Safety in

Construction

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Current Scenario

• One out of every five persons employed in

construction received injuries annually;
• The frequency of accidents is 6 to 8 times
higher during the first 6-8 months of
employment;
• A majority of persons injured were unskilled
workers in the age group 20-30 years employed
with sub contractors

• Working at height was the most hazardous

operation at construction sites.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Why Do Accidents Occur ?
In construction & erection activities

1. Actual physical hazards

2. Environmental hazards
3. Human factors
4. Lack of / or poorly designed safety standards
5. Failure to communicate

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Why Do Accidents Occur?
In construction & erection activities

Reasons
– The activity is only for a limited period
– Worksite is frequently changed
– Several sub-contractors are deployed to perform the work
in nearby vicinity
– Workers not familiar with the worksite hazards that are
not part of their normal job;
– Contractors change the workforce frequently or workers
change job; they are not trained on new jobs.
– Majority of contract workers are unskilled
– Safety officer not employed
– Unawareness of safety rules and regulations
– Lack of safety training

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Why Do Accidents Occur?
In construction & erection activities
Reasons ..Contd
Sub-contractors also lack safety knowledge
– The environmental conditions are not conducive
– T&P are not suitable for environmental conditions
– Temporary arrangements of scaffolds, stair cases
– Work platforms, scaffolds, equipments etc are
regularly being moved / assembled/ disassembled
or modified. Thus new hazards are emerging.
– The work is often seasonal and urgency to
complete the job/ forced to do the job /work under
pressure
– Lack of continuous supervision
– Overstress

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Remedial Measures
• Ensure use of PPEs by employees and contract
workers
• Fall arrestors, life line, safety net as and where
required are to be provided without fail
• Training to all employees and contract workers on
safety
• Mock drills on fire and other hazards are to be
carried out at regular internals
• Employees participation in safety
• Tool box talks and pep talks to all on regular
basis at work place.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Major Legislations
Relating to Safety & Health of Construction Workers

1. Building and other construction workers

(Regulation of employment and conditions of
service) Act, 1996

2. Building and other construction workers

(Regulation of employment and conditions of
service) Central Rules, 1998

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Major Legislations
Relating to Safety & Health of Construction Workers

Major provisions under the building and other

construction workers (regulation of employment and
conditions of service) Act, 1996 and the rules there
under are: -

1. Registration of establishments and building workers

2. Constitution of state welfare boards
3. Constitution of building and other Construction workers’
welfare fund
4. Constitution of safety committee
5. Appointment of safety officers
6. Responsibilities and duties of employers, architects,
project engineers and designers, building workers etc.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Major Legislations
Relating To Safety & Health Of Construction Workers

7. Provision of welfare facilities

8. General provisions regarding safety, health and welfare
facilities
9. Construction, installation, maintenance and periodic
testing and examination of certain construction
equipment such as lifting appliances and gears,
transport and earth moving equipment, pressure
equipment, scaffolds, power shovels and excavators,
pressure equipment, etc.
10.Provision relating to general construction operations
such as concrete work, work on or adjacent to water,
excavation and tunneling works, construction repair
and maintenance of steep roof, structural frame and
form work, stacking and unshackling, work in
cofferdams and caissons, handling of explosives, piling

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Major Legislations
Relating to Safety & Health of Construction Workers

11. Periodical medical examination of construction

workers
12. Reporting of accidents, dangerous occurrences and
occupational diseases
13. Provision of medical facilities

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident
Prevention
Measures in
Construction

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident Prevention Measures in Construction

1. All construction sites must have safety plan before

carrying out construction works. The plan should
include details of risk and arrangement for ensuring
health and safety of everyone who may be affected
by the construction work and monitoring
compliance of statutory requirements.

2. The construction owner or principle contractor needs

to qualify the contractors/ sub-contractors and
conduct pre-construction conference to deal with the
hazards. Planning must done eliminate the un safe
conditions.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident Prevention Measures in Construction

3. As the working at height was the most

hazardous activity most of the fatal accidents
due to fall from height can be prevented if
employers provided the right equipment and
train employees to use it properly. Employers
must also consider whether the existing
structures providing a safe workplace if not an
extra working platform for example scaffolding
or cradle may be needed.

4. The risk of object falling can be prevented if the

working platforms are kept clean of loose items
that could be accidentally kicked off. Other barriers
such as safety nets can be used to prevent objects
falling from working platforms.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident Prevention Measures in Construction

5. Contractor and their sub agencies can prevent

excavations collapses by supporting their sites
with sheeting or by using support system. A
competent person who fully understands the
dangers should inspect the excavations at the
start of the each shift.

6. Electrical safety can be ensured if all employees

on construction sites are aware of the
importance of safety procedures and if they
immediately report any fault and stop using
tools or cables as soon as they spot any sign of
damage.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident Prevention Measures in Construction

7. The employers should carry out a risk

assessment of all transport activity including
loading and unloading and introduce control
measures.

8. Although control measures that employers

introduce should minimize the kind of risks
outlined, employer may still found that there is a
remaining risk of exposure. In this circumstances
employer should issue the required personal
protective equipment – although this should only
be considered as a last resort measure.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident Prevention Measures in Construction
9. Education and training of the personal engineers,
managers, supervisors and workers in safety is
essential if the construction is to become a safe
activity. The contractor should organise the need
based training programmes to these employees
at regular intervals.

10. Safety audit and regular inspections will help in

identifying the hazardous existing in the
activities being carried out at different phases.
These audits and inspections should be
conducted by professional agencies and team of
persons from time to time and their
recommendations should be implemented.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Accident Prevention Measures in Construction

11. Participative management in safety will not only

help in improving safe working place but also
create enthusiasm among the employees working
at various levels to control accidents. Safety
committees should be formed at construction
sites and regular meetings should be conducted.
The recommendations of the committee should
be considered for implementation & these
recommendations to be reviewed in the next
meetings.
12. Whatever the hazard, the aim remains the same
–to avoid the hazard altogether or, if this is not
reasonably practicable, to assess the risks and
introduce the effective control measures.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Employees Participation

• Safety committees
As per factory’s act ’48 clause 41-g NTPC has set up a
safety committee at all the projects consisting of equal
no. of representation of workers and management to
promote cooperation between the workers and
management in maintaining proper safety and health at
work place and to review periodically the measures
taken in that behalf.

• Safety task force

• Safety stewards
• Safety circle

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Personal Protective Equipments

• Personal protective equipments to be provided to

all employees based on functional requirements.
• Protection of head, face, eyes, ears, respiratory,
body, hand, foot shall be taken care while issuing
personal protective equipments.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Personal Protective Equipments

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Occupational Health Check Up

• Occupational health check up of workers employed

in a hazardous process conducted periodically to
detect any deterioration in the health according to
section 41C of Factories act 1948.
• Projects maintain accurate and up to date health
records of workers employed in hazardous process.
• In NTPC medical examination of all employees
above 40 years of age is also conducted annually.
• Occupational health checkup of contract workers is
being imposed and is being made mandatory

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Occupational Health & Safety Certification

OHSAS 18001 /IS18001 have been obtained by

all stations .

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Safety Mantra
• Danger arises when a man feels secure in his
position
• Destruction threatens when a man seeks to preserve
his worldly estate
• Confusion develops when a man has put every thing
in order
therefore
• A wise man does not forget danger in his security
Nor
• Ruin when he is well established
Nor
• Confusion when affairs are in order
• In this way he gains person safety and is able to
protect empire.
Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007
 Safety in Construction in NTPC

• NTPC has produced a film on ‘safety in construction’

to educate the employees of NTPC and contractors
working in construction & erection works.
• Detailed safety rules for construction & erection
have been prepared to ensure the safety of the
employees working in construction & erection
working in the plants.
• Comprehensive safety clauses have been
incorporated in the general conditions of the
contract for construction & erection and operation &
maintenance works to ensure the safety of the
contractors’ employees.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

 Safety in Construction in NTPC

• Corporate Safety circulates gist of Enquiry

Committee Reports of the accidents and
recommendation thereof to all the Projects /
Stations to initiate preventive actions in order to
avoid recurrence of such accidents.

• Internal and external Safety Audit observations

are being complied with and review is taken by
Corp Centre.

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007

Safety Module: Construction safety, rev 0.0, Mar 2007