Construction Engineering

Management: Construction
Occupational Safety and Health
(COSH)
Chapter 1: Introduction to OSH
Learning Outcomes
At the end for this module, you should be able to:
1. Explain the major field of OSH;
2. Discuss the importance and benefits of safety and health;
3. Discuss the problems, issues and challenges associated with OSH
conditions in the country; and
4. Identify laws and policies which govern OSH administration in the
Philippines
Introduction to OSH
OSH Foundation and its Benefits
Chapter 1, aims to provide a background on the foundation of OSH and
its benefit. We will be discussion the definitions of OSH, its importance
and relation to the accidents, hazards and risks at work.
What is Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)?
Occupational safety and health is a discipline with a broad scope involving three
major fields - Occupational Safety, Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene.
• Occupational safety deals with understanding the causes of accidents at work
and ways to prevent unsafe acts and unsafe conditions in any workplace. Safety
at work discusses concepts on good housekeeping, proper materials handling
and storage, machine safety, electrical safety, fire prevention and control, safety
inspection, and accident investigation.
• Occupational health is a broad concept which explains how the different
hazards and risks at work may cause an illness and emphasizes that health
programs are essential in controlling work-related and/or occupational
diseases.
• Industrial hygiene discusses the identification, evaluation, and control of
physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic hazards.
"In its broadest sense, OSH aims at:
• the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and
social well-being of workers in all occupations;
• the prevention of adverse health effects of the working conditions
• the placing and maintenance of workers in an occupational environment
adapted to physical and mental needs;
• the adaptation of work to humans (and NOT the other way around).
In other words, occupational health and safety encompasses the social,
mental and physical well-being of workers, that is, the "whole person"
Successful occupational health and safety practice requires the collaboration and
participation of both employers and workers in health and safety programs, and
involves the consideration of issues relating to occupational medicine, industrial
hygiene, toxicology, education, engineering safety, ergonomics, psychology, etc.
Occupational health issues are often given less attention than occupational
safety issues because the former are generally more difficult to confront. However,
when health is addressed, so is safety - a healthy workplace is by definition also a
safe workplace. The reverse, though, may not be true - a so-called safe workplace is
not necessarily also a healthy workplace. The important point is that both health
and safety issues must be addressed in every workplace."
Your health and safety at work: INTRODUCTION TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, International Labour
Organization, accessed 25 April 2005
http://www.itcilo.it/actrav/actrav-english/telearn/osh/intro/introduc.htm)
Importance Of Occupational Safety And Health
The construction industry is prone to many hazards and potential
accidents. Construction materials, machinery, tools, and handling
techniques all come with their own dangers, that's why health and
safety in construction needs to be front of mind in every aspect at all
times. It is not a matter to be taken lightly.
Most types of accidents which can cause death or serious injury
on construction sites include falls, collapsing materials, incidents with
site vehicles and contact with overhead power lines can be avoided by
implementing stringent health and safety protocols and ensuring those
protocols are constantly maintained.
Seven Main Problems of OSH in the Philippines
1. OSH Standards & the implementing guidelines are inadequate & not up-
to-date.
2. There is a need to have training in the correct interpretation of OSH
Standards for the enforcing authority as well as safety & health practitioners.
3. There is weak enforcement of OSH Standards.
4. Statistics does not give reliable data, due to low rate of compliance,
absence of strict penalties, fragmented OSH administration.
5. There is a lack of OSH facilities & lack of trained OSH personnel.
6. There is low priority given to OSH.
7. Lack of education & awareness on OSH among workers & management.
Importance of OSH
• It is mandated by law
• It preserves the lives of workers & the company
• It is a form of motivation
• It creates understanding
What is Safety?
Safety is a state in which hazards and conditions leading to physical,
psychological or material harm are controlled in order to preserve the
health and well-being of individuals and the community.
Accidents
Interrupts or disrupts the normal & orderly progress of any activity &
may result in injury (minor, serious or fatal) to people and/or damage
or destruction of property that result to losses.
• Freedom of oneself from HAZARDS.
• Control of hazards through injury prevention & damage control.
• Control of hazards to attain an acceptable level of RISKS.
The terms hazard and risk are often interchanged. Because you will be
encountering these throughout the course it is a must that you
understand the difference between them.
Hazard - a source or situation with a potential to cause harm in terms of
injury, ill health, damage to property, damage to the environment or a
combination of these.
Risk - a combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event
with specified period or in specified circumstances and the severity of injury
or damage to the health of people, property, environment or any
combination of these caused by the event.

The hazards affecting the workplace under each major area should be
detected, identified, controlled and, at best, prevented from occurring by the
safety and health officer of the company. Occupational safety and health
should be integrated in every step of the work process, starting from storage
and use of raw materials, the manufacture of products, release of by-
products, use of various equipment and ensuring a non-hazardous or risk-
free work environment.
Sources of Hazards
Samples of Unsafe Act Samples of Unsafe Condition
• Failure to warn/secure • Inadequate guards/barriers
• Unauthorized operation of • Defective tools/equipment/materials
equipment • Congestion or restricted body
• Removing/destroying safety devices movement
• Using defective equipment/tools • Inadequate warning systems
• Fire/explosion hazards
• Using PPE improperly
• Poor housekeeping/disorder
• Improper placement lifting/loading
• Noise/radiation exposure
• Horseplay
• Extremes of temperature/ventilation
• Operating at improper speed
End of Chapter 1