International

Labour
Organization

BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH

CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

A guide to the Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167)
and Recommendation (No. 175)
BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH
CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION
A guide to the Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167) and
Recommendation (No. 175)

ILO Office for Turkey, Ankara

Copyright © International Labour Organization 2017
First published 2017

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Building a Preventative Safety and Health Culture in Construction / International Labour

Organization, ILO Office for Turkey - Ankara: ILO, 2017

ISBN: 9789221296829; 9789221296836 (web pdf)

International Labour Organization, ILO Office for Turkey

Also available in (Turkish): (İnşaat İşlerinde Önleyici bir Sağlık ve Güvenlik Kültürünün
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4 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 9
SCOPE OF APPLICATION.................................................................................................................11
ACTIVITIES COVERED...............................................................................................................11
PERSONS COVERED..................................................................................................................11
AREAS COVERED ..................................................................................................................... 12
CONSULTATIONS ON IMPLEMENTATION...................................................................................... 13
DEFINED RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES................................................................... 14
THE GOVERNMENT................................................................................................................... 14
Responsibility to adopt laws and regulations......................................................................... 14
Responsibility to provide for technical standards and codes of practice................................ 14
Responsibility to ensure effective enforcement...................................................................... 14
Responsibility to provide for inspection services.................................................................... 15
EMPLOYERS.............................................................................................................................. 15
Duty to comply with prescribed OSH measures..................................................................... 15
Duty to stop work and evacuate workers in cases of imminent danger.................................. 15
Duty to provide for first aid and medical transportation.......................................................... 15
WORKERS.................................................................................................................................. 16
Right to participate in ensuring safe working conditions........................................................ 16
Right to leave situations of imminent and serious danger...................................................... 16
Duty to take reasonable care................................................................................................. 16
Duty to ensure due and proper use of facilities...................................................................... 16
Duty to report situations which could represent risk............................................................... 16
Duty to comply with prescribed measures.............................................................................. 16

5
COOPERATION................................................................................................................................ 17
COOPERATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS................................................... 17
COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO OR MORE EMPLOYERS.................................................... 18
COOPERATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED PERSONS..................... 19
PREVENTIVE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES.............................................................................. 20
PREPARATION AND PLANNING............................................................................................... 20
SAFETY OF WORKPLACES............................................................................................................ 21
Appropriate precautions......................................................................................................... 21
Provision of information and training...................................................................................... 21
Provision of personal protective equipment and clothing....................................................... 21
Provision of welfare................................................................................................................ 21
PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN CASES OF EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL
OR BIOLOGICAL HEALTH HAZARDS...................................................................................... 22
Appropriate preventive measures.......................................................................................... 22
Handling of waste................................................................................................................... 22
Radiation hazards.................................................................................................................. 23
Health hazards....................................................................................................................... 23
REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, TOOLS
AND EQUIPMENT....................................................................................................................... 23
Competent person.................................................................................................................. 24
Safety of construction tools and equipment........................................................................... 24
Lighting................................................................................................................................... 24
Electricity................................................................................................................................ 24
Explosives.............................................................................................................................. 24
Fire precautions...................................................................................................................... 24
Excavations, shafts, earthworks, underground works and tunnels........................................ 25
Plant, machinery, equipment and hand tools.......................................................................... 25
Transport, earth-moving and materials-handling equipment.................................................. 25
Lifting appliances and gear.................................................................................................... 26
Scaffolds and ladders............................................................................................................. 27
Structural frames and formwork............................................................................................. 27
Cofferdams and caissons....................................................................................................... 27
Pile driving.............................................................................................................................. 28
REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING CERTAIN WORK SITUATIONS........................................... 28

6 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

 Work at heights including roof-work....................................................................................... 28
Work in compressed air.......................................................................................................... 28
Work over or close to water.................................................................................................... 28
Demolition.............................................................................................................................. 29
REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES........................................................................ 29
FURTHER GUIDANCE..................................................................................................................... 30

7
8 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION
INTRODUCTION

The construction sector is one of the leading industrial sectors in Turkey. Despite globa-
lization, the existence of an international construction industry, and the fact that many
construction activities involve the erection of large and technically complex structures,
most construction activities are still undertaken by small, local, on-site construction
entities. The industry remains labour intensive, with frequent changes of working envi-
ronment, many different parties and high rates of staff turnover involving an increasing
number of migrant workers.

The hazardous nature of the construction industry is a challenge and preventing occupati-
onal accidents and diseases places high demands on all involved. In order to tackle these
challenges, and as part of Turkey’s ongoing efforts to improve its national OSH system,
Turkey became a party to the ILO Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988
(No. 167) on 25 March 2016. This sectoral Convention complements the Occupational
Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and the Promotional Framework for
Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) ratified by Turkey in 2005
and 2014 respectively.

Convention No. 167 aims to achieve a progressive improvement of OSH in all cons-
truction activities including building activities, civil engineering and the erection and
dismantling of prefabricated buildings and structures. This guide details the requirements
in Convention No. 167 as well as the supplementing guidance provided in the Safety and
health In Construction Recommendation, 1988 (No. 164).

The preamble to Convention No. 167 recalls that risks in the construction sector may
also be addressed through ILO standards on protection from specific hazards, including
asbestos and radiation. Workers in the construction sector may be at risk of occupational
exposure to asbestos, particularly those working in demolition, the disposal of conta-
minated debris and renovation. The Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No.162), provides
guidance on all activities involving the exposure of workers to asbestos during work,
including construction. With respect to exposure to radiation, Recommendation No. 175
contains guidance on the protection of workers engaged in the maintenance, renovation,

9
demolition or dismantling of any buildings in which there is a risk of exposure to ionizing
radiations, in particular in the nuclear power industry, and it refers in this regard in its
preamble to the Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115), and its accompanying
Recommendation. Other international labour standards particularly relevant to safety
and health in the sector include those on protection against specific risks, including the
Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139), and the Working Environment (Air
Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977 (No. 148).

In terms of guidance on ILO instruments, ILO General Surveys are an important source
of information as they include analyses of the impact of ILO instruments, the difficulties
indicated by governments as impeding their application, and means of overcoming these
obstacles. The 2017 General Survey focuses on the ILO instruments concerning the pro-
motional framework, construction, mines and agriculture and includes an examination of
the effect given, in law and in practice, by ILO member States of Convention No. 167.
Further guidance on law and practice regarding ILO instruments on OSH is available in
the 2006 General Survey concerning the Convention No. 155, its Recommendation No.
164 and its Protocol of 2002. The present guide also includes information regarding this
and further guidance material.

10 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

ACTIVITIES COVERED

The Convention applies to all construction activities, from the preparation of the site to
the completion of the project, including any process, operation or transport on a const-
ruction site. Its application is not limited to construction activities of a certain scale. It
covers building activities - including excavation and the construction, structural alteration,
renovation, repair, maintenance (including cleaning and painting) and demolition of all
types of buildings or structures; engineering activities - including excavation and the
construction, structural alteration, repair, maintenance and demolition of, for example,
airports, docks, harbors, inland waterways, dams, river and avalanche and sea defense
works, roads and highways, railways, bridges, tunnels, viaducts and works related to
the provision of services such as communications, drainage, sewerage, water and ener-
gy supplies; and the erection and dismantling of prefabricated buildings and structures
including any process, operation or transport on a construction site.
The Recommendation adds that the provisions of the Convention should also be
applied to the fabrication and erection of oilrigs, and of offshore installations while
under construction on shore.halinde bulunan açık deniz kurulumlarının üretimi
ve montajı için de geçerlidir.

PERSONS COVERED

A worker is defined as ‘any person engaged in construction’. An employer is defined as

‘any physical or legal person who employs one or more workers on a construction site
and - as the context requires – the principal contractor, the contractor or the subcont-
ractor’. The Convention also applies to self-employed persons as may be specified by
national laws or regulations. Furthermore, the Convention requires that all appropriate
precautions be taken to protect persons present at or near a construction site from all
risks which may arise from such site. In addition, when the demolition of any building
or structure might present danger to workers or to the public, appropriate precautions,

11
methods and procedures shall be adopted, including those for the disposal of waste or
residues, in accordance with national laws or regulations.

AREAS COVERED

The Convention applies to construction sites defined as ‘any sites at which any of the
relevant processes or operations are carried out’. For the purposes of the instruments, a
workplace is defined as ‘all places where workers need to be or to go by reason of their
work and which are under the control of an employer’.

12 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

CONSULTATIONS ON IMPLEMENTATION

Convention No. 167 requires consultations with the most representative organizations
of employers and workers concerned on the measures to be taken to implement it.
While this is not an express requirement to develop a national policy on safety and
health in construction, Turkey is required to formulate, implement and periodically
develop a national policy on OSH pursuant to Convention Nos. 155 and 187 which
should encompass OSH in construction. Furthermore, in the 2017 General Survey
(para 121) the CEACR emphasized the importance of social dialogue and encouraged
all governments to undertake consultations with the most representative organizations
of employers and workers concerned on cross-sectoral and specific measures that
can be taken to improve OSH in the construction sector. For national practice in this
respect globally, see the 2017 General Survey paras 118-120.

The most representative organizations of employers and workers concerned shall be

consulted on measures to be taken to give effect to the provisions of Convention No. 167.

13
DEFINED RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

THE GOVERNMENT

Convention No. 167 establishes obligations for governments to regulate and monitor
issues related to OSH in construction. Such measures must include the adoption of
laws and regulations, as well as all necessary measures to ensure their effective enfor-
cement, including the provision of appropriate inspection services and of appropriate
penalties and corrective measures. The inspection services should comply with the
provisions in the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) to which Turkey is
a party. Convention No. 167 also provides that the Government shall provide these
inspection services with the resources necessary for the accomplishment of their
task, or satisfy itself that appropriate inspection is carried out. For national practice
globally, see 2017 General Survey, paras. 445-452.

RESPONSIBILITY TO ADOPT LAWS AND REGULATIONS - The Convention pro-

vides that the Government is required, based on an assessment of the safety and health
hazards involved, to adopt and maintain in force laws or regulations which ensure the
application of the provisions of the Convention.

RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE FOR TECHNICAL STANDARDS AND CODES OF

PRACTICE - The laws and regulations may provide that they should be applied in practice
through technical standards or codes of practice, or by other appropriate methods consistent
with national conditions and practice. In this context, account shall be taken of relevant
standards adopted by recognized international organizations in the field of standardization. 1

RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT - The Government shall

take all necessary measures, including the provision of appropriate penalties and correc-

1
See also the ILO Code of Practice Safety and Health in Construction, 1992

14 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

tive measures, to ensure the effective enforcement of the provisions of the Convention.

RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE FOR INSPECTION SERVICES - The Government

shall provide appropriate inspection services to supervise the application of the measures to be
taken in pursuance of the Convention and provide these services with the resources necessary
for the accomplishment of their task, or satisfy itself that appropriate inspection is carried out.

EMPLOYERS

According to Convention No. 167 employers and self-employed persons are required
to comply with prescribed safety and health measures at the workplace. Article 4 (1)
of the Occupational Safety and Health Law (Act 6331) provides that the employers
have the “duty to ensure the safety and health of workers in every aspect related to
the work.” As noted previously, under Convention No. 167, employers may include
the principal contractor, the contractor or the subcontractor as the context requires.

DUTY TO COMPLY WITH PRESCRIBED OSH MEASURES - National laws or reg-

ulations shall require that employers and self-employed persons have a duty to comply
with the prescribed safety and health measures at the workplace.
The Recommendation adds that national laws or regulations should require that
employers and self-employed persons have a general duty to provide a safe and
healthy workplace and to comply with the prescribed safety and health measures.

DUTY TO STOP WORK AND EVACUATE WORKERS IN CASES OF IMMINENT

DANGER - Where there is an imminent danger to the safety of workers the employer
shall take immediate steps to stop the operation and evacuate workers as appropriate.
DUTY TO PROVIDE FOR FIRST AID AND MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION - The
employer shall be responsible for ensuring that first aid, including trained personnel,
is always available. Arrangements shall be made for ensuring the removal for medical
attention of workers who have suffered an accident or sudden illness.
The Recommendation adds that the manner in which first-aid facilities and per-
sonnel are to be provided should be prescribed by national laws or regulations
drawn up after consulting the competent health authority and the most repre-
sentative organizations of employers and workers concerned and that where the
work involves risk of drowning, asphyxiation or electric shock, first-aid personnel
should be proficient in the use of resuscitation and other life-saving techniques
and in rescue procedures.

15
WORKERS

Convention No. 167 prescribes that the workers have the right and duty to par-
ticipate in ensuring safe working conditions and the right to leave situations of
imminent and serious danger. It also prescribes that the workers have the duty
to take reasonable care, to ensure due a proper use of facilities, to report situa-
tions which could represent risk and to comply with prescribed OSH measures,

RIGHT AND DUTY TO PARTICIPATE IN ENSURING SAFE WORKING

CONDITIONS - National laws or regulations shall provide that workers shall have the
right and the duty at any workplace to participate in ensuring safe working conditions to
the extent of their control over the equipment and methods of work and to express views
on the working procedures adopted as they may affect safety and health.

RIGHT TO LEAVE SITUATIONS OF IMMINENT AND SERIOUS DANGER - A

worker shall have the right to remove himself from danger when he has good reason to
believe that there is an imminent and serious danger to his safety or health, and the duty
so to inform his supervisor immediately.

DUTY TO TAKE REASONABLE CARE - Workers shall have the duty to take reason-
able care for their own safety and health and that of other persons who may be affected
by their acts or omissions at work;

DUTY TO ENSURE DUE AND PROPER USE OF FACILITIES - Workers shall have
the duty to use facilities placed at their disposal and not misuse anything provided for
their own protection or the protection of others.

DUTY TO REPORT SITUATIONS WHICH COULD REPRESENT RISK -Workers

shall have the duty to report forthwith to their immediate supervisor, and to the workers’
safety representative where one exists, any situation which they believe could present a
risk, and which they cannot properly deal with themselves;

DUTY TO COMPLY WITH PRESCRIBED OSH MEASURES - Workers shall have the
duty to comply with the prescribed safety and health measures.

16 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

COOPERATION

Cooperation is essential in all areas of OSH. In construction, the Convention

requires cooperation not only between employers and workers but also between
employers when several employers undertake activities simultaneously at one
construction site as well as between employers and self-employed persons. The
Recommendation adds that there should be organized co-operation between
employers and workers which should include safety and health committees; the
election or appointment and training of workers’ safety delegates; and the appoint-
ment by the employer of suitably qualified and experienced persons to promote
safety and health. Act 6331 gives effect to this latter provision, as Articles 6 and
8 require the Employer to appoint occupational safety specialists, occupational
physicians and other health to provide OSH services including activities related
to the protection and prevention of occupational risks as the workplace.

COOPERATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS

To promote safety and health at construction sites, the Convention provides that measures
shall be taken to ensure that there is co-operation between employers and workers, in
accordance with arrangements to be defined by national laws or regulations.
The Recommendation adds that measures should be taken to ensure that there is
organized co-operation between employers and workers to promote safety and
health at construction sites prescribed by national laws or regulations or by the
competent authority. It adds that such measures should include:

• the establishment of safety and health committees where employers and workers
are represented with such powers and duties as may be prescribed;

• the election or appointment of workers’ safety delegates (representative) with

such powers and duties as may be prescribed;

17
 • the appointment by the employer of suitably qualified and experienced persons
to promote safety and health; and

• the training of safety delegates and safety committee members.

The Convention provides that workers shall have the duty to co-operate as closely
as possible with their employer in the application of the prescribed safety and health
measures.

COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO OR MORE EMPLOYERS

The Convention requires that whenever two or more employers undertake activities
simultaneously at one construction site, the principal contractor, or other person or body
with actual control over or primary responsibility for overall construction site activities,
shall be responsible for coordinating the prescribed safety and health measures and, in
so far as is compatible with national laws and regulations, for ensuring compliance with
such measures.
The Recommendation adds that whenever two or more employers undertake ac-
tivities at one construction site, they should have the duty to co-operate with one
another as well as with any other persons participating in the construction work
being undertaken, including the owner or his representative, in order to comply
with the prescribed safety and health measures

The Convention further provides that, in so far as is compatible with national laws and
regulations, where the principal contractor, or other person or body with actual control
over or primary responsibility for overall construction site activities, is not present at
the site, he shall nominate a competent person or body at the site with the authority and
means necessary to ensure on his behalf co-ordination and compliance with the measures
foreseen above.

Furthermore, each employer shall remain responsible for the application of the prescribed
measures in respect of the workers placed under his authority.
The Recommendation adds that the ultimate responsibility for the co-ordination of
safety and health measures on a construction site should rest with the principal con-
tractor or such other person as is primarily responsible for the execution of the work. 2

2
In the 2017 General Survey, para 268, it is stated that “Having regard to the specific risks of the construction
industry and the proliferation of subcontracting in the sector, the Committee emphasizes that the promotion
of OSH compliance relies heavily on the adequate allocation of responsibilities among the parties involved in
a construction project. The Committee, therefore, encourages governments to take measures to regulate the
situation of multiple-contracting, including subcontracting, with regard to OSH obligations, and in particular
the attribution of responsibility to one party for coordinating safety and health measures and for ensuring
compliance with such measures, with a view to preventing occupational accidents and diseases.”

18 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

COOPERATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED
PERSONS

The Convention provides that whenever employers or self-employed persons undertake

activities simultaneously at one construction site they shall have the duty to co-operate
in the application of the prescribed safety and health measures, as may be specified by
national laws or regulations.

19
PREVENTIVE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES

PREPARATION AND PLANNING

A basic objective of the Convention is prevention and account shall be taken of safety
and health already at the design and planning stages of a construction project. The
Convention does not specifically provide for undertaking risk assessments, but this is a
general requirement pursuant to Article 4(3) of the Act 6331. It is also a common good
practice in the construction sector. The preventive and protective measures concerning
the handling of certain tools and equipment often require the involvement of a competent
person and the Convention regulates the requirements such persons shall comply with.
In many cases the preventive and protective measures also include a requirement that
workers shall receive specific training in the handling of these tools and equipment.

The Convention requires that those concerned with the design and planning of a con-
struction project shall take into account the safety and health of the construction workers
in accordance with national laws.
The Recommendation adds that those concerned with the design and planning
of a construction project should take into account the safety and health of the
construction workers in accordance with national laws, regulations and practice;
that construction work should be planned, prepared and undertaken in such a
way that risks liable to arise at the workplace are prevented as soon as possible;
that excessively or unnecessarily strenuous work positions and movements are
avoided; that organization of work takes into account the safety and health of
workers; that materials and products are used which are suitable from a safety
and health point of view; and that working methods are employed which protect
workers against the harmful effects of chemical, physical and biological agents.
The Recommendation also adds that national laws or regulations should provide
for the notification to the competent authority of construction sites of such size,
duration or characteristics as may be prescribed.

20 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

As regards electricity, the Convention specifically provides that before construction is
commenced and during the progress thereof, adequate steps shall be taken to ascertain
the presence of and to guard against danger to workers from any live electrical cable or
apparatus which is under, over or on the site.

SAFETY OF WORKPLACES
APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS - All appropriate precautions shall be taken to ensure
that all workplaces are safe and without risk of injury to the safety and health of workers.
Safe means of access to and egress from all workplaces shall be provided and maintained,
and indicated where appropriate. All appropriate precautions shall be taken to protect
persons present at or near a construction site from all risks which may arise from such site.
The Recommendation adds that housekeeping programmes should be established and
implemented on construction sites which should include provision for the proper storage of
materials and equipment and for the removal of waste and debris at appropriate intervals.

PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND TRAINING - Workers shall be adequately and

suitably informed of potential safety and health hazards to which they may be exposed
at their workplace; instructed and trained in the measures available for the prevention
and control of, and protection against, those hazards.

PROVISION OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING - Where

adequate protection against risk of accident or injury to health, including exposure to
adverse conditions, cannot be ensured by other means, suitable personal protective
equipment and protective clothing, having regard to the type of work and risks, shall be
provided and maintained by the employer, without cost to the workers, as may be pre-
scribed by national laws or regulations. The employer shall provide the workers with the
appropriate means to enable them to use the individual protective equipment, and shall
ensure its proper use. Protective equipment and protective clothing shall comply with
standards set by the competent authority taking into account as far as possible ergonomic
principles. Workers shall be required to make proper use of and to take good care of the
personal protective equipment and protective clothing provided for their use.
The Recommendation adds that the employer should provide the workers with
the appropriate means to enable them to use individual protective equipment and
should ensure its proper use and that protective equipment and protective clothing
should comply with standards set by the competent authority, taking into account
as far as possible ergonomic principles.

PROVISION OF WELFARE - At or within reasonable access of every construction

site an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water shall be provided. At or within
reasonable access of every construction site, the following facilities shall, depending
on the number of workers and the duration of the work, be provided and maintained
sanitary and washing facilities; facilities for changing and for the storage and drying of

21
clothing; accommodation for taking meals and for taking shelter during interruption of
work due to adverse weather conditions. Men and women workers should be provided
with separate sanitary and washing facilities.
The Recommendation provides that, in appropriate cases, depending on the number
of workers, the duration of the work and its location, adequate facilities for obtaining
or preparing food and drink at or near a construction site should be provided, if
they are not otherwise available, and that suitable living accommodation be made
available for the workers at construction sites which are remote from their homes,
where adequate transportation between the site and their homes or other suitable
living accommodation is not available. It is also recommended that men and women
workers be provided with separate sanitary, washing and sleeping facilities.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN CASES OF EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL,

PHYSICAL OR BIOLOGICAL HEALTH HAZARDS

APPROPRIATE PREVENTIVE MEASURES - Where a worker is liable to be exposed

to any chemical, physical or biological hazard to such an extent as is liable to be dan-
gerous to health, appropriate preventive measures shall be taken against such exposure.
These preventive measures shall include the replacement of hazardous substances by
harmless or less hazardous substances wherever possible; or technical measures applied
to the plant, machinery, equipment or process. Where it is not possible to comply with
these requirements, the preventive measures shall include other effective measures, such
as the use of personal protective equipment and protective clothing. Where workers are
required to enter any area in which a toxic or harmful substance may be present, or in
which there may be an oxygen deficiency, or a flammable atmosphere, adequate measures
shall be taken to guard against danger.
The Recommendation adds that the measures regarding dangerous atmospheres
should include prior written authority or permission from a competent person, or
any other system by which entry into any area in which a dangerous atmosphere
may be present can be effected only after completing specified procedures.
HANDLING OF WASTE - Waste shall not be destroyed or otherwise disposed of on a
construction site in a manner which is liable to be injurious to health.13
The Recommendation adds that in the use of materials that contain hazardous
substances and in the removal and disposal of waste, the health of workers and
of the public and the preservation of the environment should be safeguarded as
prescribed by national laws and regulations.

3
Guidance regarding the disposal of waste containing asbestos can be found in Convention No. 162 which,
in relevant parts, provides that employers shall dispose of waste containing asbestos in a manner that does
not pose a health risk to […] the population in the vicinity of the enterprise, and that, appropriate measures
shall be taken by the competent authority and by employers to prevent pollution of the general environment
by asbestos dust released from the workplace (Art. 19(1-2))..

22 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

RADIATION HAZARDS
The Recommendation provides that stringent safety regulations should be drawn up and
enforced by the competent authority with respect to construction workers engaged in
the maintenance, renovation, demolition or dismantling of any buildings in which there
is a risk of exposure to ionizing radiations, in particular in the nuclear power industry. 4

HEALTH HAZARDS
The Recommendation provides that
• An information system should be set up by the competent authority, using the
results of international scientific research, to provide information for architects,
contractors, employers and workers’ representatives on the health risks associ-
ated with hazardous substances used in the construction industry.
• Manufacturers and dealers in products used in the construction industry should
provide with the products information on any health risks associated with them
and on the precautions to be taken.
• Dangerous substances should be clearly marked and provided with a label
giving their relevant characteristics and instructions on their use. They should
be handled under conditions prescribed by national laws and regulations or
by the competent authority.
• The competent authority should determine which hazardous substances should
be prohibited from use in the construction industry.
• The competent authority should keep records of monitoring of the working
environment and assessment of workers’ health for a period prescribed by
national laws and regulations.
• The manual lifting of excessive weights which presents a safety and health
risk to workers should be avoided by reducing the weight, using mechanical
devices or by other means.

REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, TOOLS

AND EQUIPMENT

The Convention provides for detailed requirements regarding the construction site, its
tools and equipment. It requires in several cases that a “competent person” should
monitor installations and the handling of tools and equipment and defines the requi-
rements for such a competent person. The Recommendation provides that the safety
of construction machinery and equipment generally should be examined and tested
by type or individually, as appropriate, by a competent person.

4
Turkey is bound by the ILO Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115)

23
DESIGNATION OF “COMPETENT PERSONS” - A competent person is a person
possessing adequate qualifications, such as suitable training and sufficient knowledge,
experience and skill for the safe performance of the specific work. The competent au-
thorities may define appropriate criteria for the designation of such persons and may
determine the duties to be assigned to them.
The Recommendation provides generally that the safety of construction machinery
and equipment should be examined and tested by type or individually, as appro-
priate, by a competent person.

SAFETY OF CONSTRUCTION TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

The Recommendation provides that the design of construction equipment, tools,
protective equipment and other similar equipment should take account of ergo-
nomic principles, that the safety of construction machinery and equipment should
be examined and tested by type or individually, as appropriate, by a competent
person and that national laws and regulations should take into consideration the
fact that occupational diseases may be caused by machinery, apparatus and systems
which do not take account of ergonomic principles in their design.

LIGHTING - The Convention provides that adequate and suitable lighting, including
portable lighting where appropriate, shall be provided at every workplace and any other
place on the construction site where a worker may have to pass.

ELECTRICITY - In addition to the requirements concerning electricity to be complied

with at the preparatory stages of a construction site 5, the Convention provides that all
electrical equipment and installations shall be constructed, installed and maintained by
a competent person, and so used as to guard against danger. The laying and maintenance
of electrical cables and apparatus on construction sites shall be governed by the technical
rules and standards applied at the national level.

EXPLOSIVES - Explosives shall not be stored, transported, handled or used except

under conditions prescribed by national laws or regulations; and by a competent person,
who shall take such steps as are necessary to ensure that workers and other persons are
not exposed to risk of injury.

FIRE PRECAUTIONS - The employer shall take all appropriate measures to avoid the
risk of fire; combat quickly and efficiently any outbreak of fire; bring about a quick and
safe evacuation of persons. Sufficient and suitable storage shall be provided for flammable
liquids, solids and gases.
The Recommendation adds that, where necessary to guard against danger, workers
should be suitably trained in the action to be taken in the event of fire, including
the use of means of escape and that, where appropriate suitable visual signs be
provided to indicate clearly the directions of escape in case of fire.

5
See above, under “Preparation and Planning.”

24 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

EXCAVATIONS, SHAFTS, EARTHWORKS, UNDERGROUND WORKS AND TUN-
NELS - Adequate precautions shall be taken in any excavation, shaft, earthworks, under-
ground works or tunnel by suitable shoring or otherwise to guard against danger to workers
from a fall or dislodgement of earth, rock or other material; to guard against dangers arising
from the fall of persons, materials or objects or the inrush of water into the excavation,
shaft, earthworks, underground works or tunnel; to secure adequate ventilation at every
workplace so as to maintain an atmosphere fit for respiration and to limit any fumes,
gases, vapours, dust or other impurities to levels which are not dangerous or injurious
to health and are within limits laid down by national laws or regulations; to enable the
workers to reach safety in the event of fire, or an inrush of water or material; to avoid risk
to workers arising from possible underground dangers such as the circulation of fluids or
the presence of pockets of gas, by undertaking appropriate investigations to locate them.
The Recommendation adds that shoring or other support for any part of an ex-
cavation, shaft, earthworks, underground works or tunnel should not be erected,
altered or dismantled except under the supervision of a competent person. It also
adds that every part of an excavation, shaft, earthworks, underground works and
tunnel where persons are employed should be inspected by a competent person
at the times and in the cases prescribed by national laws or regulations, and the
results recorded and that work should not be commenced therein until after such
an inspection.

PLANT, MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT AND HAND TOOLS - Plant, machinery and

equipment, including hand tools, both manual and power driven, shall be of good design
and construction, taking into account, as far as possible, ergonomic principles; be main-
tained in good working order; be used only for work for which they have been designed
unless a use outside the initial design purposes has been assessed by a competent person
who has concluded that such use is safe; and be operated by workers who have received
appropriate training. Adequate instructions for safe use shall be provided where appro-
priate by the manufacturer or the employer, in a form understood by the users. Pressure
plant and equipment shall be examined and tested by a competent person in cases and
at times prescribed by national laws or regulations.
TRANSPORT, EARTH-MOVING AND MATERIALS-HANDLING EQUIPMENT - All
vehicles and earth-moving or materials-handling equipment shall be of good design and
construction taking into account, as far as possible, ergonomic principles; be maintained
in good working order; be properly used; be operated by workers who have received
appropriate training in accordance with national laws and regulations. On all construction
sites on which vehicles, earth-moving or materials-handling equipment are used safe and
suitable access ways shall be provided for them; and traffic shall be so organized and
controlled as to secure their safe operation.
The Recommendation adds that the drivers and operators of vehicles and of
earth-moving or materials-handling equipment should be persons trained and
tested as required by national laws or regulations; that adequate signalling or other

25
 control arrangements or devices should be provided to guard against danger from
the movement of vehicles and earth-moving or materials-handling equipment.
Special safety precautions should be taken for vehicles and equipment when
maneuvering backwards; that preventive measures should be taken to avoid the fall
of vehicles and earth-moving and materials-handling equipment into excavations
or into water and that, where appropriate, earth-moving and materials-handling
equipment should be fitted with structures designed to protect the operator from
being crushed should the machine overturn, and from falling material.

LIFTING APPLIANCES AND GEAR - The Convention defines lifting appliance as

‘any stationary or mobile appliance used for raising or lowering persons or loads’, and
a lifting gear as ‘any gear or tackle by means of which a load can be attached to a lifting
appliance but which does not form an integral part of the appliance or load’. It provides
that every lifting appliance and item of lifting gear, including their constituent elements,
attachments, anchorages and supports, shall be of good design and construction, sound
material and adequate strength for the purpose for which they are used; be properly in-
stalled and used; and be maintained in good working order. They shall be examined and
tested by a competent person at such times and in such cases as shall be prescribed by
national laws or regulations. The results of these examinations and tests shall be recorded.
The Recommendation adds that national laws or regulations should prescribe the
lifting appliances and items of lifting gear which should be examined and tested
by a competent person before being taken into use for the first time; after erection
on a site; subsequently at intervals prescribed by such national laws or regulations;
after any substantial alteration or repair. The results of these examinations and
tests of lifting appliances and items of lifting gear should be recorded and, as re-
quired, made available to the competent authority and to employers and workers
or their representatives. Every lifting appliance having a single safe working load
and every item of lifting gear should be clearly marked with its maximum safe
working load. Every lifting appliance having a variable safe working load should
be fitted with effective means to indicate clearly to the driver each maximum safe
working load and the conditions under which it is applicable. A lifting appliance
or item of lifting gear should not be loaded beyond its safe working load or loads,
except for testing purposes as specified by and under the direction of a competent
person. Every lifting appliance and every item of lifting gear should be properly
installed so as, inter alia, to provide safe clearance between any moving part and
fixed objects, and to ensure the stability of the appliance. Where necessary to
guard against danger, no lifting appliance should be used without the provision
of suitable signaling arrangements or devices. The drivers and operators of such
lifting appliances as are prescribed by national laws or regulations should be of
a prescribed minimum age properly trained and qualified.

The Convention requires that every lifting appliance and item of lifting gear shall be
operated by workers who have received appropriate training in accordance with national

26 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

laws and regulations. It also provides that no person shall be raised, lowered or carried
by a lifting appliance unless it is constructed, installed and used for that purpose in ac-
cordance with national laws and regulations, except in an emergency in which serious
personal injury or fatality may occur, and for which the lifting appliance can be safely used.

SCAFFOLDS AND LADDERS - Where work cannot safely be done on or from the
ground or from part of a building or other permanent structure, a safe and suitable
scaffold shall be provided and maintained, or other equally safe and suitable provision
shall be made. A scaffold means any temporary structure, fixed, suspended or mobile,
and its supporting components which is used for supporting workers and materials or to
gain access to any such structure, and which is not a lifting appliance. In the absence of
alternative safe means of access to elevated working places, suitable and sound ladders
shall be provided. They shall be properly secured against inadvertent movement. All
scaffolds and ladders shall be constructed and used in accordance with national laws
and regulations. Scaffolds shall be inspected by a competent person in such cases and at
such times as shall be prescribed by national laws or regulations.
The Recommendation adds that every scaffold and part thereof should be of
suitable and sound material and of adequate size and strength for the purpose for
which it is used and be maintained in a proper condition. Every scaffold should
be properly designed, erected and maintained to prevent collapse or accidental
displacement when properly used. The working platforms, gangways and stair-
ways of scaffolds should be of such dimensions and so constructed and guarded
as to protect persons against falling or being endangered by falling objects. No
scaffold should be overloaded or otherwise misused. A scaffold should not be
erected, substantially altered or dismantled except by or under the supervision of
a competent person. Scaffolds as prescribed by national laws or regulations should
be inspected, and the results recorded, by a competent person-before being taken
into use; at periodic intervals thereafter; after any alteration, interruption in use,
exposure to weather or seismic conditions or any other occurrence likely to have
affected their strength or stability.

STRUCTURAL FRAMES AND FORMWORK - The erection of structural frames and

components, formwork, falsework and shoring shall be carried out only under the super-
vision of a competent person. Adequate precautions shall be taken to guard against danger
to workers arising from any temporary state of weakness or instability of a structure.
Formwork, falsework and shoring shall be so designed, constructed and maintained that
it will safely support all loads that may be imposed on it.

COFFERDAMS AND CAISSONS - Every cofferdam and caisson shall be of good

construction and suitable and sound material and of adequate strength and provided with
adequate means for workers to reach safety in the event of an inrush of water or material.
The construction, positioning, modification or dismantling of a cofferdam or caisson shall
take place only under the immediate supervision of a competent person. Every cofferdam

27
and caisson shall be inspected by a competent person at prescribed intervals.

PILE DRIVING
The Recommendation provides that all pile-driving equipment should be of good
design and construction taking into account, as far as possible, ergonomic prin-
ciples, and properly maintained and that pile driving should be carried out only
under the supervision of a competent person.

REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING CERTAIN WORK SITUATIONS

WORK AT HEIGHTS INCLUDING ROOF-WORK - Where necessary to guard against

danger, or where the height of a structure or its slope exceeds that prescribed by national
laws or regulations, preventive measures shall be taken against the fall of workers and
tools or other objects or materials. Where workers are required to work on or near roofs
or other places covered with fragile material, through which they are liable to fall, pre-
ventive measures shall be taken against their inadvertently stepping on or falling through
the fragile material.
The Recommendation adds that where workers cannot be protected against
falls from heights by any other means adequate safety nets or safety sheets
should be erected and maintained; or adequate safety harnesses should be
provided and used.

WORK IN COMPRESSED AIR - Work in compressed air shall be carried out only in
accordance with measures prescribed by national laws or regulations. Work in com-
pressed air shall be carried out only by workers whose physical aptitude for such work
has been established by a medical examination and when a competent person is present
to supervise the conduct of the operations.
The Recommendation adds that the measures regarding work in compressed air
should include provisions regulating the conditions in which the work is to be
carried out, the plant and equipment to be used, the medical supervision and control
of workers and the duration of work in compressed air and that a person should
only be allowed to work in a caisson if it has been inspected by a competent person
within such preceding period as is prescribed by national laws or regulations; the
results of the inspection should be recorded.

WORK OVER OR CLOSE TO WATER - Where work is done over or near water there
shall be adequate provision for preventing workers from falling into water; the rescue
of workers in danger of drowning; safe and sufficient transport.
The Recommendation adds that the provisions regarding work over water should
include, where appropriate, the provision and use of suitable and adequate fencing,
safety nets and safety harnesses; life vests, life preservers, manned boats (motor

28 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

 driven if necessary) and lifebuoys; and protection against such hazards as reptiles
and other animals.

DEMOLITION - When the demolition of any building or structure might present dan-
ger to workers or to the public, appropriate precautions, methods and procedures shall
be adopted, including those for the disposal of waste or residues, in accordance with
national laws or regulations; the work shall be planned and undertaken only under the
supervision of a competent person. 6

REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES

Monitoring and measuring progress in the area of OSH is an important means to

appreciate the impact of preventive and protective measures taken. One of the most
frequently used tools for such purpose is to keep track of the rate of occupational
accidents and diseases. Convention No. 167 requires national laws to provide for the
reporting to the competent authorities of occupational accidents and diseases. Ac-
cordingly, Article 14 of the OSH Law (Act 6331) requires the employer to record and
notify the Social Security Institution of occupational accidents and diseases. Further
guidance is also provided in Article 11 c) of Convention No. 155, and its 2002 Protocol.

National laws or regulations shall provide for the reporting to the competent authority
within a prescribed time of occupational accidents and diseases.

6
See also footnote 3, supra

29
FURTHER GUIDANCE

• For information on all ILO standards see the NORMLEX database.

• ILO standards ratified by Turkey are available on the website of the ILO Office for
Turkey in English and Turkish.
• Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and Recommendation
(No. 164).
• Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No.
187) and Recommendation (No. 197)
• Instruments of the ILO relevant to the promotional framework for occupational safety
and health, Annex to Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Re-
commendation No. 197. http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=1000:55:0::NO::P55_
TYPE,P55_LANG,P55_DOCUMENT,P55_NODE:REC,en,R197,%2FDocument
• ILO: Safety and health in construction: An ILO code of practice (Geneva, 1992).
• ILO training package on occupational safety and health for the construction industry targe-
ting workers, clients, contractors, as well as design and project management teams, http://
www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/training-materials/WCMS_161706/lang--en/index.htm.
• ILO General Survey concerning the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981
(No. 155), the Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164) and
the Protocol of 2002 to the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, Report
of the Committee on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (Articles
19, 22 and 35 of the Constitution), Report III (Part 1B), Geneva, 2009. (Centre of
Labour and Social Security Training and Research (ÇASGEM)).
• ILO General Survey Working together to promote a safe and healthy working environ-
ment. ILO, General Survey concerning the Occupational Safety and Health Convention
(No. 187), and Recommendation (No. 197), 2006; Safety and Health in Construction
Convention, 1988 (No. 167), and Recommendation (No. 175),1988; Safety and Health
in Mines Convention (No. 176), and Recommendation (No. 183), 1995; Safety and
Health in Agriculture Convention (No. 184), and Recommendation (No. 192), 2001,
Report of the Committee on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations
(articles 19, 22 and 35 of the Constitution), Report III (Part 1B), Geneva 2017. http://
www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/106/reports/reports-to-the-conference/WCMS_543647/
lang--en/index.htm
• For further information see the ILO webpage Occupational safety and health in cons-
truction.

30 BUILDING A PREVENTATIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

ILO Office for Turkey
Ferit Recai Ertuğrul Cad. No:4 06450 Oran
Ankara - Turkey

International Labour Standards Department

Tel.: +41 22 799 71 55
Fax : +41 22 799 67 71
email: [email protected]
www.ilo.org/normes

For information on the ratification of ILO Conventions

and Recommendations, go to: www.ilo.org/normlex ISBN 978-92-2-129683-6

This study is funded by the ILO Project “Continued

Improvement of Occupational Health and Safety in Turkey
through Compliance with International Labour Standards”.
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