Health and Safety Aspects in Car Park Construction - Literature review Example

Health and Safety aspects in car park construction Introduction : This report discusses the health and safety aspects in the construction of the multi storey car park in the premises of the University of Central Lancashire. The university has experienced difficulties in car parking due to lack of space. So the management of the university has proposed to build a four storey car parking facility in front of Foster building. The construction company for this car park construction has 150 employees and has hired a luffing tower crane. Being the health and safety advisor for this company, I propose the following health and safety requirements in this report. This report discusses about the background of the construction site. Later the risk associated with the construction, mainly do to crane operation are dealt. As an advisor on health and safety aspects in a construction site, I intend to give this report with aspects of crane operations, hazards involved in it, statutory requirement that are to be met for such an operation and finally some safety and control measures are provided. The Construction Process : A multi storey construction process is a highly complex and risky job which contributes to many accidents and fatal injuries compared to any other working industry. This scenario is due to the fact that there are many heavy vehicles and construction components that are involved in the construction process. One such major component that finds extensive use in construction sites are the cranes ( Richard. L. et al , 2001). There are different types of cranes and the one used in this construction is the luffing tower crane. The map of the construction site shows that the proposed multi storey car park is in between foster and Maudland building. During the construction work, the entrance to Foster Building will be via Maudland Building. This construction site has the corporation street on one side and the Maudland street on another side. In such a situation the operation of cranes and other construction components have to be dealt with high precautions to avoid constructional accidents and injuries. Among all the components used the usage of the tower crane is the one, which has to be given more attention as it may lead to many fatalities. Hence this report gives more emphasis on the health and safety aspects of the lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations related to tower cranes. Design Characteristics of luffing tower cranes : The two main important characteristics of tower carne design are lifting capacity and stability of the crane. These depend on the weight of the load and the distance of the hoist from centre of gravity. These cranes provide a good height and load lifting combination. Generally these cranes have a hammerhead which is fixed horizontally or a variable luffing boom which is angled with respect to the horizontal (Shapiro. L.K. & Shapiro.H.I. , 1998). The simple parts of a crane are the lever, pulley, hydraulic cylinder. To operate with high stability within less space the vertical part is lifted floor by floor using jacks. The boom or jib is fixed to a turntable, where the slewing system is situated. The counterweight is of concrete blocks . These tower cranes are operated by an engineer who either sits in the crane or uses a remote control from ground. The operation of construction cranes requires technical skill and experience as the load capacity, maneuverability and stability of the crane vary for the different types of loads. Knowledge of these design characteristics of the luffing tower crane becomes essential to understand it’s operation. Statutory requirements for crane operations : To ensure safe operation of the lifting equipment, there are certain statutory requirements that have to be satisfied. The government of UK has come out with The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations( LOLER, 1998) to regulate the statutory requirements of lifting instruments. Some of the statutory requirements posed by the LOLER are as follows Strength and stability -- The lifting equipment must have sufficient strength for different types of loads and stability with respect to the mounting point. The attachments of the lifting equipment such as anchoring elements, the interchangeable elements like grab and jib, the lifting accessories such as slings and eyebolts are expected to have good strength. Lifting equipment for lifting persons -- Lifting operations has to ensure the safety of the operator against risks like carrier falling, getting trapped or crushed. A safety chain or suspension rope to free a person who is trapped. Positioning and installation -- The positioning and installation of the lifting equipment must be such that the risk of striking a person is less. The risk due to drifting of the lever , falling from hoist way , unintentional release of the load must be minimized by proper positioning. Organizing the lifting operation -- The lifting operation linked with raising and lowering of the load must be planned properly by a competent person. The organization of the lifting process has to be supervised and it should be done safely. The above mentioned statutory requirements are to be complied by the employer for safe working of the equipment and the workers. Safe system of work : To ensure a safe working environment in the construction site, proper inspection before and during the crane operation is essential ( National Safety Council, 1992). The HSE (LOLER , 1998 ) specifies regulations for the thorough examination and inspection of the lifting equipment. Thorough examination must be done for the following circumstances If the equipment is being used for the first time. Examined after the installation in a new site but before starting the service. This is to check proper installation. The equipment has to be inspected at least every six months for any deterioration. The inspection and examinations are done by a competent authority after an exceptional disaster that might have affected the crane lifting ability. Apart from these, sufficient supervision by a competent person is required during the erection, raising and dismantling of the crane. The supervisor has to certify the support provided by the soil structure for the maximum movement during overturn. Care must be taken to fit proper limit switches to limit the rotating range of 360 degrees. Another aspect for safe working is the consideration for communication between workers because lack of proper communication may lead to disasters. Also the building under construction must be inspected for it’s capability to accept the torque and loading pressure from the crane. This has to be done before installation, else it may lead to the collapse of the structure. Care has to be taken to ensure that workers are not injured by the collapse of the booms after removal of their retaining pins. Further worker should not be allowed to work under the crane boom. The inspection has to be done by a competent person who is trained and qualified. He is expected to have adequate experience. Proper record of inspections has to be maintained with particulars of date and the condition of crane equipments. The specific parts that need to be inspected are as follows The nature and properties of the material that is to be lifted. Stability for full load conditions must be inspected with a note of the Safe Working limit ( SWL) of each and every part of the lifting equipment. Protective measures in case of mains supply failure. Protection against interference due to Electro – Magnetic – Fields (EMF) upon the equipment. This comprehensive inspection procedure and risk assessment has to involve more than one person for precise inspection which will lead to safe working systems. Prominent Hazards associated with luffing tower crane : There are many factors responsible for the disasters and risks at Constructional sites. A survey in Britain says that, cranes are responsible for almost 17% of fatalities at construction sites ( Health and Safety Executive , 1978 ). The fatality occurrence is less among crane operators whereas the rate of fatality is more for the other workers says ( Pratt S.G. et al, 1997). The American Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA says that major factors for deaths related to cranes as follows Electrocution . Crane assembling and dismantling process. Collapse of the boom. Overturn of the crane. Failure in rigging. Improper load or overloading. Accident or striking with the moving load ( Suruda. A. et al, 1997). Wind loading Proximity hazards due to Power lines structures, limited space for maneouvring, lesser stability of the ground. Etc. Other reasons may be due to hooks and hoist. Also cranes may fail to operate and these failure modes could be outrigger failure, killer hooks, side pull, hoist limitations and others (MacCollum, D.V., 1980 ). Control methods or precautions to prevent Hazards : The number of fatalities and injuries due to crane operations can be reduced by proper utilization of certain safety devices. Some of these devices are proposed here. The proximity warning device can detect the existence of Electro Magnetic Fields and they provide a warning signal to the operator ( Suruda . A., 1988). These devices help to reduce the hazards due to electrocution and power line proximity. Electronic monitors may be connected to load pins or tension links to display the weight of the load being lifted . these devices give alarms when there is overload. To avoid collapse of the boom, electrical interlock boom stop systems may be used (MacCollum, D.V., 1995 ). These boom stops does not allow the boom to be raised after a certain angle which could lead to the contact of the lifted load and the under side of the boom. The hazards due to wind loading can be avoided by using wind sensors and pertaining to the weather forecast. The rigger protection mechanisms reduce the fatalities due to rigging failures. The crane cabs must be provide with distortion free safety glass which is resistant to impacts. Non conducting line strings with flags when fitted along the power cables can act as an anti – collision device. Proper training of the crane operators by competent instructors can offer an in depth knowledge about the carne operating principles, this could reduce the hazards due to operator negligence. A routine inspection and maintenance schedule must be followed to identify any non compliance of the equipment standards. The inspection and repair must be done for all parts including electrical parts, mechanical parts, highly stressed parts, hydraulic parts, etc. The above mentioned control measures have to be followed properly to reduce any disaster in the crane operating area and hence the construction area. Conclusion : This report provides a discussion on the health and safety aspects involved in the construction of a four storey car park facility at the University of Central Lancashire. As an advisor on constructional safety, I have proposed the various factors related to this construction. Advice has been given on the operating principles of the luffing tower crane which becomes essential for proper and safe operation of such a crane which is being used by this construction employer. The statutory requirements for the safe operation of the lifting equipment has been advised on the highlight of the LOLER 1998 regulations. Safe systems of work has been insisted with regular and aggressive inspection and maintenance of the lifting equipment and it’s accessories. Some possible hazardous situations and practically possible hazards have been discussed for the knowledge of the operators and workers involved in this car park construction. Later the various possible control measure to prevent disasters and injuries at the construction work site has been detailed. These control measures are discussed in relation to the crane operations as it is perceived that the major hazards in a construction site is due to crane lifting operations. This report has been prepared to ensure a safe working environment to the workers and crane operators by the construction employer and the university management . References : 1. Health and Safety Executive. One Hundred Fatal Accidents in Construction. Her Majesty’s Stationary Of. ce: London, England (1978). 2. MacCollum, D.V.: Construction Safety Planning. Van Nostrand Reinhold: New York (1995). 3. MacCollum, D.V.: Critical Hazard Analysis of Crane Design. Professional Safety 24:31–36 (1980). 4. National Safety Council. Accident Prevention Manual for Business and Industry: Engineering and Technology. 10th ed. National Safety Council: U.S.A. (1992). 5. Pratt, S.G.; Kisner, S.M.; Moore, P.H.: Machinery-Related Fatalities in the Construction Industry. Am J Ind Med 32:42–50 (1997). 6. Richard L. Neitzel, Noah S. Seixas, and Kyle K. Ren, A Review of Crane Safety in the Construction Industry, Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene Volume 16(12): 1106–1117, 2001, Copyright Applied Industrial Hygiene 1047-322X, 2001. 7. Shapiro, L.K.; Shapiro, H.I.: Construction Cranes. Scienti. c American 258:72–79 (1988). 8. Suruda, A.; Egger, M.; Liu, D.: Crane-Related Deaths in the U.S. Construction Industry 1984–94. The Center to Protect Workers’, Rights (Report No. D2-97) (1997). 9. Suruda, A.: Electrocution atWork. Prof Safety 27–32, July 1988. 10. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations( LOLER, 1998) , Read More