does not detract from general safety, which is also challenged by increased pressures on delivery arising from COVID‐19. There may, however, be opportunities for safer working practice arising from new awareness of health, hygiene, and safety risk. The role of safety leadership is overlooked in guidance yet is vital to ensure safe application of COVID‐19 working practices. The key message is that COVID‐19 needs to be integrated and promoted within a general risk management approach, in part because this takes account of differing priorities regarding safety risks, rather than overly focussing on COVID‐19, and also because the effectiveness of COVID‐19 mitigations can be amplified by integration with pre‐existing safety processes.

The power industry is the primary energy through the power generation equipment into electricity, and then through the transmission, transformation and distribution system to supply users as energy as the industrial sector, for the industrial and national economy and other sectors to provide basic power, is the first sector of national economic development[1]. As an important link to ensure the normal operation of the power industry, the importance of the power transmission system is self-evident[2]. The transmission tower, as the cornerstone to ensure the normal operation of the transmission system, has a large construction workload and faces problems such as complex construction environment and construction safety risks. Therefore, how to ensure the safe construction of transmission line in complex terrain is of great significance to power system construction. At present, in the construction of transmission tower, the suspension pole group tower and the whole lifting tower are the two main tower construction methods widely used. However, the pylon group tower has a great safety risk[3-4]. The State Grid has been trying to optimise the suspension of the tower. Secondly, due to the inconvenience of transportation, it is difficult for heavy lifting equipment to reach the construction site, which makes it difficult to promote the whole tower scheme using heavy lifting equipment in the mountainous terrain. In addition, the current construction of the tower group lacks scientific calculation and analysis of the force and deformation of the tower and key construction components, and there are hidden dangers such as overload and excessive deformation. Therefore, a new type of tower formation is needed to avoid the risk of personnel working at high altitudes and problems such as the inability of large heavy equipment to reach the construction site in mountainous areas[5]. In this paper, simulation technology is studied against the background of integral tower technology based on airship.

This article presents an exploratory study of how the social construction of risk, including stereotypes of migrant home care workers, as well as the character of official workplace health and safety regulation, may influence the ways in which occupational health risks are identified and managed by doctors. We focus our analysis upon migrant home care workers (HCWs) in Italy, who are exposed to multiple risks of developing physical and mental health problems. We begin by considering the reasons for the relative invisibility of HCWs’ health and safety risks, including wider constructions of women’s work as well as the ways these workers are treated by mainstream health and safety regulation. While Italian law requires employers to deploy occupational health doctors to monitor workers’ health and safety, work in domestic premises is excluded, so a HCW seeking certification of a workplace injury or illness would most likely approach her general practitioner (GP). However, little is known about GPs’ and other doctors’ awareness of the occupational origins of their patients’ illnesses and injuries. Our analysis starts to answer these questions through qualitative interviews with 16 doctors (mainly GPs) in Veneto regarding their understandings of migrant women’s health risks conducted between 2019 and 2020.