Health and Safety Managment in Construction - Literature review Example

NЕW РЕRSРЕСTIVЕS ОF НЕАLTH АND SАFЕTY МАNАGЕMЕNT IN CONSTRUCTION: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, TRENDS, AND STRATEGY Name Name of Class Name of Professor Institution Affiliation City and State Date New Реrsресtivеs of Неаlth and Safety Маnаgеmеnt in Construction: Contemporary Issues, Trends, and Strategy Introduction Occupational health and safety is an important aspect of all industries and businesses, including traditional manufacturing industries, information technology companies, care homes, schools, universities, National Health Service to name but a few. Occupational health and safety is particularly important in the construction industry given the many hazards that people working in this industry are exposed to. Construction is the UK’s largest industry, contributing up to 8% of the country’s GDP with an annual turnover of £ 250 billion (Hughes& Ferret 2013, p.2). The industry consists of three main sub-industries, namely the construction of buildings, civil engineering and specialised constructions, which collectively accounts for 6% of the UK’s workforce (HSE 2016, p.3). Despite having a world reputation for the quality of its work, the UK construction industry remains one of the most dangerous to work in. The industry reported a fatal injury rate of 3.4 per 100 000 in the 2004/2005 period, a significantly higher rate compared to the industrial average of 0.8. The 2006/2007 period saw an increase in the rate of fatal injuries reported in the industry by 28%. The HSE reports that between 2011/2012 and 2014/2015, the number of construction workers suffering from work-related illnesses per year was 69,000. This figure represents approximately 3.1% of workers in the construction sector. The work-related injuries in the construction sector have dire implications for the workers, employers as well as the whole sector in general. Apart from making the lives of the injured workers miserable, the work-related injuries also contribute to lowered industry output. It is reported that due to the increasing rate of work-related injuries, the industry reported an 11.5% decline in output in 2009. The UK has stringent health and safety protocols, including laws and regulations, aimed at minimising the occurrence of accidents in the construction industry and mitigating the impact of the said accidents. This paper seeks to highlight the contemporary issues, trends, and strategy in the UK construction industry, with particular focus being on the current health and safety laws and regulations. Trends and Strategy in the UK Construction Industry Despite accounting for only 6% of the UK’s total workforce, the construction industry is responsible for one of the highest rate of fatal and major injuries in the workplace. This is a clear indicator that occupational safety and health in the construction industry in the UK is of great significance (Griffith and Howart 2013, p.3). The most of the hazards that workers in the construction industry are exposed to and the ensuing injuries are often beyond the control of the workers. However, most of the incidences leading to the injuries can be avoided using a variety of approaches such as health and safety training (Sheratt 2016, p.5). The frequent occurrence of work-related injuries in the construction industry has led to the establishment of a regulatory framework aimed at ensuring that all the relevant stakeholders actively participate in the process of safety and health management (Sheratt 2016, p.5). Griffith and Howart (2013, p.3) point out that poor health and safety management costs the UK construction industry millions of pounds every year. Apart from the high amount of money that is lost, poor health and safety management in construction also costs lives. Sheratt (2016, p.5) points out that according to a report published by the Health and Safety Executive in 2014, the construction industry in the UK was responsible for 31% of fatal injuries, 10% of reported injuries and 6% of over-7 day injuries to employees despite accounting for a relatively smaller portion of UK’s total workforce. For the period between 2013 and 2014 alone, the industry reported 42 incidences of fatal injuries to workers. The total number of workdays lost as a result of work-related injuries within the same period was 592 000, translating to 1.1 days lost for each worker in the industry. In their most recent report, the HSE (2016, p.2) reports that each year, 3% of workers in the construction industry suffer from an illness they believe is occupational-related and that another 3% sustain work-related injuries. This translates to an average loss of 1.7 million working days per annum. The number of fatal accidents in the construction industry has drastically declined over the last decade. The annual average rate of work-related illness for the 2013/14 period relative to the rate in the 2003/04 period is less by a quarter (HSE 2016, p.11). The prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers has also been on a downward trend, declining by 20% between the 2003/04 period and 2013/14 period. Relative to the five-year average for the period between 2010/11 and 2014/15, the number of fatal injuries among workers in the industry in the 2014/15 period declined by 20%. However, the rate of worker fatal injury in the sector was 3.5 times higher than the average rate across all industries. The above statistics show that the UK’s construction industry remains one of the most hazardous industries to work in. Compared to other industries, the construction industry’s health and safety record over the past 10 years has generally been poor. The current rates of serious injuries, illness, and death remain relatively high, meaning that the industry still has to grapple with the perpetual and unswerving challenge of delivering and maintaining a safe working environment. Creating such a working environment calls for all the stakeholders in the industry to have a clear vision, employ a systematic approach and exhibit a sustained commitment to improvement. In the past, most stakeholders in the construction industry considered health and safety management to be a production site activity. However, the past few years have seen a paradigm shift in which health and safety is now a holistic consideration and an integrated responsibility of duty holders across the industry and the total construction process (Griffith & Howarth 2013, p.3). Griffith and Howarth (2013, p.3) also mention that health and safety management has become an important component of the corporate organisational framework and structure together with the operational management of many firms who participate in the construction process. Rawlinson and Farrell (2010, p.435) hold a similar opinion, pointing out that many UK contractors have embraced corporate social responsibility and included health and safety under this remit. As a response to the Health and Safety Commission campaign dubbed Revitalising Health and Safety in 2000, the construction industry in the UK set a target of reducing the rate of fatal and major injuries to workers in the industry by 40% 2004/05 and by 66% in 2009/10 (Hughes & Ferret 2013, p.3). Significant gains have been made as far as shown by the downward trend in the number of fatalities and incidences. These gains can be attributed to the increasing levels of awareness and recognition among key stakeholders in the industry. According to Griffith and Howarth (2013, p.3), significant advances have been made in the health and safety management practices in the construction industries, thanks to the many laws and regulations that have been set in place. Of particular importance have been the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, commonly known as the CDM regulations established in 1994, came into effect in 1995, and later updated in 2015. Griffith and Howarth (2013, p.3) argue that these regulations have made a profound contribution to the cultural shift in health, safety and welfare legislation in the UK construction industry. Current Laws and Regulations The current laws and regulations aim at ensuring that key stakeholders in the construction industry meet the established health and safety standards. The legislations that affect the building and construction industry in the UK generally fall under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This is the primary source of health and safety regulations in the UK. The main objective of introducing this law was to unify the existing legislation and to raise awareness of occupational health and safety (Griffiths 2013, p.8). The act outlined the general duties and responsibilities of employers, employees as well as the self-employed with regard to the promotion of good health and safety during work-related activities. The act established the Health and Safety Commission as well as the Health and Safety Executive, outlining their roles in promoting occupational health and safety (Griffiths 2013, p.8). The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 also has the ability to create specific health and safety regulations whose main purpose is to offer support to the principles of the primary law (Griffiths 2013, p.8). CDM regulations augment the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act as well as additional legislations, including the Management of Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the Construction (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations of 1996 (Ashworth 2013, p.305). The CDM regulation clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the construction industry, namely clients, contractors, and designers. The regulations also provide for the role and responsibilities of new duty holders who include the principal contractors and the planning supervisor (Griffiths 2010, p.8). The CDM also requires the key stakeholders to have in place several documentations such as the health and safety file and the health and safety plan. The main aim of the documentation is to ensure that all the participants in the industry are well versed with industry standards and laws as far as the promotion of health and safety is concerned (Griffiths 2010, p.8). The CDM regulations were established as the UK’s response to the EU directive 92/57/EEC. The CDM regulations came into effect despite the existence of other laws and regulations aimed at promoting health and safety in the industry such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act of 1974. The CDM regulations were seen as an alternative way of addressing the shortcomings of the already existing laws. Coming into effect in 1995 marked the start of a new era in the UK’s construction industry as far as the management of health and safety was concerned. Griffiths (2013, p.6) discusses the early years of implementing the CDM regulation and points out that it commenced with the publication of an initially approved code of practice whose primary objective was to provide practical guidance and advice on how to best apply the regulations. The Health and Safety executive was also at the forefront in encouraging stakeholders to be aware of these regulations by making available a series of information sheets on certain areas of the CDM (Griffiths 2013, p.6). During its initial years, the CDM regulations were largely misunderstood. According to Griffiths (2013, p.6), several factors, including lack of clarity and lack of interest from respective industry bodies to embrace change, might have contributed to this misunderstanding. To encourage a better understanding of the regulations, the Health and Safety Executive organised a review of the Approved Code of Practice (Griffiths 2013, p.6). The industry players were requested to contribute to the review process, a move that culminated into a new Approved Code of Practice that came into effect in 2002. The new Approved Code of Practice proved to be quite influential in providing information to assist with the practical implementation of the CDM regulations (Griffiths 2013, p.6). However, industry players felt that the regulations were still far-removed from the aim of adding value to the existing laws and regulations and the whole process of health and safety management (Griffiths 2013, p.6). Industry players were consulted again in 2005, a process that led to the rebranding of the CDM regulations in 2007. The most recent rebranding of the CDM regulations took place in 2015. The new set of CDM regulations apply to all construction projects, save for several small-scale projects. Ashworth (2013, p.307) points out that the key features of health and safety management under the CDM regulations are risk assessment, competence, and adequate resources, cooperation, and coordination as well as provision of information, Under risk assessment, the regulations require participating parties to identify and assess health and safety risk of the project and ensure that they comply with their duties as far as the mitigating of the said risks is concerned. Regarding competence and adequate resources, the CDM regulations require all the involved parties to be prequalified by assessment (Ashworth 2013, p.307). This is aimed at ensuring that those involved in construction activities are competent and have the right resources to fulfil their health and safety duties. Regarding cooperation and coordination, the CDM regulations provide that the involved parties must work together in the process of identifying and addressing health and safety risks (HSE, 2016). The final feature of the CDM regulations, provision of information, calls for all the involved stakeholders to share information that is crucial to the promotion of health and safety during the different stages of a construction project (HSE, 2016). The regulations mention the responsibilities of clients, designers, planning supervisors and contractors in planning, coordinating and managing health and safety in the different stages of the construction process (HSE, 2016). Griffith and Howarth (2013, p.4) point out that the responsibilities for health and safety under CDM regulations are shared. However, most of the responsibilities fall on the main contractor. Griffith and Howarth (2013, p.4) add that many principle contracting organisations will notice that the concept and principles of proper health and safety management as similar to those of effective construction project management. They also opine that construction organisations are likely to realise that successful project health and safety is supported by an effective corporate organisation that exhibits a commitment to strong policies, procedures, and practices in health and safety. Conclusion The UK construction industry consists of three main sub-industries, namely the construction of buildings, civil engineering and specialised constructions, which collectively accounts for 6% of the UK’s workforce. The industry is one of the largest contributors to the nation's GDP, accounting for up to 8% of the country’s GDP with an annual turnover of £ 250 billion. However, the UK construction industry has one of the highest rates of reported work-related illnesses and injuries. Between 2011/2012 and 2014/2015, the number of construction workers suffering from work-related illnesses per year was 69,000. This figure represents approximately 3.1% of workers in the construction sector. Work-related injuries and illness in the UK construction industry have been on the decline over the last one decade. However, the rates remain relatively high compared to other industries. There are several laws and regulations aimed at promoting health and safety in the construction industry, the main ones being the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the primary source of health and safety regulations in the UK, and it established the Health and Safety Commission as well as the Health and Safety Executive. On the other hand, CDM regulations augment the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act as well as additional legislations, including the Management of Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the Construction (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations of 1996. These laws and regulations have made a profound contribution to the cultural shift in health, safety and welfare legislation in the UK construction industry. Bibliography Ashworth, A. (2013). Contractual procedures in the construction industry. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Griffith, A. and Howarth, T. (2013). Construction health and safety management. 1st ed. London: Routledge. Griffiths, O. (2013). Understanding the CDM regulations. 2nd ed. London: Taylor & Francis. HSE, (2016). Construction - Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015. [online] Hse.gov.uk. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016]. HSE, (2016). Health and safety in construction sector in Great Britain, 2014/15. 1st ed. [ebook] Available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/construction/construction.pdf [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016]. Hughes, P. and Ferrett, E. (2013). Introduction to health and safety in construction. 1st ed. London: Routledge. Rawlinson, F., and Farrell, P. (2010). UK construction industry site health and safety management. Construction Innovation, 10(4), pp.435-446. Sherratt, F. (2016). Unpacking construction site safety. 1st ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Read More