Health, Safety and Welfare for Construction and the Built Environment - Essay Example

1. Select a method of hazard identification using data in Labour Department or your own company (P3 Answer: Hazard identification method is very important for our High Rise Construction LTD site. We give the most priority to the health and safety of our valued workers. In order to identify hazards, our safety supervisor always walks around the construction site. Their main duty is to identify the likely chances of hazards occurring. We urge them to take a cue from the department of labour to check if there are any poisonous elements within the construction site. We also urge the supervisor to identify if there is any equipment that has malfunctioned as well as to identify other likely causes of hazard and their degree of severity. We also try to figure out the magnitude of the hazard as well as the people who are likely to be injured or probable chances of casualties. We also use data for the department of labour to ascertain if certain types of identified risks are preventable as well as their chances of recurrence. When we have compiled the information about probable chances of hazards at the construction site, a decision is made based on this particular information. We also analyse the statistics of similar hazards identified or that have occurred in other construction sites in order to come up with effective solutions to prevent them. The diagram below illustrates the methods we use to identify potential hazards at out construction site. 2. Identify the hazards associated with construction processes at your construction site (P3.2) There are different hazards that can be found at our construction site. These can happen any time and they are often caused by various factors. These are described below. The most common hazards in any construction site include slips, trips and falls. These may cause both minor and severe injuries. Slips are common on wet surfaces while falls and trips can occur at any stage of construction. Scaffolds are very useful but need to be carefully mounted. They can fall if they are not properly mounted and they can cause severe injuries even death. Lifting crane is a commonly used for lifting building material like bricks, cement, sand and other material. However, there is a risk that the items may fall which can cause injuries among the employees. The retention walls can collapse which is another form of hazard at the construction site. Power tools are used at a given construction site. Power cuts or short circuits can cause severe damage to the equipment as well as injuries to the operators. Sharp tools are also used in a construction site. These instruments may cause harm especially to the inexperienced employees and visitors. Strain, sprain and chronic injuries are also common in the construction site particularly among inexperienced employees. Mental and physical stress can also lead to chronic disorder, strain or sprain. Cement is a strong alkali and it can be a form of hazard if the employees hold it with naked hands. Protective gloves should be used to avoid skin cancer. 3. Explain the use of standard formats for identifying and recording hazards on site (P3.3) Answer: Standard formats for identifying and record hazards on site are mainly used for presenting a solid basis upon which all hazards can be measured, interpreted as well as addressed. Our company has its own standard form of identifying and recording hazards. We mainly use this standard form to get feedback from the employees and supervisors. It provides all possible and probable hazards so safety supervisors do not need to think a lot during questioning. He just needs to follow the standard form. Another very important use of the standard form is to compile data. If we don’t have any standard form to identify hazard, collected data will be a mess. Finding out data from that mess will be very hard. By using the standard form, we can compile the data as our requirement. We just need to set the standard form in the desired format. Sample form contains the date of assessment. It makes record of assessment date. We may check if the review is too old or not. By using standard form to identify and record hazards, we actually make this data collection procedure independent to safety supervisor. That means that it is very helpful if the safety supervisor is skilled, but if he is not, he just need to fill up the standard form. 4. Explain how risk assessments are used to address significant hazards (P3.4) Answer: Accident Triangle shows near misses are very high in number and 10 times greater than any accident and 300 times greater than a fatal accident. Actually no severe hazard occurs without any previous similar near misses. In our company, High Rise Construction Ltd., we give highest preference to these near misses in our risk assessment. When we get information we do research on it. Then we try to prevent the cause of near misses. If we succeed or nearly succeed, we may say we have reduced the probability of great hazards. For example, say we record 5 events of individual boxes falling from lifting crane in our construction site in a week, that means addressing the issue related to the hazard common and should be prevented in the future. Therefore, it would be high time to take precautions against the falling boxes. This can help us to get the solutions to the problem of falling boxes. This may mean firing the crane driver and replacing him with an experienced person. This would reduce the probability of the same event occurring by 15 times which dramatically improves the working environment. We encourage employees to report all near misses in the company and the data will be analysed to help us to find solutions that can be used to address the hazard. 5. Explain how to monitor and review risk assessments in light of changes to circumstances(P4.1) Answer: Monitoring and reviewing risk assessment is a process that is often carried by the supervisors over a period of time. There are often different changes to circumstances and these pose different threats which need to be properly monitored. If we find that our employees are not always following our custom safe work procedures, we do review our procedures to ensure that they provide appropriate safeguards and reflect current work practices, processes, equipment and PPE used in the task. We also ensure that the procedures taken into account consider the different circumstances under which the task may be performed. If the procedure is not being followed, either workers (including supervisors) need to change what they are doing, or the procedure needs to be changed to reflect what is actually occurring. Then we do double check our safety procedure. If the procedures appear appropriate and up-to-date, we asked some questions. Is the problem related to training or supervision to the employee? Have our workers been trained and assessed against the procedures before commencing the task? Are they adequately supervised in accordance with the procedures and their competence level? Do we and our supervisors always follow the procedures? Then we determine if any technological changes have taken place since our last review which could make the working environment safer. 6. Evaluate changes in safety procedure or safety policy (P4.2) Answer: Changes in safety procedure or safety policy are very important because there are different conditions on the construction site which make it imperative to implement certain changes. Changes in safety procedure or safety policy make it more efficient. Such changes minimize the risk and maximize the profit and they also decrease injuries, deaths, accidents and hazards. The following questions help us to determine if there is need for change. Is there any safety procedure exits? If so, is that enough? If no, what is lacking? How to solve this problem? How much does it cost? Is acceptable in accordance to SFAIRP? Will it change the working environment? Will it cause any new hazard? What will be its impacts? Is there any different way to solve the situation? If so, which one is best? Upon getting answers to the above questions, the company is then in a position to evaluate the change and safety procedure. When the decisions for change have been made, they are implemented. After implementation, evaluation becomes very important because it helps us to monitor progress in the changes that have been implemented. If the change is good, it is applied but if it needs further changes, then the necessary steps are taken. 7. Justify the effectiveness of the implemented changes stated in Question 6 (P4.3) Answer: In our company we take some steps to find the effectiveness of the implementation of change in safety procedure or safety plan. We have some common questions that we ask ourselves to get the answer whether it is effective enough or not? Those questions are outlined below. Does it eliminate the probability of Hazard? If no, does it decrease the probability of accident or hazard? Is it satisfactory? Is it as predicted as in decision making level? If no, can we decrease the probability of accident more? Is it acceptable in accordance to SFAIRP? Is it acceptable to all workers? If no, what are the problems? Are there any new possibilities of different types of hazards or accidents? If so, identify the new hazard conditions and safety precautions. How much does the hazard increase the cost of construction? Does it break any condition of insurance? The answers to these questions give us very clear insight of justification of change in safety procedure or safety policy. 8. Produce two risk assessments in your workplaces and forms of work (P5.1) Answer: Construction Site Risk Assessment Company Name: High Rise Construction Ltd. Date: 14-Jan-2014 Assessment carried by: Next review date: 14-Feb-2014 Collect data from previous work Read all previous review, risk assessment of our company Know about guideline Read more than once the guidelines very carefully. If you don’t understand anything please contact your supervisor. Visit the construction site Visit the construction site. Get information from workers and other employees for instance. Collect data Ask all these question to all employees. Is there any poisonous element? Is there any malfunctioning equipment? What is the likely cause of hazard? How severe will it be? What is the probability of occurrence? Who will be the victim? Will it cause death? If no, how severe the hazard may be? Is it preventable? If so, how? How to lessen risk of this hazard? Analysis the collected data Define all possible hazards, their frequency, damage power, victims for instance. Frequency of hazard High, Medium or Low? Damage of hazard High, Medium or low? Risk of Hazard Depending on frequency and damage High, Medium or Low? Make decision Is it acceptable by SFAIRP If not, how far can its risk be minimized. Implementation Implement the decision. Effectiveness of implementation Does it eliminate or decrease the probability of the hazard? Is it satisfactory? Is it as predicted as in decision making level? If no, can we decrease the probability of accident more? Is it acceptable to all workers? Is there any possibility of different types of hazard or accident? Construction Site Risk Assessment Company Name: High Rise Construction Ltd. Date: 14-Jan-2014 Assessment carried by: Next review date: 14-Feb-2014 Hazard Who might be harmed? Present condition Frequency of Hazard Damage of Hazard What action is needed? When needed? Falling Anyone No precaution High Medium Training, Consciousness Immediately Power shock Workers All wire are safe Low High Recruit electricians At the time of power tool use Retaining wall failure Excavation workers No precaution Low High Check the strength of retaining wall At the time of excavation Falling box Anyone Experienced lifting crane operator. High Medium Consciousness At the time of lifting equipment. Scaffold collapse Anyone Nothing Low Medium Use scaffold carefully At the time of using scaffold References Healthandsafetyworksni.gov.uk. 2014. Example Risk Assessments and Template | Health and Safety Works Northern Ireland. [online] Available at: http://www.healthandsafetyworksni.gov.uk/example_risk_assessments_and_template [Accessed: 14 Jan 2014]. Hse.gov.uk. 2014. Risk management: Five steps to risk assessment. [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/fivesteps.htm [Accessed: 14 Jan 2014]. Hse.gov.uk. 2014. HSE: Publications. [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ [Accessed: 14 Jan 2014]. Lni.wa.gov. 2014. Request Consultation. [online] Available at: http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Basics/Assistance/Consultation/default.asp [Accessed: 14 Jan 2014]. Read More