Health & Safety in Construction

1. Health & Safety in Construction
Eng. S.A.S.T Salawavidana
CEng FIE (SL), CEng MICE (UK), MEng (Highway & Traffic), BSc.Eng (Hons)
Chartered Civil Engineer (SL & UK)

2. What is being safe in a
Construction Site?
• Thinking and paying
attention to what you
are doing
• Looking out for others
• How we can go home in
one piece?
• Everybody to follow the
same safety rules

3. What should you wear?
• Properly dressed at the work
site
– Hard hat
– Long pants
– Heavy duty work boots
– Non slip sole shirt with
sleeves
– Safety vest
– Eye protection

4. Eye Protection
• Hazard to the eye;
– Flying particles
– Sparks
– Chemical splashes
• Wear eye protection at all times
– Safety glasses
– Goggles
– Full face shield
– Combination of the three

5. Eye Protection
• Cutting or welding needs
special eye protection

6. Hearing Protection
• To protect you from noise
• If it's hard to hear a person three
feet away without them yelling
you need hearing protection
• There are two types of hearing
protections available
– Earplugs
– Earmuffs
• In some cases you may need to
wear both
• It can cause permanent damage

7. Hands and Legs Protection
• Right kind of work gloves is required
• Heavy-duty gloves will protect against rough or
sharp edges abrasive surfaces and splinters
• Wet concrete can hurt your skin
• It can cause serious burns and skin irritations
• So you need to wear rubber gloves when working
with concrete
• Also be sure that you've got rubber boots on
• If your hands are any part of your skin comes into
contact with wet concrete you need to wash the
area immediately
• If you're doing anything with acids, corrosives or
solvents you really need to be wearing the right
kind of gloves

8. Body Accessories in the Work
Place
• Remove rings and the jewelleries that can
catch on a corner and cause an injury
• If you're wearing a chain around your neck it
needs to be under your shirt
• If you've got long hair it needs to be up under
your hard hat
• Make sure you don't get caught in any
revolving equipment
• There's a lot of heavy equipment in use on
our projects
• All with different hazards
• Your safety vest or shirt helps make you
visible to equipment operators

9. Drug and Alcohol
Policy
• It's pretty simple we don't want you working while
you're under the influence of drugs and alcohol
• It's dangerous for you and it's dangerous for
everybody around you
• There are times when a company might require you to
take a drug or alcohol test
• If you're injured or involved in some kind of accident
you will be required to take a test
• It's not optional
• it's on company time and it's required
• if you test positive or refuse to take a test you will be
subject to disciplinary action up to and including
discharge

10. Emergencies
• The project crisis and emergency response plan
tells you what to do if there's an emergency such
as a;
– Natural disaster
– Fire a hazardous
– Material spell
– Some other kind of incident
• Incident Commander or Emergency Coordinator
are there to assist in the event of a crisis
• And also to help answer questions or report
potential hazards quality issues or near misses
• They are the only people who should be giving you
directions during an emergency

11. Respirators
• There's a lot of tasks that require you to be wearing a
respirator
• You've got to know the materials you're working with and
make sure you have the right respirator for the job
• Respirators will protect you from overexposure to dust,
mist and fumes and must be matched for the exposure
• If you are not sure what type of respirator is needed for the
task contact the safety department for assistance
• The most common respirator you will use is a dust mask
• Regardless the type of respirator you use the mask has to
have a good seal around the face
• This is accomplished by being clean shaven using both
head straps and adjusting the nose piece to fit your nose
• If you're near an operation where workers are wearing
respirators you may also need to be protected

12. Falls
• All falls can and should be prevented at any place
• If there's a potential fall of more than six feet you
need to be protected
• It doesn't matter if it's an opening in the floor or
around the outside of a building
• The most common type of fall protection is a guard
rail
• Guard rails need to be constructed of either wood
or wire rope and have a top rail that's 42 inches off
the ground a mid rail and a toe board
• If you remove a guard rail, alternate fall protection
must be used.
• Never leave an area unprotected for any period of
time
• You must reinstall the guard rail before you leave
the area

13. Falls
• If you're working at an elevation where guardrails don't
provide enough protection such as off a ladder near an
open-sided floor you also need to wear fall protection gear
• Another common form of fall protection is a personal fall
arrest system
• This includes a harness a lanyard or retractable lifeline
and an attachment point
• You've got to inspect your harness daily for cuts tears and
frayed straps, buckles, snap hooks, and safety latches
• All need to be looked at any time you put on a harness
• If anything is broken or damaged don't use it
• Give it to your Foreman so that nobody else uses it
• To put on a fall protection harness start by securing your
waist buckle
• Then the chest buckle, next the two leg buckles and finally
recheck everything to make sure that they're tight

14. Ladders
• Before you use a ladder, inspect it to make sure it
doesn't have any broken rungs or cracked or split side
pieces
• If it doesn’t use it take it out of service
• Before you start climbing check to make sure that the
ladder is set on a sound base and the side braces are
locked and don't ever use the top two steps to stand on
• If you're on an extension ladder then the ladder hooks
need to be properly set and the ladder has to be tied
off
• When you're climbing always use both hands
• Tools and materials need to be pulled up in a bucket
• It's the safest way to go up and down a ladder
• You'll always have at least one hand on the ladder and
be sure to face the rungs or steps when you're working
off or climbing up or down a ladder

15. Holes
• There are lots of holes on a jobsite
• They may be a few inches in diameter to
several feet across
• You got to make sure they're marked and
covered properly
• Otherwise it's a serious safety hazard
• Building a proper hole cover is only half
the job
• You've got to make sure it's secure that it
won't move and that it's marked clearly

16. Scaffolds
• A lot of jobs will require you to work on a
scaffold
• You need to inspect it yourself
• Make sure that it's on a solid footing
• That it's level
• If it's more than two sections high it needs
to be tied off
• Make sure whether the planking and
supports are in good condition
• Boards are secure
• Make sure guardrails are in place on any
open sides and that there are cross
• braces

17. Trenches
• Most job sites will also have a lot of trenches that we need for
underground utilities or foundation
• Anytime that you are working in a trench or confined excavation that's
more than five feet deep it has to be braced short or sloped back
• This includes the area between the foundation wall and earth bank
• Even a large foundation excavation can become a trench once we start
putting in formwork or walls
• Any excavation must be inspected every day before anyone goes into it
• Do not enter a trench until a competent person has done the inspection
• Most often this will be the foreman of the team that dug the trench
• Never go down into an open trench unless the excavation is properly
short
• You'll be buried and either be crushed or suffocate before we can dig
you out
• There should always be a ladder or a ramp within 25 feet of where
you're working

18. Lifting loads
• It is important that you understand how
to lift properly so you don't hurt your back
• When you lift something keep the load as
close to your body as possible
• Keep your back straight and lift with your
legs
• When you're carrying something heavy
don't make sudden or rapid move
• Watch out for anything that might make
you suddenly have to stop or change
direction and remember to be careful
• When you put something down use your
legs to lower it not your back

19. Tools handling
• If you're not familiar with the tool that you need to use
don't use it until you're properly trained
• The first thing to do is to really inspect the tool
• Check all guards to make sure that they operate freely
and don't hang up or stick
• If there's cuts nicks or damage to power cords or if the
grounding pin is missing on the plug the tool needs to
be taken out of service
• Electrical tools need to be grounded or double insulated
• Ground fault circuit interrupters must also be provided if
the tool is connected to temporary power that includes
an extension cord plugged into a permanent outlet
• Make sure that any power tool is disconnected from the
outlet before you start changing attachments or making
repairs one of the

20. Tools handling
• Inspect Your Tools before the Job
• Choose the Right Tool for the Job
• Always wear the Right PPE
• Don’t Modify/Alter your Tools on Your Own
• Handle your Tools with Care
• Transport and Store Tools the Right Way
• Have Space
• Clean your Workspace
• Get the Right Training
• Above all, Buy Quality Tools

21. Fire Safety
• Provide Adequate Extinguishers
• No Unsanctioned Fires
• Have A Fire Plan And Procedure
• Keep The Site Clean
• Have A Waste Disposal Plan
• Check Electricals
• Maintain The Compound
• Be Careful With Heaters
• Check Your Lights
• No Smoking Zones
• Set Terms And Conditions For Hot Works

22. Legal Obligations-Safety
Procedures
• ICTAD-SBD02 Conditions of Contract 4.8
• The Contractor shall;
– Comply with all applicable safety regulations
– Take care for the safety of all persons entitled to be on the Site
– Use reasonable efforts to keep the Site and Works clear of unnecessary
obstruction to avoid danger to these persons
– Provide fencing, lighting, guarding and watching of the Works until
completion and taking over under Clause 10.0 (Employer’s Taking
Over)
– Provide any Temporary Works (including roadways, footways, guards
and fences) which may be necessary, because of the execution of the
Works, for the use and protection of the public and of owners and
occupiers of adjacent land

23. Legal Obligations-Health and
Safety
• ICTAD-SBD02 Conditions of Contract 6.6
– The Contractor shall at all times take all reasonable precautions to maintain
the health and safety of the Contractor’s Personnel
– In collaboration with local health authorities, the Contractor shall ensure that
first aid facilities are available at all times at the Site and at any
accommodation for Contractor’s and Employer’s Personnel, and thar
suitable arrangements are made for all necessary welfare and hygiene
requirements and for the prevention of epidemics
– The Contractor shall designate a separate person to deal with safety and
protection against accidents.
– The Contractor shall send, to the Engineer, the details of any accident as
soon as practicable after its occurrences.
– The Contractor shall maintain records and make reports concerning health,
safety and welfare of persons, and damage to property as the Engineer may
reasonably require

24. Thank You