Health Hazards Faced in the Process of Faade Retention and General Construction Processes - Literature review Example

Report on Health Hazards Faced in the Process of Façade Retention and General Construction Processes, and Measures for Managing those Hazards Name Institutional Affiliation Date Introduction In most urban areas, building constructions are usually controlled in order to maintain the initial appearance of the site before the development and enhance its historical appearance. The building policies in these urban areas require developers to insert the new construction behind the existing façade. Requirements for façade retention may be on the whole construction site, or for a number of faces of the construction. The new structure is, therefore, expected to fit into the site of construction without reforming or alteration of the façade appearance (Rheuben 1995). In retention of facades, the rules set to regulate constructions require that safety standards be highly upheld. Construction safety guidelines state that the safety of the workers should be given first priority in any construction scenario. In the current world of machinery and technological revolution, extensive use of machines in construction processes has been witnessed (Thorpe 2005). These automated machines substitute human in most of the manual construction tasks .However, they are operated by human in all their operations and that posses a lot of health hazards to the operator which include injury to the ears due to noise pollution and other hazards which can result from malfunction of the machinery. This report expounds on the health hazards which a faced in the process of façade retention and general construction processes. Measures for managing these hazards are also suggested. Identifying Health Hazards One of the most hazardous and accident-prone working environments is the construction site. Everyday construction workers are exposed to excessive construction site dangers that could result in injury or even death. Construction companies can prevent this from happening if they are familiar and they know how to identify all these potential dangers. At the same time, construction workers must be aware of their susceptibility to any harm or injury in their workplace (Hughes & Ferrett 2007). Facade retention and demolition involve a lot of health safety hazards, which need to be analysed and necessary precautions taken to avoid occurrence of injury to the people carrying out the task. Some of the hazards involved are discussed herein: Poor control in collapsing of structures is one of the common hazards. To retain a construction site facade, collapse and demolition of transforming structures is necessary. The process of demolition should be carried out in a safe way by use of the necessary machinery and application of measures to counter the hazards which may result in the demolition process. Some of the measures include safety gear like helmets, safety boots and gloves (Hughes & Ferrett 2007). Channels for supply of essential services should also be monitored to avoid interfering with them. Interference of some of these channels can cause a great risk at the construction site. For example, gas supply pipes should be highly safeguarded from any accidental breakage. Small leakages on these pipes can lead to fire break out and explosions too. Similarly electric cables, if interfered with, can cause short circuiting which cannot only cause fire, but can also lead to destruction of electrical appliances in the construction site. Some of the other channels to be safeguarded include water pipes, cables, telecommunication cables and sewerage drainage pipes (Great Britain 1995). Hazardous chemicals and objects that can result in demolition activity should too be handled carefully. These include broken glass and metal and all other hazardous material resulting from a demolition process (European Agency for Safety & Health at Work, 2004). The above picture shows one of the injuries, which can be caused by collision of personnel and machinery. Excavation is one of the construction site activities which poses great hazard to the construction site workers. Every year cases of injuries sustained out of this process keep on rising. Curbing of this hazard can be done by both the employee and the employer working together to in upholding health safety standards in such operations. Proper operation of excavation machinery and use of protective are some of the solutions to excavation related hazards. Electricity and electric cables are also another health safety threat in a construction site and mainly in the activities involved in facade retention on a construction site (Theodossopoulos 2012). Keeping a safe distance from live powerlines or switching off the lines in cases where interruption of the cable systems is inevitable are some of the solutions which can help contain the hazard. Ladders and stairways are another leading health hazard, which is responsible for a large number of construction site injuries. Construction ladders are sometimes erected to a very great height for example in construction of skyscrapers .Any wrong move made on these ladders can lead to severe injuries or even instant death. Falling from such high places which include scaffolding, rooftops and ladders is mainly caused by slipping, poor stability in ladders and tripping (Halpin & Woodhead 1998). Training how to enhance safety on a construction site and especially how to stay safe when working at great heights should be given to the workers. Fall protection equipment should also be provided to the employees and training offered on how to use them for enhancing of their safety (Charytonowicz & Skowronski 2013). Scaffold failures are caused by dysfunction of some of their parts which may result from lack of proper servicing and poor use by the workers. Electrical shocks and collapse of building materials are some of the other reasons which lead to falling off a scaffold. Falling heavy equipment is another health hazard which is rampant in a construction site. This is mainly caused by failure of machinery like cranes and tipper trailers (Rheuben 1995). Moving machinery like backhoes and trucks hit construction workers working on the ground. If all construction safety guidelines are observed, all the above mentioned health hazards can be curbed and possible injuries prevented (Charytonowicz & Skowronski 2013). Injury caused by a backhoe Dangers faced by workers at a construction site on daily basis are cannot be avoided ,but can possibly be prevented if the construction workers learn how to identify any health hazards at their working area and take necessary precautions to prevent occurrence of an injury. The management also needs to withhold high health safety standards in their companies and establish a training scheme on safety which should be mandatory to all new workers. A general upgrade of infrastructure ,machinery and all other mechanical equipment should be done regularly .This will ensure proper functionality of machinery and equipment which reduces the probability of malfunction .It also aims at creating the safest possible conditions of working by reducing hazards faced in the process of working which in turn increases worker productivity (Ridley 2004). Gould & Joyce (2003) holds that arrangement of the working area is a factor which plays a major role in easing up construction processes. Shading a working area of the ground workers in a construction is also important in providing them with a conducive environment for optimum productivity in their various fields. Good housekeeping is another factor which enhances safety in the work place. Misplacement of tools and sharp objects can cause injuries if they are accidentally stepped on. Sanitation facilities in a construction are very important. It enhances hygiene and boosts worker output. Ridley (2004) suggests that, as a way of motivation to the workers to uphold high safety standards, the workers should be given a token as a way of recognising anyone who strictly follows the set health safety regulations. This will make the workers realise how much their employer values their health and safety and will motivate them more. Risk Assessment When undertaking the various processes of facade retention, there is need for assessment of the risks involved. The following factors are considered in risk assessment; Structures to be demolished to enhance facade retention and method to be applied demolition process. Time schedule for the work. The longer time a project the more the probability of health hazard occurrence is increased Work place layout .This includes identification of any health hazards which may be present. Equipment to be used for various site tasks and qualifications and skill required for the equipment operators. Health safety hazards vary with type of construction equipments. Some of the common exposures which might occur at the construction site for example exposure to noise pollution. The total number of workers to be involved .An increase in number of workers increases the probability of risk occurrence. After analyzing the above factors, it is possible to adopt the most suitable working method and schedule to completely avoid or minimize the hazards involved. For example, construction of large structures requires extensive use of cranes and scaffolds. Movement of material within the site inclusive of access routes, nature of haul routes and the distance between the location of storage and location of use and equipment to be used is determined (Emmitt, Barry & Gorse 2014). Risk control Construction sites have several control methods which are applied to manage the present hazards .The hazard control methods are arranged in a certain order with the one given the highest priority at the top of the list and the hazard with the least priority at the bottom. This format is known as the risk control hierarchy (Illingworth 2000). The hazard which has the most effective control method is eliminated first and in cases where complete elimination is unachievable, minimization of the risk is done by: Substituting In moving of heavy material from one location to another, use of fork lift or a crane substitutes the risk of muscle straining and twisting of joints resulting from manual movement of the load (Doran 2004). Isolation Isolation is done by use of barriers to separate construction site machines and the general workers and it helps prevent injury to the workers, which can be caused by collision with the machines or stray objects thrown in the way by the machines. Engineering Excavators should have a structure protecting the operator from falling objects to minimize the risk of injury. For a health hazard that cannot be minimized by any available measures, reasonable and practicable administrative controls should be implemented. These include installation of warning signs declaring exclusion zones and giving directives on how to avoid present hazards to the people on site (Doran 2004). Any other hazards can be minimized by use of personal protective equipment which includes safety boots, protective helmets and visibility vests. Administrative and personal protective measures solely depend on the user behaviour and supervision by the authority in place. These two do not minimize the risk but protect the worker in case of occurrence of the risk Gibb & Sher 1999). Some of the protection gear needed in a construction site Training and Supervision Workers should receive training on machine operation and also on; The nature of the health hazards and risks involved in various tasks. Ways of carrying out tasks safely on the construction site and various emergency procedures applicable on site. A constructions foreman should supervise and ensure the entire work force exercise the recommended health safety measures in their operations. Reviewing Risk Control Measures According to Doran (2004), health and safety control measures put in place should be reviewed on regular basis to make sure that they are effective and to modify any measures which are found to be less effective. Below are some of the situations which call for instant reviewing of safety measures put in place. When the control measure implemented seems not to be effective. When there is a change of activities in the workplace which are likely to bring new health safety hazards. In this case review is necessary since the old measures do not accommodate the newly emerged risks. If there is rise of a new health hazard. When the health and safety authorities demand for revision of the safety measures. Conclusion As stated in the above report, health safety in a construction site should be given the first priority. There are guideline provided by the health safety board which regulates health safety practices in companies and construction sites. To eradicate a certain health hazard, there should be its identification first, followed by analysis of possible solution to the health hazard. The most appropriate solution should achievable financially and practically applicable. Administrative and personal protective measures are applied where all other measures cannot be used. In implementation of safety measures, the most vital and effective measures should be given first priority with the least effective coming last. In conclusion, health safety measures are implemented in a construction site for better performance by workers, improved output and for general safe and smooth operation of all the processes involved. References Charytonowicz, J., & Skowronski, M. (2013). Facade Retention Accomplishments in View of Ergonomic Design. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 264-272. Doran, D. (2004). Site engineers manual. Latheronwheel, Whittles. Emmitt, S., Barry, R., & Gorse, C. A. (2014). Barry's advanced construction of buildings. Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons Inc. European Agency For Safety And Health At Work. (2004). Achieving better safety & health in construction: information report. Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Gibb, A. G. F., & Sher, W. D. (1999). Technical & managerial challenges of facade retention. 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Theodossopoulos, D. (2012). Structural design in building conservation. London, Taylor and Francis. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=83128. Thorpe, B. (2005). Health & safety in construction design. Aldershot, Hants, England, Gower. Top of Form Read More