The Design and Construction of Motorway Project Required Bulk Continuous Excavation - Coursework Example

Assume that you are a CDM coordinator involved with the design and construction of motorway project which will require bulk continuous excavation such as outlined in the scraper exercise. Name Task Lecturer 9th March, 2012 Introduction The construction design management regulations became adopted by the British government in 2007, to aid in implementation of civil engineering projects. The regulations came into force following a European Union directive commonly referred as, the construction sites directive. These regulations seek to involve engineering project managers in implementing health and safety regulations within the constructing projects. Through utilization of these regulations, project managers could ensure that safety and health applications remain present throughout engineering project implementation period. While engineering projects remain essential for development of the country, the impacts of the implementation process for these projects could be catastrophic. The reduction of imminent risks within the projects remains essential towards safe implementation of the entire project (Bailey, 2002). The aim of this report remains identifying the imminent hazards within the project that could present a danger to people working on the project. This report seeks to establish an informed analysis concerning the health and safety regulation required in engineering projects. Through identification of the imminent risks, the contractors could essentially implement safety operation processes, significantly reducing safety concerns during construction. This report seeks to identify the imminent hazards for contractors during construction and workers after project completion. The project engineers could utilize the proposals contained in this report in ensuring safety for individuals involved in the project. Description of works This project involves construction of a motorway seeking to replace the existing M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project shall involve numerous and continuous excavation processes within the lifetime of construction. The excavation process involves the production of massive amounts of dust, which becomes a potential health hazard for individuals living within the vicinity, and the people working on the project. The process of excavating materials within the construction site comes at the centre of the project. Through excavation, the engineers could achieve a significant level of project implementation. Designing the site into the required form shall involve a continuous bulk excavation process. The proposed route for the motorway passes through Greenfield and Brownfield land, which continue to be associated with mining of different minerals. These areas have numerous deposits of coal and steels minerals. During the construction process, the materials excavated from the site should be carefully handled to reduce the prevalent risks produced by the mining processes of these minerals. While different activities might be affected by construction, the imminent hazards following excavation through coal mines remain a surmountable safety concern. Upon removal of the topsoil, an analysis of the contents of the soil should e performed to determine the presence of harmful elements within the soil. Through this analysis, proper disposal methods could be implemented to ensure reduction of the imminent hazards produced by the material. The project could potentially generate a significant amount of waste materials and remnants of the construction materials utilized. Following the completion of the project, disposal of these materials is likely to become fundamental in ensuring safe working environment for people maintaining the project. Disposal of the waste materials generated remains a fundamental post-construction safety and health concern. The waste disposal operation seeks to ensure the environment remains safe for the people after completion of the project (Lagrega et al, 2010). The maintenance employees would be working in safe environments when all generated wastes become disposed in safe methods. The provision of a safe working environment for maintenance employees remains a fundamental responsibility of the project contractors. Possible Hazards The project site contains numerous possible hazards to the safety and health of contractors and other workers within the project. The motorway passes through a coal mining zone presenting a surmountable hazard to the contractor. Coal produces a highly flammable gas identified as firedamp. The flammability of this gas presents a surmountable safety concern for fires within the construction site. The presence of fires utilized in burning of bitumen immensely increases the risk of firedamp explosions within the construction site. The presence of these gases within areas containing coals would significantly amount to a prevalent hazard within this construction site. The presence of coal dust could significantly increase the capability for these fires spread quickly. The spread of these fires could potentially amount to immense explosions, which could become catastrophic within the construction. The coal dust, therefore, remains a potential hazard within the construction site following the presence of coal mines within the identified site. The possibility of these sites containing coal deposits remains a potential health hazard to employees working within the project. Coal dust remains highly susceptible to combustion than coal lumps (Singh, 2004). Within the construction site, the deposits of coal shall be converted into dust through the excavation processes being undertaken. The project engineers need to control the amount of coal dust released into the atmosphere as a method of reducing the possibility of explosions. According to Guthrie (1993) this control could be performed through constructing chimneys that could redirect the produced dust to a safe collection area. This could potentially reduce the amount of coal dust present within the construction environment. Collection of the coal dust could enable the engineers to utilize the collected dust in valuable economic use. The collected dust could be used for generating energy within other areas of the construction process. The collected dust could be utilized for burning the bitumen utilized in the lining of the tarmac on completion of the excavation process. Owing to numerous industrial activities within the construction site, the presence of asbestos could become another possible hazard within the site. The health concerns presented by asbestos within the human environment remain potentially catastrophic. Various types of asbestos fibers continue to be associated with different chronic illnesses in humans. Among the notable illnesses, associated with exposure to asbestos, are malignant cancer and pneumoconiosis; both present catastrophic effects to individuals contacting them (Castleman, 1996). These illnesses could be contacted through inhaling of air containing unidentified fibers of the element. The compositions of these elements present critical health hazards to humans when inhaled in large quantities. Following presence of asbestos within the construction site, the site could potentially contain various contaminated elements within the soil. This would include contaminated drinking water from natural sources. While naturally occurring asbestos deposits do not present any known hazards, the deposits present within the site come from industrial activities undertaken within the region. These activities could present various fibers of asbestos that remain harmful to human health. The regulations, present within the European Union, prohibit the manufacturing of asbestos containing products, and mining of asbestos. This means that the project engineers cannot economically utilize any deposits of asbestos collected from the construction site. According to Lagrega (2010) the disposal of these materials should be carried out in a landfill site as hazardous waste material. As an established steel manufacturing region, the construction site could potentially contain deposits of chromium – an element utilized in protection of steel from rusting effects. While small amounts of this element present no known health hazards, consumption of chromate ions remains catastrophic. The chromium IV element presents acute toxicity concerns for human health. This compound has strong oxidation properties which affect various organs within the human body. Among the most notable hazards of this element include renal and liver failure resulting from oxidation activities. The CDM Implications The provisions provided through the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) assist in regulating the operations undertaken during the construction. The regulations stipulate the various elements involved in ensuring safety of the workers involved within a civil construction project. The regulation requires employees working within the project to gain unlimited access to all safety accessories provided by the project management. This ensures that the employees remain within the scope for safe working conditions during the construction, and after project completion. The regulations require working areas to contain safety equipment aimed at ensuring safety within the construction site. The CDM requires the provision of essential amenities which could potentially enhance safety during construction. The presence of coal dust within this site, for example, shall necessitate the provision of fire fighting equipment capable of handling a conflagration resulting from firedamp explosions. These amenities seek to enhance the safety and health concerns for workers during construction. The regulation also requires the provision of sufficient emergency evacuation procedures during cases of emergency that could occur during project implementation period. Other implications of the CDM include ensuring of stability of structures throughout the construction period. Movement of parts during construction could potentially weaken the structures utilized in the project construction. The regulations require continuous testing of the strength of structures to minimize accidents occurring from weakened structures collapsing. Dismantling of any temporary structures must be recorded before beginning the demolition activities. According to Turner (2008), safety measures ought to be included within the project to ensure that, parts of the excavation do not collapse during the construction process. The regulation also requires that all inspection processes be carried out and reported within seven days of inspection. Conclusion The regulations provided by the CDM essentially ensure the safety on workers within construction projects. During the construction of the proposed motorway, numerous safety concerns could arise from the imminent hazards within the construction route. The presence of various hazardous, industrial elements within the construction site presents potential hazards for the project management to control. Proper implementation of the project would include provision of safety measures seeking to address health concerns from the possible hazards. Addressing the safety concerns could ensure that minimal risks remain during the entire construction and maintenance processes. Complying with the regulations provided within the CDM guideline remains essential for the successful completion of the motorway construction project. The project management should include safety provisions within the project structure to reduce accidents from occurring during construction. References Bailey, R. A. (2002) Chemistry of the environment, (2nd Ed.). San Diego, California: Academic Press. Castleman, B. I. (1996) Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, (4th edition). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Aspen Law and Business. Guthrie G. B. et al (1993) Health Effects of Mineral Dusts, Mineralogical Society of America. Lagrega, M. D. et al (2010) Hazardous Waste Management. Chicago: Waveland Pr Inc. Singh, R. D. (2004) Principles and Practices of Modern Coal Mining. New Delhi, India: New age International. Turner, J. M. (2008) Excavation Systems Planning, Design, and Safety. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More