Hazards in the Construction Industry

Background to the Study

The construction industry is identified by Finneran et al. 2012, as one of the most harzadous industries. However, it is worth noting that there are millions of individuals employed within the industry even with its hazardous nature. For instance, the UK`s construction industry has a workforce of over 2 million workers (Carmichael et al. 2016). That makes it one of the largest of the UK industries. The construction projects have significantly increased in the recent past and that has gone a long way in attracting even more labourers into the workforce (Mendeloff and Staetsky 2014). The construction industry is one very diverse industry which has activities that range from forestry, quarrying and mining to putting up of buildings and infrastructure, manufacture and subsequent product supply and maintenance, disposal and operation. The output of construction in the UK is more than £110 billion annually ad contributes to 7% of the Gross Domestic Product. About three quarters of the output of construction is the private sector with the remaining quarter being public sector. Sites are representative of many risks that are beyond the risks observed in different workplaces in other industries, that is, in all the different construction aspects; road works, refurbishment, building and even demolitions. It is worth noting that addressing of these problems is important for protection of personnel and also for the companies. Worker`s health and safety has implications on profitability and productivity and also for the companies because they are at the risk of being fined by the Health and Safety Executive, getting banned from carrying out any construction work through prohibitory notices, getting prosecuted and further convicted for being negligent and getting sued for death, accidents, disability and injury. In addition, failure to comply with regulations and guidelines and the ignorance of safety and health issues which brings about any of the above mentioned safety issues makes contributions that are significant in the ruining of corporate reputations and could also lead to the accreditation of the company being stripped off. All construction employers have duties of care to their employees and even the members of the general public and should be adherent to the health and safety regulations to facilitate working conditions that are safe. In line with recent research that was carried out by the Government Health and Safety Executive, while the construction industry only makes up 5% of the workforce of the United Kingdom, 22% fatal injuries are reported within the sector (Oswald et al. 2018). 6 in every 10 of the employees who work for more than 20 years in the construction industry of the UK suffer major injuries when in their work environments. With such kinds of statistics, it is quite clear that the United Kingdom`s construction industry occupational health and safety continues to be of major importance. While there are a quite a number of these injuries that occur that are within the control of the workers, it is possible to avoid most of them with adequate health and safety training. As such, it is quite important for businesses and even employees in the construction industry to make sure that they receive thorough training on health and safety procedures.

It is however, worth noting that even with the reports of high number of fatalities and injuries in the UK construction industry, there were outstanding achievements in the Olympic Parks health and safety standards (Sherrat, 2018). While pool and track records were broken during the London 2012 Olympics, little recognition is given to the other records that were broken during the construction of the different venues, development of parks, systems of transportation and housing. At the peak of the preparation for the Olympics, there were about 12,500 employees involved. During the entirety of the project, up to 46,000 people were involved in the construction works and up to 62 million man-hours were incurred. The London 2012 Olympics have the record of being the safest build of Olympics ever. The reported injury rate during the entirety of the project stands at 0.17 for every 100,000 man hours which is way far below the average of the UK`s building industry of 0.55. The preparations for the Olympics took up to 4 years and they were completed without any fatalities for the first time in the history of the Olympics.

Rationale of the Study

It is safe to make a conclusion that health and safety remains to be an area of concern in the light of the high accident frequency rates of the UK. There is so much that can be drawn from the achievements of the construction of the Olympic Park as the lowest accident frequency rates were realised during its construction. The ultimate aim of this study was to identify those measures that have been put in place by companies for prevention of fatalities since the 2012`s Olympic Parks non-fatal injury achievement.

Research Questions

1. What are some of the health and safety lessons that were drawn from the construction of the London Olympic Park?

2. What are the risk factors for accidents and fatalities in construction sites?

3. Is it possible to have zero injuries and fatalities in construction sites?

Research Objectives

1. Identify the development and leadership training programs that firms adopt for effective leadership.

2. Identify those measures that have been put in place by companies for promotion of the competency of supervisors.

3. To map firm’s actions towards fostering of safety cultures that are positive and open.

4. To explore construction firms reward systems in employee motivation for reporting of near misses.

5. To investigate how construction firms use reflective reviews and practice.

Accident fatality rates in the construction industry stand at more than double the entire sector average. What that implies is that construction sites are nightmares for health and safety as there are numerous hazards. Those hazards are well known and the majority of the employers who are responsible enough and well aware of the duties of care they owe their employees and visitors always take steps towards ensuring that sites are managed effectively and measures for accident prevention that are appropriate are implemented. Management carries out assessments of risk for identification of the different risks and hazards posed.

Working at Height

Often tradesmen are required to work from height by both demolition and construction works. Added mobility and access restrictions add to the risks that are associated with working at heights.

Moving objects

Construction sites are ever changing environments and hazards are inherent to these industries and they only increase with the continued progress of construction projects with the expansion and rise of things. With the sheer volumes of trades people and moving vehicles, construction sites often get too hectic. Examples of vehicles that are involved in construction works include dumper trucks, supply vehicles, overhead lifting equipment that shifts heavy loads.

Slips, Trips & Falls

Whenever the diverse range of activities that happen in construction sites at any given time are put into consideration, slips, falls and trips are hardly surprising and happen almost every day in the course of construction. There is a mish mash of holes in the grounds in construction sites, scaffolding, stored equipment and materials. According to statistics from HSE, across an aerage between 2011 and 2014, there were almost 100% more musculoskeletal disorders within the construction industry than any other industry in the United Kingdom. Among these disorders were long term conditions that were disabling permanently.

Noise

One of the major hazards within construction industries is noise. Long term problems with hearing are brought about by excessive noises that are repetitive and these could be distractions that are dangerous that could end up bringing about accidents. It is worth noting that the use of simple ear plugs never really offers total protection against damage of the ear and that makes it necessary for employers to carry out noise risk assessments and further document their assessments and from that offer the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome

The hand arm syndrome also commonly referred to as blue finger is an industrial disease that is quite debilitating and painful that affects the blood vessels and that is triggered by the prolonged use of tools that are vibratory and different ground working equipment. Often, the disease is cited in different cases where compensations are claimed that are opened by people who previously worked in construction sites and who worked for many years on end with little or no protection completely using equipment that were maintained poorly and inappropriate.

Material and Manual Handling

Constantly, equipment and materials are moved and lifted around construction sites either by the use of lifting equipment or manually. Greater demands are involved in different trades and it is worth noting that there is some degree of risk in all of them. Whenever the duties of the employees involve the handling of materials and equipment manually, it is always necessary to carry out training. In those instances where lifting equipment are used, it is also necessary to carry out training that is adequate that should involve different types of tests for confirmation of competency. For purposes of verification, training records must always be maintained. Typically, the shoulders, neck, lower back, feet, ankles, knees, legs, hips, wrists and hands are affected by soft tissue injuries. These either come about immediately or begin as twinges that over time, gradually grow worse. The injuries intensity also varies, from moderate to mild discomfort to pain that is intense and the potential for disability permanently. The abilities to work are greatly disrupted as healing takes up month’s ad in extreme cases even years. That means having to do without any income for some time.

Collapse

This is not exactly a hazard but more of a risk, as it is an accident in waiting. Trenches and excavations collapse every year, bury people and injure them seriously and it is as such necessary to put in place necessary precautions before the onset of any construction works. Unintended collapse risks are generally more associated to works of demolition or the scaffolding collapse of buildings that have been completed only partially. This accounts for a large number of fatalities annually.

Asbestos

There exists a new generation of construction workers today that include electricians, joiners and plumbers for whom asbestos is viewed as a major problem. The United Kingdom has an estimated 500,000 buildings that are public owned and which contain asbestos materials which are quite harmful and which often, are hidden away, forgotten and viewed as not being harmful. It is always proper that workers know well what they should do whenever they come across asbestos. What makes asbestos particularly dangerous is that carrying the dust home presents dangers to the family of the work. That is referred to as secondary or para-occupational exposure whereby, family members come into contact with the dust from asbestos and are also placed at the risk of contracting respiratory diseases. Asbestos is a key source of respiratory conditions that are fatal. During categorisations of annual deaths as a result of lung diseases, 20% of the overall figure is made up of lung cancer that is related to asbestos. Different elements like wall plaster, switchgears, wall plaster, thermal paper, ceiling tiles and insulation presents hazards to those who are not cautious.

Airborne Fibres & Materials Respiratory Diseases

There are a lot of activities that go on in construction sites whereby, a lot of dust is kicked up. Dust is not visible, is fine and is a toxic mixture that has the potential of destroying human lungs leading people to contracting sicknesses like silicosis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary. Simple issuance of PPE is not adequate and it is the responsibility of employers to ensure that equipment that is protective is used. Absence of protective equipment goes a long way in rendering employees to hot water and disciplinary actions with health and safety executives.

Electricity

Every year, there are three workers in the construction industry who are electrocuted on average during the course of refurbishment works both in domestic and commercial buildings. Those people who work close cables and overhead power lines are also always at risk. There has been an ever growing number of electrocutions that involve workers carrying out electrical work who are not qualified electricians like decorators, plumbers and joiners.

Exhaustion

Generally, exhaustion is not known as a top risk. It is only a factor that underlies the incidents in most of the construction sites. Often, construction works are quite labour intensive and require long working hours of hard manual labour which at times happens under extreme harsh climatic conditions. Whenever workers are exhausted either physically or mentally, they have reduced attentiveness levels and that opens up doors to mistakes that are costly and decisions that are poorly thought out.

Suicide

This is mental. The office of National Statistics UK record that the numbers of suicides among low-skilled male workers in construction sites is up to four times the average nationally and that puts the likelihood of committing suicide for a person in the construction industry at 63% higher than in any other industry. 1,047 individuals working in the construction industry committed suicide between 2010 and 2015 out of the total number 10,688 of in work suicides.

Success story of the construction of the London Olympic Project

When a large project that involves up to 80 million man hours and that employs up to 12,000 staff is completed with almost zero fatalities, then a proper job in relation to health and safety has with no doubt been done. During the course of the big build, up to 80 million hours were used and the accident frequency stood at 0.15 which is quite notable because the industry average stands at 3.4. For the first time in the history of construction of Olympic Parks, there were zero fatalities, a feat that was recognised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA). ROSPA presented ODA with an award following the completion of the construction of the Olympic Park with zero deaths. In contrast to the industry norm, such impressive statistics are quite impressive bearing in mind that the project was quite big. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a report in 2011 that established that in 2011, up to 50 workers had been killed in the construction industry. With no doubt, there is need to continue protecting UK`s on site construction workers and the London Olympic Park has been held as a shining example of what could possibly be achieved. Lawrence Waterman who was the ODA`s head of health and safety had high hopes that the project would contribute positively to the next generation of development in construction by pointing out the different ways through which things can be safer, leaner and slicker. However, there exists questions on whether that is realistic or whether the rather impressive health and safety figures were driven by the “Olympic Effect,” in relation to a repeatable system. For decades, the Olympics have been in the eyes of the public than any other UK schemes and there have been commitments to be upheld to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the government which have a high likelihood of having brought about in more attention being accorded to health and safety during the course of the project. And even with there being extensive evidence that the increased attention brought about a good health and safety record, there have been concerns that contractors and clients working on other projects in the future with less profiles and tighter budgets may not always receive money and time readily. According to Jason Millet the CEO and programme director of CLM, the trick to the success of the construction of the Olympic Park was in empowering the different companies and workers who were involved on the site. According to Millets explanations, firms were encouraged to develop their own programs of health and safety which however was supposed to happen under the umbrella of a park-wide set of standards that was to be overseen by the team that was in charge of health and safety. Millet identifies this team as the glue that held everything else together. The different incidents that happened on-site when and that is particularly during the early stages when people were just settling down to their roles were used as learning points that created the set of common Olympic site standards that were then converted into an image led guide that all the other members of the workforce could draw from.

Initially, there were questions raised by the different workers in the site about whether it was necessary to enforce park-wide safety standards by the developers or by the clients, or whether they should be outside the initial standard contractual commitments. That however, settled fast and suddenly every other person wanted to work with the other. Supervisors were used as contact points between the workforce and the top level managers because it was established that feedback from supervisors was best in comparison to the top level managers feedback and that is because the supervisors interacted one on one with the ordinary workers. The Olympics success in terms safety and health was also founded on monitoring, research and spotting of key trends. Don Ward the CCG`s chief executive identified one of the examples as being the study of the hour of the day when the most on site incidents occurred. According to the research, the most dangerous hour was identified as being the hour just before lunch. During this hour, the workers energy levels had waned greatly and that led to the workers making very many mistakes. In line with this findings, cheap breakfast foods like porridge were made available to the workers to prevent that from happening and to further keep the energy levels of the workers high. That solution, though simple, was quite effective. Fast forward, following the completion of the park successfully, the big question remains s to whether such standards will be remembered both by those workers who were involved in the scheme and by the rest of the stakeholders in the construction industry of the UK or whether the industry will likely slip back into the poor habits of cutting corners. The Olympics proved beyond reasonable doubt that it can be done. However, if firms will dedicate the resources and time necessary for achievement of the same standards on projects that are not in the public eye is still not clear.

According to Philip White the construction chief inspector at Health and Safety Executive says that it is possible to replicate the safety success of the construction of the Olympic build and the success should with no doubt be replicated. The success is a clear indication that it is possible to make an industry that is inherently dangerous through a mix of supply chain management and strong leadership.

Literature Review

Asked to identify the key success points for the Olympic Park Allstair Gibbs first pointed out that health and safety have a rather bad reputation in the population. He believes that there exists that people have some distrust towards safety and health as a result of the many different warning signs. From his analysis of the reasons for the Olympic Parks good record in terms of health and safety, he identified the softer issues; fairness, respect, empowerment, trust, clarity of messages, consistency; collaboration among the workers, openness, proper communication and having systems in place that were capable of giving assurances. Based on the amount of onsite workers and the estimated number of man-hours, it had been estimated that three deaths would come about from the construction of the Olympic Park and there would also be more than 500 serious injuries out of which some of the injuries would incapacitate the workers involved. The Olympic Delivery Authority as such took rapid measures that were aimed at ensuring that there would be no fatalities that would come about and that even in the event injuries happened, they would not be that serious and would not impact the entire lives of the workers. In the construction of Olympic parks in the past, fatalities were always reported with the constructions in preparation for the Greece Olympics of 2004 reporting the most fatalities; 14. 10 fatalities were reported during the constructions for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 1 fatality reported in the constructions for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and 1 fatality in the constructions for the 196 Barcelona Olympics. The Olympic Parks impressive accident clean sheet has drawn most researcher’s attention for the establishment of sound strategies for prevention of fatalities and injuries.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety was integrated into one during the London Olympic Project and became “health&safety.” The health of the subcontractors, contractors and employees who were involved in the London Olympic project was taken into close consideration by the ODA. ODA even went to the extent of making a statement that was rather bold that they were determined that their program would record zero numbers of accidents and injuries even though the health of most construction workers is never guaranteed as they go about their daily construction activities. This led to ODA developing an even keener interest on the different employees that were involved in the construction. They established up to 28% of their workforce was obese, while 29% had high blood pressure and 41% were overweight. While it is evident that the findings are a far cry from the use of inappropriate tools, they presented hazards that were presented to the project as they make some major contributions to workplace injuries. All these were risk exposures that really needed to be addressed to ensure that the project was successful. A casual analysis that was done established that most of the employees decided to consume fatty foods in the evenings and skip breakfast in the morning. That went a long way in affecting their daily work performance. While these could appear basic, the focus of the workers was more on what they were going to eat and when instead of focusing on delivery of their tasks. Heeding these warnings, the ODA decided to offer the workers with low-cost breakfast options which consisted of porridge to the different employees who showed up at their sites. The concern of the ODA with the underlying factors that have a direct influence on safety at the job and not only on the safety of the employees at the working sites became the difference maker. The porridge that was served was a proactive step that was aimed at preventing possible fatalities and injuries.

Leading from the top

During the construction of the Olympic Park, standards were set by the leadership for engagement of employees that were aimed at direction, motivation and change of the behaviours of the employees for long term goals achievement (Olympic Delivery Authority, 2012). According to Tabassi et al. (2016), there is some strong need for all the firms in the construction industry to invest even more resources in programmes that are aimed at development of leadership with the sole goal of making the actions of the employees more professional. According to Tabassi et al. (2016), it would be necessary to incorporate communication skills and general management training in such programmes for leadership development. It would also be necessary teach the leaders on how they should go about with subordinates mentoring to ensure a vision that is shared. The stud

Peer group attitude

Peer group attitude is referred to as the strong collective awareness of the importance of safe working, whereby, each and every individual is well aware of the negative consequences attached to taking of risks, and at all time, safety and health procedures are followed. Additionally, members of staff are responsible for their safety and health and view it as an integral part of their roles. Proactive approaches for dealing with unsafe behaviours of workers and further managing interpersonal behaviours are taken by those companies that have positive peer group attitudes. Supportive work environments are always fostered whenever workers are empowered to halt their activities at any point in time they feel unsafe. The recognition that the pressure generated by peers was a powerful performance agent was the basis of the commitment of the ODA towards development of a positive culture on site. Peer groups are usually capable of establishing behaviours that are much more consistent in comparison to policing and managerial approaches and that is what necessitates the emphasis on engagement of workers and behavioural safety. The different companies in the Olympic Park developed positive peer group attitudes and that brought about the following benefits;

Every other worker viewed their safety and health as being a priority.

Cultures that were rather fair where developed whereby, workers had a proper understanding that raising concerns on health and safety would not lead to them being victimised or blamed.

Working relationships that were both positive and strong had developed as a result of the length of time that had been spent on site by the workers.

Team attitudes that were positive developed. Very actively, every other worker showed genuine concern for the health and safety of the other worker. To a large extent, that boosted the confidence of every other worker in bringing about health and safety issues for discussion both with their colleagues and managers. A respect attitude had been fostered by the managers and supervisors previously.

The different companies that were involved in the construction of the Olympic Park put into consideration that the fostering of working environments that were supportive was quite vital. Different examples are provided to illustrate how environments that are supportive are created; 1) there were beneficial impacts on the workers from the amounts of time that had been spent on the site. The workers felt that they were being valued and also felt empowered and equal as a result of the levels of safety and health on site that were rather outstanding. The companies had developed working relations that were quite strong that enabled the workers to challenge one another on issues related to safety and health in addition to looking out for one another generally. That had been facilitated by two-way communication systems. The benefits were extended across the boundaries of the companies and the workers were even comfortable with engaging subcontractors with regard to behaviours that were safe. 2) company`s implemented team building days and across the park, bullying was not tolerated. 3) the different health and safety concerns of the workers were dealt with visibly and changes were made to the policies of the company whenever required.

Communication mechanisms and ongoing engagement

Transparency in making of decisions and health and safety activities was considered as being vital and communication was considered as being central in the ensuring of proper health and safety practices. Maintenance of two-way communication was considered as being critical as that would facilitate raising and sharing of issues for appropriate identification of solutions. The ODA specified standards that obligated the different companies in the park to doing consultations with the workforce and providing feedback. The ODA strategy of communication complemented that. Standard mechanisms of communication were developed and these involved;

Leadership team meetings on the safety of the project consisted of setting of standards and discussions for companies. Relevant security leads, project directors and health and safety managers were involved.

There were between 20-25 health and safety professionals in the safety forum meetings who represented the different suppliers.

Specific issues on health and safety were passed to the managers through voice meetings, through which they would give comments on policies that were relevant and the appropriate amendments were made in light of the feedback that had been provided.

Coordination meetings were held two times on a weekly basis that provided opportunities for discussion of the work being carried out and that also facilitated the identification of overlaps and the required permits. Such meetings were quite beneficial for purposes of health and safety and productivity as they enabled the companies to manage any trade overlaps effectively.

The companies implemented different recognition and reward schemes that were aimed at recognising and communicating good practices. They ranged from monetary rewards to verbal praises and even knock off early schemes.

Health and Safety Trust

The ODA had a proper understanding of the particular challenges that surrounded trust issues in the construction industry. For instance, arrangements for employment that were rapidly changing, whereby, it was necessary for the workers to change their working sites whenever their work elements came to an end mitigated against trust development. Often, trust is usually a measure of the extent of the engagement of workers and there was determination within the ODA to encourage and further demand respect standards, briefings on a daily basis, consultation among other different markers. Whenever these are applied together, they have the potential of creating work sites in which part of the daily conversation between management, supervisors and workforce is created. For near miss reporting and other different systematic aspects that engage everyone in continuous improvements, trust was viewed as being essential. The following were observed when the trust initiatives were implemented; 1) there was mutual respect and trust among the workers and their supervisors and managers, and they valued and listened one another. 2) Proper vertical and horizontal working relationships among the workers and a workforce that was well aware of one another and that had working relationships that were strong and who were confident of approaching one another. 3) the workers were motivated to follow the procedures for health and safety.

Occupational Health Services Involvement

This was a team that was made up of occupational hygienists, physiotherapists and nurses and whose focus primarily was on the well-being and health of employees. This team was responsible for the health and safety of employees both within and without the work precincts. Majority of the people who were involved in the construction alluded to the intervention of the OHS with services went a long way in motivating them to make changes that were positive in the ways they worked such that they looked after their health.

Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction industry of the UK

There expectations that workers would be able to work productively without being put to suffer due to activities that generate wealth are signs of industries that are equitable, responsible and mature. By their nature, construction projects are complex both organisationally and technologically. An assumption is made by conventional OHS methods for management of risk that it is possible to decompose work into constituent parts. Every other part is subsequently subjected to risk assessment and the measures of control that are appropriate are selected. This system, however, has a limitation, in that the decomposition of limited values has minimal value when system elements are constantly and dynamically interact with one another. Practically, it is not possible to make a prediction of whether such interactions would create fresh OHS hazards at the interface between technologies, organisations, activities and components. These hazards are uncontrolled is they are not detected. Within the construction industry, there is the need for management of influences and interests of multiple project stakeholders and contributors who exert influence on OHS either, inadvertently or consciously. The coordination of the different activities of different stakeholders involved in the design and further construction of facilities presents challenges because every other participant is influenced by the interactions with other participants in the project during the pursuit of organisational and individual business interests. It is necessary to ensure that there is compatibility between the different components that make up a facility and to further ensure those methods of construction and installation that are implicit in the design of the parts do not end up producing hazards that have not been anticipated for or risks that have not been anticipated for at their different interfaces. Different work crews and trades activities` need to be managed carefully so as to ensure that to facilitate sequencing of work processes to ensure minimisation of the possibilities of impacts that are adverse. Challenges of coordination are created by the physical worksite environment and that is because, equipment, materials and workers are always and constantly moving in the site environment and there are daily changes to the landscape. This ends up creating situations where construction workers employment is unsecure and opportunities for engagement in collective bargaining.

UK Legislation on Health and Safety in Construction Sites

Building Regulations

In 1965, the first set of national building standards were introduced and they set out;

The qualifications for building work and what falls under the control of building regulations.

The types of buildings that are exempted from the regulations.

Those procedures for notification that require to be followed during the course of construction works.

The specific requirements for specific aspects of the design of a building and its subsequent construction.

The Responsibility for Building Regulations 2010 in England is placed on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), mostly, these regulations are applicable to new buildings and to the alteration of the structures of existing buildings. There is a series of documents that provides the general guidance as to how the specific aspects of the design of buildings and their further construction complies with the set Building Regulations: Schedule 1 of these regulations sets out the requirements. The first part requires that the design, construction and alteration of buildings is in such a way that they are safe structurally and also robust such that they do not impair other buildings structural stability. These regulations stipulates those standards of design that should be used for different buildings and further provides simple rules of design for different elements of timber work and masonry for the traditional domestic buildings. These include the diagrams of structures like brick walls and the frames of roofs. The second part covers fire safety and covers the different measures of precaution that are necessary for provision of safety for building occupants and even their neighbours in the event of a fire outbreak. Covered under guidance include the procedures that should be followed in the event of a fire, mechanisms for detection of fires, warning systems, structural elements fire resistance, separation of power, compartmentation, protection, isolation for prevention of fire spread, flammable materials control and also access to fire fighting facilities. The third part provides guidance for preparation of sites and their further preparation to moisture and contaminants. This is concerned with a construction sites` subsoil drainage, water-tightness, preparation of the site and those procedures that need to be followed to deal with land that is contaminated and other dangerous and hazardous substances. The fourth part on toxic substances provides guidelines for control of hazards from chemicals that are toxic and that are used for cavity fill insulation systems.

The approvals for Building Regulations are obtained either from local authority`s building control departments and also from inspectors who have been approved. In either case, fees are payable and such fees are relative to the type of building and he costs of construction. It is possible to obtain fee schedules from the local authority’s building control department. Today, persons who are competent are also capable of certifying that their works are compliant with the set regulations for construction without having to submit building notices and also without having to pay any local authority fees.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Explicit requirements for employers are made by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1999 for satisfaction of the requirements of Health and Safety within the precincts of construction sites.

The requirements that are set out in this act include;

Assessment of risk – this involves giving thought to what could bring about harm and further making decisions on the prevention steps to be followed. Whenever possible, risks should always be avoided. While avoiding all risks within workplaces is practically not possible, it is necessary that the risks that are avoidable are avoided.

Prevention principles application – where possible, risks should always be avoided in addition to evaluating the risks that are unavoidable and putting in pace measures that are proportionate for risk control. All developers of construction sites need to develop overall prevention policies that are coherent. Such policies should cover work organisation, technology, working conditions, social relationships and the influence of those factors that are related to the working environments.

Method statement – across the construction industry, this is widely used as a measure for controlling identified safety and health risks. Helps in work management and further ensures that all those who are involved have an awareness of the precautions.

Work at height regulations

In April 2005, the Work at Height Regulations came into force with the main motivation being prevention of deaths and injuries brought about by falls at work. These regulations are applicable to all heights where there are falling risks and they impose duties on employers, people who are self-employed and construction managers and supervisors. The following hierarchy always needs to be adopted by duty holders; avoidance of work at height whenever possible, putting in place measures for prevention of falls whenever it is not possible to avoid work at height. Additionally, whenever it is not possible to eliminate risks, measures should be taken for minimisation of the distance and consequences in the event of a fall. Duty holders must always do assessments of risk and further manage them and these includes the risks of working on surfaces that are fragile or near them. It is also quite necessary to ensure that the people who are involved in working at heights are competent and are adequately trained and should be placed under supervision if they are still going through training. Working at height should also be organised and planned for properly and that includes planning for emergencies and also for rescue operations. It is also important to take into account those weather conditions that are capable of endangering the health and safety of workers and only the equipment that is appropriate should be used. Such equipment should also be inspected on a regular basis in addition to being managed properly.

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)

Legal duties are placed by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations on all those who own, have control over, or operate lifting equipment. These legislation defined lifting equipment as all equipment`s that are involved in the lowering or lifting of loads and these include cranes, lifts, ropes, slings, pulley systems, hoists and forklift trucks.

According to these regulations, it is necessary that lifting equipment is;

Always stable and strong enough.

Marked to indicate safe working loads.

Positioned and installed in such a way that they minimise risks.

Subject to being examined thoroughly from time to time and also for inspection.

These regulations further require that lifts are examined by persons who are competent after every other six months and after twelve months for goods-only lifts.

Control of Substances that are Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002

Most processes involve the use of substances that could bring about harm. These regulations require that employers reduce the exposure of workers to hazardous substances like chemicals and all other products that contain chemicals, mists, vapours, gases and fumes, dust, germs, biological agents and nanotechnology. The regulation does not cover radioactive substances, asbestos and lead as these are covered by other legislation.

The control of substances that are hazardous involves:

Identification of potential hazards to health.

Carrying out assessments of risk for determination of the appropriate methods for prevention. Employers who have five and more employers are always required to make records of risk assessments and doing so is sensible even in the events where there are less than five employees.

Provision of measures for control and further ensuring that such measures are in sound working order and that they are put to use.

Provision, replacement and paying for personal protective equipment (PPE).

In all appropriate situations, monitoring should be provided to show compliance with Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) and to show that the personal protective equipment work properly.

Health surveillance should be provided whenever possible.

Provision of employees with training and instruction such that they gain an understanding of risks and hazards and what they should do in the event of an emergency or accident.

Preventative measures should be taken at first instance to ensure that the processes and substances are avoided or substituted with forms that are safer. In those instances where it is not possible to prevent exposures, they then need to be controlled and that is done to facilitate reduced risks of harm. In those instances where the works proposed have high risks, work permits are introduced with the aim of ensuring that only the persons who have been authorised carry out work and within the time frames specified and in specific ways.

Manual Handling

This refers to the use of the physicality of an individual to lower, lift , push and even pull items. Manual handling is defined by the Manual Handling Operations 1992 s any support or transportation of loads that includes the carrying, pulling, pushing, lifting and even moving of loads using hands and applying bodily force. In injuries that are work-related, one of the most common factors is incorrect manual handling. Mostly, this comes about as a result of the weight of those items that are being handled, the movements’ repetitive nature, the moved items distance, and the individual’s posture. Problems could possibly be exacerbated by bending, twisting, stretching and any other positions that are awkward. The damages and injuries that are brought about on joints as a result of handling loads manually are known as musculoskeletal disorders and these account for up to one third of all the illnesses that are related to work. The obligation for management of employee manual handling risks are placed on employers and these include;

Assessment of operations of manual handling. That involves the application of alternative equipment like pallet jacks, forklift trucks, trolleys and other lifting devices.

Assessment of injury risks as a result of operations that involve manual handling of loads which cannot be carried out using any other equipment.

Control of Noise a Work Regulations

Noise exposures in construction sites are some of the highest. Some of the commonly used on site equipment that can bring about hearing losses include chainsaws, drills, pneumatic impact tools and hammers. Excessive noise is responsible for over 200,000 ear conditions like tinnitus and deafness.

Factors for the Success of the London Olympic Project

Recognition of significant client roles

Over the years, the importance of client role has been an important focus in the construction industry. During the course of the construction of the London Olympic Park, one of the major success factors for health and safety that was cited was the client. Just like with all other clients, the ODA had a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to deliver a build that was safe and that had no fatalities. The Olympic Parks success in relation to health and safety could be attributed to the vision of the ODA of hiring designers and contractors who are capable and competent. In literature, there exists a general agreement that the client plays an important role in the establishment of environments that are safe and healthy. According to Lingard and Rowlison, there is a lot that construction health and safety could learn from quality management systems that are client driven and that is basically because one of the major indicators of the success of a project is quality. According to (…), client costs, time and quality requirements are complemented by health and safety complements. HSE also acknowledges the important role played by clients and further highlights that industry professionals play an important role in influencing the commitment of clients to safety and health.

Lead from the top

A general observation is that the ODA was a quite committed client who offered direction and further showed contractors what they intended to achieve through use of standards to do away with ambiguity and to further help contractors to focus their goals. The ODA was in effect a very good leader. There are invariably ambiguous definitions associated with leadership and often, the terms management and leadership are used interchangeably. Often, however, managers focus on short-term goals and on the solving of problems that face their organisations. On the other hand, a leaders use most of the soft skills, they motivate and direct, have the visions of changing behaviours and their focus is on the horizon. In majority of the cases, leadership is earned while managers are appointed. According to Dainty et al. leadership is one of the factors that contributes to the success of a project. Additionally, one of the pertinent themes that runs through Great Britain’s central safety and health strategies is leadership. Those leaders who strongly believe in safety provide direct evidence of that by holding managers accountable for their subordinate’s safety and a willingness to commit to real and sustained training resources. Training has the potential of being more effective through that and there could also be detailed work pre-planning. Particularly, leadership has an influence on the source of communication, feedback and channels and is quite important for different projects irrespective of their size.

Appointment of delivery partners

Delivery partners in the context of mega projects are consultants who are private and who act on the client`s behalf; their involvement in the construction process is not direct. Often, they are major contractors with extensive expertise in the delivery of projects. Generally, better results are yielded by the added expense of delivery partners. During the construction of the Olympic Park, it was generally felt that the delivery partners influenced feedback, sources and channels.

Provision of sources that are credible

It is quite necessary to give consideration to the source`s competence and credibility. A message sources credibility has a direct relation to the messages persuasiveness and effectiveness. The likelihood of stress to the recipient of a message is reduced by credibility. There are different ways through which credibility can be enhanced. In a context like this, while experience of the construction industry is helpful, it is not essential. Credibility is achieved by health and safety managers through those relations they establish with their workers. With the continued engagement of the workforce, credibility grows.

Setting the standards

Clients have the potential of significantly influencing health and safety practice through stating clearly their expectations before the onset of a project. Failure to follow the set procedures and standards affects the quality of projects and their performance. The ODA as a client showed rather considerable direction and further provided contractors with guidelines from the start to prevent ambiguity and to further create common goals. In addition, standards that were common were set during the projects course as a benchmark of what was to be achieved by the contractors. The development of standards happens in collaboration with contractors. While the ODA`s set standards were viewed as being tough, they were also considered as being achievable. With the continuation of the programme, even more standards were developed to offer aid to contractors to carry on with their work. ODA worked closely with contractors to ensure the development of the standards and to further facilitate their implementation. In design and construction, the ODA health and safety standards were part of the contract. In all projects, the setting and maintenance of strategies is quite important. Particularly, setting standards influences communication sources and channels.

Planning ahead

At the onset of the construction of the Olympic Park project, planning was a very important theme. The parks organisation and layout was in line with the OHSASA 18001 Standard Methodology that was referred to as the “plan-do-check-act.” It was additionally believed that planning went a long way in ensuring that expectations were met such that all issues were either accommodated or eliminated before they got out of control. For the successful construction of any project, planning is always important. However, planning also has the potential of contributing to prevention of site ill health and also site accidents. Coordinated efforts between health and safety and planning objectives has the potential of improving workers health in addition to easing the projects costs. Through planning, risks are easily identified and communication campaigns are subsequently developed to address them. Activities that are properly planned are easy to effectively communicate through selection of the channels that are the most appropriate. The development of systems that encourage supervisors and subcontractors to coordinate and also plan their work has numerous benefits in relation to the minimisation of the number of different trades that operate within the same area and minimise conflict. For all projects, planning ahead is a very critical factor that has a general influence on communication contexts.

Choosing channels that are effective and attention

In gaining the attention of different individuals, different channels are more effective. A blend of channels should be ideally used for message reinforcement. Verbal communication should be the primary communication medium. In the construction industry, it would appear that the quickest and most effective ways of putting messages across are through spoken word. Verbal communication has additional benefits for the engagement of workers and that is so long as the workers are provided with the opportunities for feedback. There are, however, concerns over the use of on-site use of spoken word as the primary communication source. The industry is quite fragmented and that implies that there are appropriate actors that may not be present during the passing of messages. Additionally, paper trails are required to take note of feedback and accountability into the cycle of learning and planning. Generally, construction sites are noisy which tends to make it rather hard for construction workers to hear different verbal advices passed to them. In the event verbal communication is to be used, it always is imperative that the environments are suitable for relaying of the messages. It is necessary to use verbal communication in conjunction with non-verbal communication methods. It is also quite necessary to avoid communicating excess information at the same time. It is quite important to try to keep messages fresh through delivery of information in different ways and through making it relevant to the tasks undertaken by the workforce.

Ways to ensure that businesses stay safe and successful

Investing in Health and Safety Training

For the overall success and recovery of the construction sector, health and safety training is quite vital. Such training creates working environments for employees that are quite safe while also boosting the morale of the employees and increasing profits and staff retentions. In the same breath, sound health and safety records provide businesses with competitive edges that are quite important which allows them to grow and further succeed.

Assessments of Risk

Completion of risk assessments and effective management of workplace health and safety are quite beneficial for businesses. Through this, the safety of the workplace is ensured and that goes a long way in reducing lost production time and keeping the costs of business insurance at a minimum. Through that, the motivation of employees is also improved and that has a positive impact on profits and also on productivity. In understanding how to protect a business and its workers, carrying out risk assessment is quite fundamental. Companies should always be in a position of making decisions that are rational with regard to how employees and other people could be at risk from their work and coming up with ways of providing them with the prerequisite ability and knowledge of carrying out method statements and assessments of risk. When carrying out an assessment, there are many areas that need to be taken into consideration which include the type of the site, length of job and the site. To ensure the continued safety of a company, it is necessary to ensure that risk management is an ongoing process throughout a construction projects lifetime and it is always necessary to make plans to ensure that all levels of construction workers have an awareness of the processes.

Working at heights

The most prominent form of access when working at height on building sites is scaffolding and this is usually one of the safest ways if safety guidelines are adhered to and if the correct procedures are used. Any forms of construction works that involve heights need to be properly planned for and that involve carrying out risk assessments, putting into consideration the type of scaffolding that required and the type that is most suitable for different job types and further doing a selection of the appropriate working equipment and other collective measures that could prevent falls from heights. It is also quite necessary for construction firms to ensure that those involved in the inspection, alteration, dismantling, erection, and supervision of scaffolding activities are trained adequately and are competent.

Plant operations

All employers have duties to provide instruction, information, supervision and training in line with section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 that ensures their employees safety and health. There are different factors that construction firms need to put in consideration with regard to plant safety in order to protect their workers safety and to also stay within the law. Among these factors are ensuring that all on-site plant operators are trained adequately to the approved industry plant training standards and also up to date with the latest technology and legislation. Additionally, it is also quite necessary to carry out frequent inspections of machines, and also to maintain and service them in addition to segregating plant vehicles from pedestrians.

Personal Protective Equipment

While this is a rather obvious and basic part of construction sites health and safety, it is one aspect that is often ignored. All people who visit construction sites should wear appropriate personal protective equipment as such equipment acts as a barrier between the workers and accidents. The safety of employees is quite paramount on those jobs that deal with conditions that are potentially hazardous and the first responsibility of any company involved in construction should be to provide employees with personal protective equipment which includes hard hats, visibility garments and safety clothing.

Research Methodology

An inductive research paradigm was adopted in this study. The paradigm involves moving towards broader generalisations and theories from observations that are specific (Woiceshyn and Daellenbach 2013). Different literary sources posit that the London Olympic Parks construction provided valuable lessons that have had an immense influence on the strategies that are adopted in the construction industry for prevention of fatalities and injuries. This study gathered information from different construction companies to establish the exact lessons that they drew from the Olympic Park in terms of health and safety and the impact they had on them. Saunders et al. (2009) posit that the inductive research paradigm has immense capabilities of expanding the understanding of a researcher of the problems being investigated and that is the reason why inductive reasoning was used in this study. This study adopted the survey research strategy. Researchers in social sciences widely utilise the survey strategy because it facilitates the collection of data sets over short time periods (Bulmer, 2017). Standardised materials for collection of data are also used in the survey strategy and that makes analysis of the data collected easier. Through the simple analysis, researchers are able to identify the existing relationship between those variables that are being investigated. Additionally, researchers are also empowered by the survey strategy to gain control over their studies and that goes a long way in cutting on costs and saving time. This study prioritised the survey research strategy for such benefits. For selection of the participants to be involved in the study, purposive sampling was used, Acharya et al. (2013), posit that it is in those cases with small study populations that purposive sampling works best and the desire of the researcher is to select the sources they deem most appropriate. While it is quite clear that the UK`s construction industry is quite vast, this study`s objectives required the collection of data only from individuals in managerial positions. As such, the most effective sampling approach was purposive sampling. For collection of data, semi-structured interviews were used. The researcher developed a list of questions that were to be asked and that revolved around the objectives of the research (Mojtahed et al. 2014). The arrangement of the research questions varied the participants of the study based on the flow of the different conversations the researcher had with different participants. The researcher then sought to acquire information that was detailed that answered the research questions adequately. The different interview sessions took between 30 to 40 minutes save for the situations where a respondent would have a tight schedule. The interviews were carried out on one-on-one basis whereby the researcher actively took notes. Whenever on-on-one sittings were not possible, the researcher relied on telephone calls where the conversations were recorded.

The researcher then identified the recurrent themes from the audios that had been recorded and notes that had been taken and information was synthesised from the themes. As such, presentation of data took the form of themed discussions.

References

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