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The building and construction sector of Civil engineering besides being responsible for safe and
sound construction of infrastructure, which if done wrong, can endanger countless lives. This
sector however, is in itself a highly accident prone too. Deficient safety measures, lack of safety
equipment, professional negligence cost many thousands of lives everywhere on building and
construction sites. Many of these accidents can be avoided by adopting sufficient safety
measures. This report aims to enlist some of the basic measures which can be adopted in order to
counter this hazardous situation.

Building and construction accidents Statistics:

General Overview: Each day, an average of 6,000 people die as a result of work-related
accidents or diseases, totaling more than 2.2 million work-related deaths a year. Of these, about
350,000 deaths are from workplace accidents and more than 1.7 million are from work related
diseases. In addition, commuting accidents increase the burden with another 158,000 fatal
accidents. Each year, workers suffer approximately 270 million occupational accidents that lead
to absences from work for 3 days or more, and fall victim to some 160 million incidents of work-
related disease. Approximately 4% of the world’s gross domestic product is lost with the cost of
injury, death and disease through absence from work, sickness treatment, disability and survivor
benefits. Hazardous substances kill about 438,000 workers annually, and 10% of all skin cancers
are estimated to be attributable to workplace exposure to hazardous substances

Construction:
As a major employment generator in many parts of the world, construction is also a sector
associated with a proportionately high number of job-related accidents and diseases. Despite
mechanization, the industry is still largely labour-intensive, while working environments are
frequently changing and involve many different parties. The industry also has a long tradition of
employing migrant farm labour from lower-wage economies and much employment is
precarious and short-term. According to ILO estimates, each year there are at least 60,000 fatal
accidents on construction sites around the world. This is one fatal accident every ten minutes.
One in every six fatal accidents at work occurs on a construction site. In industrialized countries,
as many as 25% to 40% of work-related deaths occur in on construction sites, even though the
sector employs only 6% to 10% of the workforce. In some countries, it is estimated that 30% of
construction workers suffer from back pains or other musculoskeletal disorders.

Younger and Older Workers:

The ongoing increase of younger workers (ages 15 to 24 years) in the world’s economy gives
rise to particular concerns in the area of occupational safety and health. Younger workers are
more at risk from serious non-fatal accidents than are their colleagues, due to general lack of
work experience and understanding of workplace hazards, as well as a lack of safety and health
training and their general lack of phy sical and emotional maturity. In the European Union, for

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example, the incidence rate for non-fatal accidents is 50% higher among young workers than
among any other age category. At the other end of the scale, the growing number of older
workers is causing many organizations to take a new look at the occupational risks that older
workers face. While aging is an individual process, it can be accelerated by arduous working
conditions such as manual handling of heavy loads, excessive noise exposure or atypical working
hours. The European Union has noted that the incident rate of fatal accidents at work was more
than twice the rate of the youngest age group

Exposure to hazardous material:

Asbestos alone claims about 100,000 deaths every year and the figure is rising annually.
Although global production of asbestos has fallen since the 1970s, increasing numbers of
workers in the USA, Canada, UK, Germany and other industrialized countries are now dying
from past exposure to asbestos dust. Silicosis – a fatal lung disease caused by exposure to silica
dust – still affects tens of millions of workers around the world. In Latin America, 37% of miners
have some degree of the disease, rising to 50% among miners aged over 50. In India, over 50%
of slate pencil workers and 36% of stonecutters have silicosis.

Accidents on site:
Construction is the most dangerous land based work sector. The problem is not that the hazards
and risks are unknown, it is that they are very difficult to control in a constantly changing work
environment. So, in every year, many people fall victim to injury, harm and even death through
accidents on construction sites.

The most common causes of fatalities to workers in the construction sector over the past nine
years were:

Falls from heights (49.6%)

Roofs (17.6%)

Ladders (12.0%)

Scaffolds (11.2%)

Openings or Stairways (4.8%)

Others (4.0%)

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As the construction industry changes and develops new safety protocols, it’s tough to keep up
with what injury statistics continue to hold true. Below are 13 surprising construction injury:

One in ten construction workers are injured every year. (Source: OSHA)

Falls are the greatest cause of fatal construction injuries. (Source: The Center for
Construction Research and Training.)

The most-violated OSHA standard is fall protection. (Source: OSHA

The job with the highest injury rates in the construction industry is ironwork. (Source:
AOL)

The construction industry is #2 in the United States for fatal injuries in workers younger
than 18. (Source: US National Library of Medicine.)

Sixty percent of construction workplace injuries occur within the employee’s first year of
employment. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

Exposure accounts for 15.7% of all construction injuries. (Source: The Center for
Construction Research and Training)

Good news: road construction fatalities have declined 36% since 2005. (Source: Federal
Highway Administration.)

Construction workers account for 15% of reported lead poisoning in the United
States. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Construction Safety Performance - Global and Local Scenario:

A comparison of construction safety performance scenario in Pakistan to that of global scenario
has been presented in this section. Global Construction Safety Performance Scenario In
developed countries, recent advancement in technology, on one hand, has contributed positively
to industry productivity, but on the other hand, has created a more challenging and unsafe work
environment (Farooqui et al., 2007). According to research findings, those who spend their
working lives on construction sites have a 1 in 300 chance of being killed at work. The chance of
being disabled by injury or serious illness is much greater than in most other industrial fields.
Every construction worker is likely to be temporarily unfit for work at some time as a result of a
minor injury or a health problem after working on a construction site (Ahmed et al., 2000).
Rowlinson (2003) reported that between 1989 and 1992, 256 people were fatally injured in the
Australian Construction Industry. Statistics revealed that the fatality rate was 10.4 per 100,000
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workers, which was similar to the fatality rate for road accidents. In 2000, a study was conducted
in China (Huang et al 2000), which revealed that 3,000 construction workers are killed in work
related accidents each year. In Hong Kong, 275 reportable accidents per 1,000 workers per year
were recorded in 1994; this figure stood at around 150 in 2000 (Rowlinson, 2003). In
comparison, 10 construction workers in every 1,000 suffer an injury in a year in Japan, and the
figure is around 50 for the United Kingdom (Rowlinson, 2003). A study of the Egyptian
construction industry concluded that safety programs applied by contractors operating in Egypt
were less formal and the accident insurance costs were fixed irrespective of the contractor’s
safety performance (Hassanein, 2008). Table 1 compares the fatality rates in global scenario of
all industries to that of construction industry in 2002. The table clearly indicates the unsafe
nature of the construction industry

Construction Safety Performance Scenario in Pakistan Construction in developing countries,

such as Pakistan and India, is more labor intensive than that in the developed areas of the globe,
involving 2.5-10 times as many workers per activity (Koehn and Regmi 1991). Typically
workers tend to be unskilled and migrate in a group, with or without their families, throughout
the country in search of employment. In fact, they are usually divided into various factions.
Communication problems related to differences in language, religion and culture tend to inhibit
safety on the work site. In Pakistan, there is a significant difference between large and small
contractors. Most large firms do have a safety policy, on paper, but employees in general are not
aware of its existence. Nevertheless, a number of major constructors exhibit a concern for safety
and have established various safety procedures. They also provide training for workers and
maintain safety personnel on the jobsite. For the majority of contractors, however, maximizing
profit is the prime concern. Unsafe conditions exist on many sites, both large and small, and
laborers are subjected to numerous hazards. On many sites, no training programs for the staff and
workers exist; therefore, no orientation for new staff or workers is conducted, hazards are not
pointed out, and no safety meetings are held. Employees are required to learn from their own
mistakes or experience. In addition, lack of medical facilities, shanty housing, and substandard
sanitation tend to exist on remote projects. Workers undertake a risk while at work and the
following problem areas are common:

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1. While excavating in deep trenches (with no proper shoring or bracing), accidents due to cave-
ins often occur.

2. Concreting is done mainly by laborers, and cements burns due to the unavailability of
protective gloves and boots are common.

3. Workers fall from heights due to weak scaffolding and the unavailability of safety belts.

4. Workers sustain injuries on the head, fingers, eyes, feet, and face due to absence of personal
protection equipment.

5. There is improper housekeeping. Lack of understanding of the job and poor equipment
maintenance are also major causes of accidents. Injuries generally are unreported; however, if
necessary, a laborer might receive first aid or preliminary medical care. In most cases,
specialized medical treatment or compensation is unavailable. Workers themselves consider
accidents as due to their own negligence, and accept that construction is a dangerous occupation.
Nevertheless, major accidents involving the death of a worker may be reported due to the
financial expenses and litigation that could be involved. Maintenance and inspection schedules
often are not followed, and only after a breakdown is equipment repaired. This approach leads to
loss of time, idle workers, and project delays. It may also cause damage to property. Breakdown
of concrete mixers, vibrators, water pumps, and tractors are common. Electrocution is also a
major hazard, due to use of substandard electrical equipment and underground cables. Workers,
especially young ones, take chances, and often do not follow safety norms or use personal
protective equipment. Also laborers and staff are sometimes are under the influence of alcohol
and drugs. Unfortunately, crew members are not checked for drugs and alcohol before the start
of and during work. One of the impeding factors that prevent Pakistan from developing a
construction safety program is pervasive corruption, a by-product of the system of bureaucratic
controls. As an example, for any accident that takes place on-site due to lack of safety practices,
the particular low-level activity supervisor (engineer/ technician), not the construction manager,
is theoretically held responsible and may, in exceptional cases, be subject to physical abuse and
harm from the victim’s group of friends. In extreme circumstances, the supervisor may also be
charged with a criminal offence. However, cash payments are usually accepted in lieu of
pressing charges. In addition, because workers are usually non-residents of the local area and are
often unaware of their rights, accidents are often not reported to the proper authorities or, if
reported, are lost in the local bureaucracy. Owners and consultants do stress safety before work
commences, but as the work progresses their concerns for deadlines becomes a priority and they
tend to pay less attention to safety. On large projects, the owners may provide medical facilities
at the site, but ultimately safety is the contractors’ responsibility. According to the survey
conducted by Farooqui et al. (2007), the major injuries faced by contracting firms in Pakistan on
their project sites, in descending order of occurrence, were given as follows:

1. Fall injuries

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2. Struck-by injuries

3. Injuries by wastage and raw materials

4. Heat stroke

5. Head injuries

6. Eye injuries

7. Burning cases

In the same study, some informal assessments identified a few major reasons for safety non-
performance which included: lack of development of construction sector in the shape of
mechanization and industrialization; lack of professional construction management practices,
inadequate safety provisions laid by the existing regulatory environment which has failed to
establish safety as a major industry objective, insufficient and incentive-less insurance
mechanisms which have failed to establish safety as a business survival issue, and unfavorable
business environment which has led to adversarial business relationships among stakeholders
resulting in controversies, conflicts, claims and litigation and hence diverting the focus away
from issues like safety (Farooqui et al., 2007).

Legislation regarding safety procedures at construction sites:

A preventative safety and health culture comprises all the values, managerial systems and
practices, participatory principles and working behaviour conducive to creating a safe and
healthy working environment. The ILO’s (International Labour Organization) Occupational
Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) provides a suitable framework supporting a safety
and health culture at work. While the development of a safety culture begins during a child’s
early education years, the effective prevention of occupational accidents and diseases begins at
the enterprise level. Prevention involves participation from governments and workers’ and
employers’ organizations. Implementation of work organisation procedures, the provision of
training and information to workers and inspection activities are important tools to promote a
safety and health culture. Companies with occupational safety and health and management
systems have good records both in safety and productivity. Meanwhile, government labour
inspectors have a pivotal role. More than 130 member States have ratified the Labour Inspection
Convention, 1947 (No. 81), making it one of the most ratified instruments of the organization.
The ILO Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (ILO-OSH 2001)
provide a powerful tool for developing a sustainable safety and health culture at the enterprise
level and mechanisms for the continual improvement of the work environment. ILO Standards
More than 70 ILO Conventions and Recommendations relate to questions of safety and health. In
addition, the ILO has issued more than 30 Codes of Practice on Occupational Health and Safety.
With regard to the special themes of the 2005 World Day, the ILO has long been conscious of

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the need for special treatment for the construction industry, having adopted its first convention
for the industry in 1937. In 1988, the Safety and Health in Construction Convention (No. 167)
and its associated Recommendation (No. 175) were adopted, reflecting the need for a broad
approach to tackling some of the safety and health problems in construction. Complementing this
approach is the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction, approved in 1992.
And while the 2001 Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems apply
to all economic sectors, they are particularly useful for the construction industry, as they
highlight issues related to sub-contracting. With regard to younger and older workers, the
Minimum Age Convention 1973 (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
1999 (No. 182) and their associated Recommendations (Nos. 146 and 190) prohibit younger
workers under the age of 18 from carrying out hazardous work. The Older Workers
Recommendation 1980 (No. 162) specifies measures to be taken to reduce difficulties which can
be encountered by older worker relating to advancement of age. The Recommendation addresses
safety and health issues, setting them in the wider context of equality of treatment, non-
discrimination and retirement practices.

Construction specific legislation:

This Code of Practice has been prepared in response to a wish expressed by the Building, Civil
Engineering and Public Works Committee of the International Labour Organisation at its
Seventh Session (Geneva, May 1964). The Committee which is composed of representatives of
governments, and of employers and workers in the construction industry stated its belief that the
Safety Provision (Building) Convention (No. 62) and the Safety Provision (Building)
Recommendation (No. 53) do not take adequate account of new methods of construction which
have come into use since these instruments were adopted by the International Labour Conference
in 1937. To remedy this situation, the Committee, in its Resolution (No. 69) concerning action
by the Office relating to technological developments and to safety in the construction industry 1,
unanimously called for the preparation and publication of a Code of Practice on Safety in
Building and Civil Engineering. In the light of a wish which the Committee expressed 2 on the
same occasion for action by the Office relating to occupational health in the construction
industry, it was decided that the present Code of Practice should also incorporate a number of
provisions relating to occupational health in this industry. The first draft of the present Code was
prepared by the Office and was submitted, in 1968, for comments and observations to the 36
members of the ILO Panel of Consultants on Occupational Safety and Health in Building, Civil
Engineering and Public Works. This Panel which was set up pursuant to another wish expressed
by the ILO Building, Civil Engineering and Public Works Committee in its above-mentioned
Resolution (No. 69) concerning action by the Office relating to technological developments and
to safety in the construction industry is composed 'ILO: Official Bulletin, Vol. XLVII, No. 3,
July 1964, p. 232. 2 Ibid., p. 291. III Safely and health in building and civil engineering of
consultants specializing in the various aspects of the subject, and includes persons reflecting the
views and experience of governments, as well as of employers' organisations and trade unions

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from this industry. The observations and comments of the members of the Panel were
subsequently submitted for study to a small group of five consultants with a view to the
preparation of the present consolidated text. At the invitation of the Office, the following
organisations collaborated in this work: the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development; the Council of Europe; the International Organisation for Standardization, the
International Electro technical Commission, the European Mechanical Handling Federation, and
the European Committee for Construction Equipment. This document was approved for
publication by the Governing Body of the ILO at its 180th Session (May-June 1970).

Title page of the ILO code of conduct

WORKER SAFETY SERIES

Construction:
Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on
any given day. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national
average in this category for all industries.

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Potential hazards for workers in construction include:

 Falls (from heights);

 Trench collapse;
 Scaffold collapse;
 Electric shock and arc flash/arc blast;
 Failure to use proper personal protective equipment; and
 Repetitive motion injuries.

Hazards & Solutions:

For construction, the 10 OSHA standards most frequently included in the agency's citations in
FY 2004 were:

1. Scaffolding
2. Fall protection (scope, application, definitions)
3. Excavations (general requirements)
4. Ladders
5. Head protection
6. Excavations (requirements for protective systems)
7. Hazard communication
8. Fall protection (training requirements)
9. Construction (general safety and health provisions)
10. Electrical (wiring methods, design and protection)

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Scaffolding

Hazard: When scaffolds are not erected or used

properly, fall hazards can occur. About 2.3 million
construction workers frequently work on scaffolds.
Protecting these workers from scaffold-related
accidents would prevent an estimated 4,500 injuries
and 50 fatalities each year.

Solutions:

 Scaffold must be sound, rigid and sufficient to carry its own weight plus four times the
maximum intended load without settling or displacement. It must be erected on solid footing.
 Unstable objects, such as barrels, boxes, loose bricks or concrete blocks must not be used to
support scaffolds or planks.
 Scaffold must not be erected, moved, dismantled or altered except under the supervision of a
competent person.
 Scaffold must be equipped with guardrails, midrails and toeboards.
 Scaffold accessories such as braces, brackets, trusses, screw legs or ladders that are damaged
or weakened from any cause must be immediately repaired or replaced.
 Scaffold platforms must be tightly planked with scaffold plank grade material or equivalent.
 A "competent person" must inspect the scaffolding and, at designated intervals, reinspect it.
 Rigging on suspension scaffolds must be inspected by a competent person before each shift
and after any occurrence that could affect structural integrity to ensure that all connections
are tight and that no damage to the rigging has occurred since its last use.
 Synthetic and natural rope used in suspension scaffolding must be protected from heat-
producing sources.
 Employees must be instructed about the hazards of using diagonal braces as fall protection.
 Scaffold can be accessed by using ladders and stairwells.
 Scaffolds must be at least 10 feet from electric power lines at all times.

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Fall Protection

Hazard: Each year, falls consistently account for

the greatest number of fatalities in the construction
industry. A number of factors are often involved in
falls, including unstable working surfaces, misuse or
failure to use fall protection equipment and human
error. Studies have shown that using guardrails, fall
arrest systems, safety nets, covers and restraint
systems can prevent many deaths and injuries from
falls.

Solutions:

 Consider using aerial lifts or elevated platforms to provide safer elevated working surfaces;
 Erect guardrail systems with toe boards and warning lines or install control line systems to
protect workers near the edges of floors and roofs;
 Cover floor holes; and/or
 Use safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems (body harnesses).

Ladders
Hazard: Ladders and stairways are another source of injuries and fatalities among construction
workers. OSHA estimates that there are 24,882 injuries and as many as 36 fatalities per year due
to falls on stairways and ladders used in construction. Nearly half of these injuries were serious
enough to require time off the job.
Solutions:

 Use the correct ladder for the task.

 Have a competent person visually inspect a ladder before use for any defects such as:
o Structural damage, split/bent side rails, broken or missing rungs/steps/cleats and missing
or damaged safety devices;
o Grease, dirt or other contaminants that could cause slips or falls;

Paint or stickers (except warning labels) that could hide possible defect.

 Make sure that ladders are long enough to safely reach the work area.

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 Mark or tag ("Do Not Use") damaged or defective ladders for repair or replacement, or
destroy them immediately.
 Never load ladders beyond the maximum intended load or beyond the manufacturer's rated
capacity.
 Be sure the load rating can support the weight of the user, including materials and tools.
 Avoid using ladders with metallic components near electrical work and overhead power
lines.

Stairways
Hazard: Slips, trips and falls on stairways are a major source of injuries and fatalities among
construction workers.
Solutions:

 Stairway treads and walkways must be free of dangerous objects, debris and materials.
 Slippery conditions on stairways and walkways must be corrected immediately.
 Make sure that treads cover the entire step and landing.
 Stairways having four or more risers or rising more than 30 inches must have at least one
handrail.

Trenching

Hazard: Trench collapses cause dozens of

fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year.
Trenching deaths rose in 2003.
Solutions:

 Never enter an unprotected trench.

 Always use a protective system for
trenches feet deep or greater.
 Employ a registered professional engineer
to design a protective system for trenches
20 feet deep or greater.

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 Protective Systems:
o Sloping to protect workers by cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from
the excavation not steeper than a height/depth ratio of 11 2 :1, according to the sloping
requirements for the type of soil.
o Shoring to protect workers by installing supports to prevent soil movement for trenches
that do not exceed 20 feet in depth.
o Shielding to protect workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent
soil cave-ins.
 Always provide a way to exit a trench--such as a ladder, stairway or ramp--no more than 25
feet of lateral travel for employees in the trench.
 Keep spoils at least two feet back from the edge of a trench.
 Make sure that trenches are inspected by a competent person prior to entry and after any
hazard-increasing event such as a rainstorm, vibrations or excessive surcharge loads.

SLOPING: Maximum allowable slopes for excavations less than 20 ft. (6.09 m) based on soil
type and angle to the horizontal are as follows:

Source: OSHA Technical Manual, Section V, Chap. 2, Excavations: Hazard Recognition in

Trenching and Shoring (Jan. 1999)

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Cranes:

Hazard:
Significant and serious injuries may
occur if cranes are not inspected before use
and if they are not used properly. Often
these injuries occur when a worker is struck
by an overhead load or caught within the
crane's swing radius. Many crane fatalities
occur when the boom of a crane or its load
line contact an overhead power line.

Solutions:

 Check all crane controls to insure proper operation before use.

 Inspect wire rope, chains and hook for any damage.
 Know the weight of the load that the crane is to lift.
 Ensure that the load does not exceed the crane's rated capacity.
 Raise the load a few inches to verify balance and the effectiveness of the brake system.
 Check all rigging prior to use; do not wrap hoist ropes or chains around the load.
 Fully extend outriggers.
 Do not move a load over workers.
 Barricade accessible areas within the crane's swing radius.
 Watch for overhead electrical distribution and transmission lines and maintain a safe working
clearance of at least 10 feet from energized electrical lines.

Hazard Communication

Hazard: Failure to recognize the hazards

associated with chemicals can cause
chemical burns, respiratory problems, fires
and explosions.

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Solutions:

 Maintain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each chemical in the facility.
 Make this information accessible to employees at all times in a language or formats that are
clearly understood by all affected personnel.
 Train employees on how to read and use the MSDS.
 Follow manufacturer's MSDS instructions for handling hazardous chemicals.
 Train employees about the risks of each hazardous chemical being used.
 Provide spill clean-up kits in areas where chemicals are stored.
 Have a written spill control plan.
 Train employees to clean up spills, protect themselves and properly dispose of used
materials.
 Provide proper personal protective equipment and enforce its use.
 Store chemicals safely and securely.

Forklifts:

Hazard: Approximately 100 employees are

fatally injured and approximately 95,000
employees are injured every year while
operating powered industrial trucks. Forklift
turnover accounts for a significant number of
these fatalities.

Solutions:

 Train and certify all operators to ensure that they operate forklifts safely.
 Do not allow any employee under 18 years old to operate a forklift.
 Properly maintain haulage equipment, including tires.
 Do not modify or make attachments that affect the capacity and safe operation of the forklift
without written approval from the forklift's manufacturer.
 Examine forklift truck for defects before using.
 Follow safe operating procedures for picking up, moving, putting down and stacking loads.
 Drive safely--never exceed 5 mph and slow down in congested or slippery surface areas.
 Prohibit stunt driving and horseplay.
 Do not handle loads that are heavier than the capacity of the industrial truck.

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 Remove unsafe or defective forklift trucks from service.

 Operators shall always wear seatbelts.
 Avoid traveling with elevated loads.
 Assure that rollover protective structure is in place.
 Make certain that the reverse signal alarm is operational and audible above the surrounding
noise level.

Head Protection:

Hazard: Serious head injuries can result

from blows to the head.
Solution:

 Be sure that workers wear hard hats

where there is a potential for objects
falling from above, bumps to their heads
from fixed objects, or accidental head
contact with electrical hazards.

Safety Checklists:
The following checklists may help you take steps to avoid hazards that cause injuries, illnesses
and fatalities. As always, be cautious and seek help if you are concerned about a potential
hazard.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Eye and Face Protection:

 Safety glasses or face shields are worn anytime work operations can cause foreign objects
getting into the eye such as during welding, cutting, grinding, nailing (or when working with
concrete and/or harmful chemicals or when exposed to flying particles).
 Eye and face protectors are selected based on anticipated hazards.
 Safety glasses or face shields are worn when exposed to any electrical hazards including
work on energized electrical systems.

Foot Protection:
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 Construction workers should wear work shoes or boots with slip-resistant and puncture-
resistant soles.
 Safety-toed footwear is worn to prevent crushed toes when working around heavy equipment
or falling objects.

Hand Protection:

 Gloves should fit snugly.

 Workers wear the right gloves for the job (for example, heavy-duty rubber gloves for
concrete work, welding gloves for welding, insulated gloves and sleeves when exposed to
electrical hazards).

Head Protection:

 Workers shall wear hard hats where there is a potential for objects falling from above, bumps
to their heads from fixed objects, or of accidental head contact with electrical hazards.
 Hard hats are routinely inspected for dents, cracks or deterioration.
 Hard hats are replaced after a heavy blow or electrical shock.
 Hard hats are maintained in good condition.

Scaffolding:

 Scaffolds should be set on sound footing.

 Damaged parts that affect the strength of the scaffold are taken out of service.
 Scaffolds are not altered.
 All scaffolds should be fully planked.
 Scaffolds are not moved horizontally while workers are on them unless they are designed to
be mobile and workers have been trained in the proper procedures.
 Employees are not permitted to work on scaffolds when covered with snow, ice, or other
slippery materials.
 Scaffolds are not erected or moved within 10 feet of power lines.
 Employees are not permitted to work on scaffolds in bad weather or high winds unless a
competent person has determined that it is safe to do so.
 Ladders, boxes, barrels, buckets or other makeshift platforms are not used to raise work
height.
 Extra material is not allowed to build up on scaffold platforms.
 Scaffolds should not be loaded with more weight than they were designed to support.

Electrical Safety:

 Work on new and existing energized (hot) electrical circuits is prohibited until all power is
shut off and grounds are attached.
 An effective Lockout/Tagout system is in place.

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 Frayed, damaged or worn electrical cords or cables are promptly replaced.

 All extension cords have grounding prongs.
 Protect flexible cords and cables from damage. Sharp corners and projections should be
avoided.
 Use extension cord sets used with portable electric tools and appliances that are the three-
wire type and designed for hard or extra-hard service. (Look for some of the following letters
imprinted on the casing: S, ST, SO, STO.)
 All electrical tools and equipment are maintained in safe condition and checked regularly for
defects and taken out of service if a defect is found.
 Do not bypass any protective system or device designed to protect employees from contact
with electrical energy.
 Overhead electrical power lines are located and identified.
 Ensure that ladders, scaffolds, equipment or materials never come within 10 feet of electrical
power lines.
 All electrical tools must be properly grounded unless they are of the double insulated type.
 Multiple plug adapters are prohibited.

Floor and Wall Openings:

 Floor openings (12 inches or more) are guarded by a secured cover, a guardrail or equivalent
on all sides (except at entrances to stairways).
 Toeboards are installed around the edges of permanent floor openings (where persons may
pass below the opening).

Elevated Surfaces:

 Signs are posted, when appropriate, showing the elevated surface load capacity.
 Surfaces elevated more than 48 inches above the floor or ground have standard guardrails.
 All elevated surfaces (beneath which people or machinery could be exposed to falling
objects) have standard 4-inch toeboards.
 A permanent means of entry and exit with handrails is provided to elevated storage and work
surfaces.
 Material is piled, stacked or racked in a way that prevents it from tipping, falling, collapsing,
rolling or spreading.

Hazard Communication:

 A list of hazardous substances used in the workplace is maintained and readily available at
the worksite.
 There is a written hazard communication program addressing Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS), labeling and employee training.

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 Each container of a hazardous substance (vats, bottles, storage tanks) is labeled with product
identity and a hazard warning(s) (communicating the specific health hazards and physical
hazards).
 Material Safety Data Sheets are readily available at all times for each hazardous substance
used.
 There is an effective employee training program for hazardous substances.

Crane Safety

 Cranes and derricks are restricted from operating within 10 feet of any electrical power line.
 The upper rotating structure supporting the boom and materials being handled is provided
with an electrical ground while working near energized transmitter towers.
 Rated load capacities, operating speed and instructions are posted and visible to the operator.
 Cranes are equipped with a load chart.
 The operator understands and uses the load chart.
 The operator can determine the angle and length of the crane boom at all times.
 Crane machinery and other rigging equipment is inspected daily prior to use to make sure
that it is in good condition.
 Accessible areas within the crane's swing radius are barricaded.
 Tag lines are used to prevent dangerous swing or spin of materials when raised or lowered by
a crane or derrick.
 Illustrations of hand signals to crane and derrick operators are posted on the job site.
 The signal person uses correct signals for the crane operator to follow.
 Crane outriggers are extended when required.
 Crane platforms and walkways have antiskid surfaces.
 Broken, worn or damaged wire rope is removed from service.
 Guardrails, hand holds and steps are provided for safe and easy access to and from all areas
of the crane.
 Load testing reports/certifications are available.
 Tower crane mast bolts are properly torqued to the manufacturer's specifications.
 Overload limits are tested and correctly set.
 The maximum acceptable load and the last test results are posted on the crane.
 Initial and annual inspections of all hoisting and rigging equipment are performed and
reports are maintained.
 Only properly trained and qualified operators are allowed to work with hoisting and rigging
equipment.

Forklifts:

 Forklift truck operators are competent to operate these vehicles safely as demonstrated by
their successful completion of training and evaluation.
 No employee under 18 years old is allowed to operate a forklift.
 Forklifts are inspected daily for proper condition of brakes, horns, steering, forks and tires.

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 Powered industrial trucks (forklifts) meet the design and construction requirements
established in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for Powered Industrial Trucks,
Part II ANSI B56.1-1969.
 Written approval from the truck manufacturer is obtained for any modification or additions
which affect capacity and safe operation of the vehicle.
 Capacity, operation and maintenance instruction plates, tags or decals are changed to indicate
any modifications or additions to the vehicle.
 Battery charging is conducted in areas specifically designated for that purpose.
 Material handling equipment is provided for handling batteries, including conveyors,
overhead hoists or equivalent devices.
 Reinstalled batteries are properly positioned and secured in the truck.
 Smoking is prohibited in battery charging areas.
 Precautions are taken to prevent open flames, sparks or electric arcs in battery charging
areas.
 Refresher training is provided and an evaluation is conducted whenever a forklift operator
has been observed operating the vehicle in an unsafe manner and when an operator is
assigned to drive a different type of truck.
 Load and forks are fully lowered, controls neutralized, power shut off and brakes set when a
powered industrial truck is left unattended.
 There is sufficient headroom for the forklift and operator under overhead installations, lights,
pipes, sprinkler systems, etc.
 Overhead guards are in place to protect the operator against falling objects.
 Trucks are operated at a safe speed.
 All loads are kept stable, safely arranged and fit within the rated capacity of the truck.
 Unsafe and defective trucks are removed from service.

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References:

Part 2: Practical Observations from our site visit:

For our site visit we selected the Phase 3 section of the ongoing BRT project in Hayatabad, as
being a Mega project, it was more likely that we would come across some protective apparatus,
as compared to smaller projects. We arrived at there at about 4:00pm on Tuesday 2/01/2017.

It was our good fortune that the first person we encountered on the site was a health and safety
consultant, we decided to have a conversation with him before proceeding further. The
gentleman, being in charge of safety and health of the working personnel himself, could not
openly criticize the project but he admitted that the safety arrangements were far from
satisfactory, and it was far from his authority to singlehandedly change anything. He felt much
more stringent measures were required by the PEC to accredit a contractor based on their
conduct regarding health and safety. Compared to his previous work experience in UAE, he felt
the health and safety arrangements were not up to the mark at all.

After this brief chat we headed towards the site, and indeed observed a very casual attitude
towards security. While many laborers did wear safety caps and protective jackets, a large
number of laborers, mostly the younger ones, were working without them. Besides, the PPE
apparel did not extend beyond helmets and jackets. We did not meet a single person wearing the
appropriate boots or protective gloves. Even those busy in welding did not have any protective
goggles on, nor was any worker working on heights wearing a protective vest. We got the
impression that even the helmets and jackets were treated as more of an identification tool, rather
than safety apparatus.

Similarly washrooms were insufficient and did not meet the 1:20 criterion which is the
international standard. Small and congested tents were set on site for some of the workers to
sleep in. A first aid box was available on the site for minor injuries with LRH and KTH (Hayat
Sherpao hospital) being assigned as emergency headquarters. No ambulances were available on
site. We fail to understand how seriously injured person can be shifted to LRH or HSH quickly
enough in the present traffic, which due to the BRT has deteriorated considerably and it often
takes a long time to reach either of these hospitals.

However we felt lack of resources was not the major problem there; on the BRT project and
indeed in our country in general there is no sort of safety culture at all. Safety apparel and
hygiene practices are considered as cumbersome hindrances and a waste of money by the
administration. The labour is treated in a disparaging manner by contractors, as it seems that they
do not consider them worthy of basic PPE, and even many ordinary citizens remark that they are
illiterate and wouldn’t want to be burdened by safety wear. Such a casual attitude towards safety
is truly lamentable.

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The staff on site, including safety consultants, engineers and the experienced laborers all was
very helpful and co operative with us. All of them acknowledged the need of basic PPE and
safety and hygiene measures were not satisfactory and much more needed to be done, but even
the supervising officers felt helpless as they had no real authority to sanction such measures. It is
ultimately the duty of the government and the regulatory authorities, rather than individuals, to
cultivate a safety culture and then providing enough funds to apply the necessary measures.

We would like to attach some pictures of our site visit at the end of this report, as instructed by
Mam Hamna, to prove that this site visit report is not a work of fiction.

(L to R) Group Members Bilal Ahmad and Haris Khan

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(L to R) Group members: Mohammad Ibrahim, Ahmad Ali (Leader), Haris Khan

Laborers on site, distinguished by yellow helmets and orange jackets

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Workers on site

A worker receiving first aid for a cut, which could have been avoided

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Concluded

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