Construction Manpower Safety

 What is Safety?

Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf), the condition
of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes.
Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order
to achieve an acceptable level of risk.

 What is Manpower Safety?

Is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its
temporary and permanent employees. We are committed to preventing occupational
illness and injury in the workplace. Concern for our employees' health and well-being
is a top priority at all levels.

 Basic Rules for Safety

a. Tidy up construction site
b. Keep passages clear all the time.
c. Sort out materials and pile them up safely. The stacks should not be too
high.
d. Beware of floor openings and ensure that they are fenced or covered.
e. Remove refuse as soon as possible.

 Safety Measure
a. Before you operate a machine, ensure that the dangerous part of the
machine has been installed with a guard.
b. Avoid going to any area with insufficient lighting as there may be some
dangerous places which have not been provided with fencing.
c. Keep vigilant all the time and watch out for moving cranes, hooks or
other lifting equipment.
d. Before you use any electrical installation or tool, check the condition of its
electric cables.
e. Avoid dragging electric cables on the ground or allowing the cables to
come into contact with water.
f. Use electrical tools installed with an earth leakage circuit breaker.
g. Use and handle chemicals with care.

 Personal Safety
a. Wear protective equipment.
b. Do not drink or take drugs while working.
c. Pay attention to personal hygiene.
d. Do not play in the workplace.
e. Report to your supervisor immediately if you notice any unsafe condition.
  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets,

goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from
injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical,
electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter.

Personal protective equipment and clothing can include:

 Overalls and protective aprons.

 Protective headgear - safety helmets, wide brimmed hats to protect against the
sun.
 Safety boots or shoes.
 Safety glasses or goggles.
 Gloves.
 Respirators and masks.
 Earmuffs and earpieces.

 Identification of activities that may cause risks

 Scaffolding
 Concreting
 Excavation
 Welding
 Loading and Unloading
 Formwork

Types of risks
 Cut
 Burn
 Injury
 Fatality
 Causality
 Explosion
Managing Safety and Health on Construction Sites
 Safety policy

Every employer of 50 or employees shall make a written statement of his policy with
respect to the safety and health of his employees and make arrangements to give
effect to the policy.
 Risk assessment
The employer should make a suitable and sufficient assessment of:

(a) Any risk to the safety and health to which any employee is exposed whilst
he is at work.

(b) Any risk to the safety and health of any person not in his employment
arising out of or connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking.

 Organizing The Site

 Planning the work
Make a good planning by gathering as much information about the project and the
project site before works begin to ensure safety during construction phase.
Information that could be sought should be:

(a) Underground services.

(b) Presence of live bare electrical conductors, underground/overhead
insulated cables.
Advice from the authority concerned should be sought prior to start of work.
(c) Ground conditions.
(d) Contract documents.
(e) Nearby schools, footpaths and roads.
(f) Other activities going on the site.

 Common facilities to be provided

Ensure provision of basic facilities to ensure safety, health and welfare of employees
 Site access
Adequate, safe and separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic routes should
 Site boundaries

Fence the construction site to prevent the entry of unauthorised persons on

construction sites, which are located in built-up areas and alongside vehicular and
pedestrian traffic routes.
 Hazard in the Workplace
Hazards & Solutions
For construction, the 10 OSHA standards most frequently included in the agency's
citations in FY 2004 were:

1. Scaffolding
2. Fall protection (scope, application, definitions)
3. Excavations (general requirements)
4. Ladders
5. Head protection
6. Excavations (requirements for protective systems)
7. Hazard communication
8. Fall protection (training requirements)
9. Construction (general safety and health provisions)
10. Electrical (wiring methods, design and protection)

Scaffolding

Hazard: When scaffolds are not erected or used properly, fall hazards can occur. About
2.3 million construction workers frequently work on scaffolds. Protecting these workers
from scaffold-related accidents would prevent an estimated 4,500 injuries and 50
fatalities each year.
Solutions:
 Scaffold must be sound, rigid and sufficient to carry its own weight plus four times
the maximum intended load without settling or displacement. It must be erected on
solid footing.

Fall Protection

Hazard: Each year, falls consistently account for the greatest number of fatalities in the
construction industry. A number of factors are often involved in falls, including unstable
working surfaces, misuse or failure to use fall protection equipment and human error.
Studies have shown that using guardrails, fall arrest systems, safety nets, covers and
restraint systems can prevent many deaths and injuries from falls.
Solutions:
 Consider using aerial lifts or elevated platforms to provide safer elevated working
surfaces;

Ladders

Hazard: Ladders and stairways are another source of injuries and fatalities among
construction workers. OSHA estimates that there are 24,882 injuries and as many as 36
fatalities per year due to falls on stairways and ladders used in construction. Nearly half
of these injuries were serious enough to require time off the job.
Solutions:
 Use the correct ladder for the task.
6 Types of Workplace Hazards.

Hazards exist in every workplace, but how do you know which ones have the
most potential to harm workers? By identifying hazards at your workplace, you will be
better prepared to control or eliminate them and prevent accidents, injuries, property
damage and downtime.
1. Safety Hazards:
Safety Hazards are unsafe working conditions that that can cause injury, illness and
death. Safety hazards are the most common workplace hazards
2. Biological Hazards:
Biological Hazards include exposure to harm or disease associated with working
with animals, people, or infectious plant materials. Workplaces with these kinds of
hazards include, but are not limited to, work in schools, day care facilities, colleges and
universities, hospitals, laboratories, emergency response, nursing homes, or various
outdoor
3. Physical Hazards:
Physical hazards can be any factors within the environment that can harm the body
without necessarily touching it.
4. Ergonomic Hazards:
Occur when the type of work, body positions and working conditions put a strain on
your body. They are the hardest to spot since you don’t always immediately notice the
strain on your body or the harm that these hazards pose. Short-term exposure may
result in “sore muscles” the next day or in the days following the exposure, but long term
exposure can result in serious long-term illness.
5. Chemical Hazards:
Are present when a worker is exposed to any chemical preparation in the workplace
in any form (solid, liquid or gas). Some are safer than others, but to some workers who
are more sensitive to chemicals, even common solutions can cause illness, skin
irritation, or breathing problems.
6. Work Organization Hazards:
Hazards or stressors that cause stress (short term effects) and strain (long term
effects). These are hazards associated with workplace issues such as workload, lack of
control and/or respect, etc.