International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN

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1 Research Paper SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTION LINE: IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR RISK IDENTIFICATION AND PREVENTION Pratibha Joshi *; Promila Sharma *; T.C. Thakur** and Amit Khatter*** Address for Correspondence *Department of Resource Management, G.B.Pant Univ. of Agri. & Tech., Pantnagar , Uttrakhand, India ** Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Engineering, G.B.Pant Univ. of Agri. & Tech., Pantnagar , Uttrakhand, India *** Deputy Manager, Jindal Arc. Ltd, Gurgaon, India ABSTRACT Today construction line is an industry that requires working at ever-changing locations and work environments. In urban sector of India increasing numbers of workers have taken up construction work as a means of immediate employment, which provides cash earnings at the end of the day. The best way to protect workers against hazards is to control problems at the source. The problem regarding construction industry is not that the hazards and risks are unknown, but it is very difficult to accurately identify in a constantly changing work environment. To prevent health hazards at work, all possible hazards that may be encountered should be identified in advance. In the present study various types of hazards present in construction areas were identified and appropriate PPE for hazard prevention were suggested. KEYWORDS: Construction, Hazards, Hazard prevention, PPE INTRODUCTION Being as unorganized sector, the fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this category for all industries. A variety of hazards exist in the construction sites. Construction is an industry that requires working at ever-changing locations and work environments. Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 2, 52,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day (The Hindu, Sept. 9, 2006). Construction is one of the important economic activities in India. It offers employment opportunities to all categories of people right from highly skilled to totally unskilled labourer. In urban sector increasing numbers of workers have taken up construction work as a means of immediate employment, which provides cash earnings at the end of the day. The rural masses also migrate towards urban areas in search of job and being involved in this 2 nd largest occupation. In metropolitan cities, the construction work is predominantly a male dominated economic activity due to the arduous nature of work to be performed by the workers. SOME HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS pain or injury from physical overexertion, Repetitive manual tasks, or working in awkward postures, Exposure to moulds, fungi or rodent droppings Exposure to lead, wood dust, asbestos, paints, solvents, and other toxic chemicals or materials, Working in extreme temperatures and UV radiations, Working with hand tools, powered tools and heavy powered equipment, Excess vibration of hands, arms or body from powered tools or equipment, Stress, shift work or extended work days. The best way to protect workers against hazards is to control problems at the source. OSHA stated that workers must have PPE that fits properly. Poorly fitted PPE may cause additional hazards. Construction safety (the intermediate phase between a finished design and a completed building) is largely the responsibility of the contractors and other site professionals. Hazard can be defined as a physical or chemical characteristic that has the potential to cause harm to people, property and to the environment. To prevent health hazards at work, all possible sources should be identified before commencement of construction work. Hazards at a construction site may come from hazardous substances used on site, and/ also environmental variables may create additional risks as heat and noise. Most construction accidents result from basic root causes such as lack of proper training, deficient enforcement of safety, unsafe equipment, unsafe methods or sequencing, unsafe site conditions, not using the safety equipment that was provided, and a poor attitude towards safety (Toole, 2002; Sokol 2004; Hecker et al., 2005). The construction industry stands out from other employments as having one of the highest worker injury and fatality rates. Construction comprises a very small percentage of the overall workforce. Yet, the incidence rate for non-fatal injuries and illnesses exceeds that of many other industries. The construction industry has the most fatalities of any other industry sector (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004). Stout et al. (2006) also stated in National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) science blog that research to practice programme 2006, conducted by NIOSH mentioned that construction workers suffer from injury, disability, and death from workplace incidents. Further, Chol et al. (2007) discussed the workplace ergonomic issues in highway construction, and the safe work practices associated with the prevention of ergonomic-related injuries and illnesses in the construction field. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted on construction sites of Delhi and sampling design was experimental in nature.

2 Table 1: Occupational history N=120 Type of activity Workers Involved Duration of task Frequency of task Basic construction activities as loading/ unloading of 54 * materials (45) 20 Laser operations As welding, soldering Moderate Gas cutting 20 ** 22 ** Moderate Power tool operations (18.33) always Installation 20 * Safety management and supervision 20 Always Note: Duration: Short (< 15 min), Moderate (15 min- 1 h), (> 1 h) * Multiple response, ** multiple response by skilled workers One-twenty construction personnel performing basic construction work i.e., loading/unloading, laser operations, gas cutting, power tools operations, installation and management and supervision work were selected randomly and all subjects included in the experiments were male and from the same age group i.e. 30±5 years, without any history of chronic or acute illness and were not under any kind of medication and also were not consuming alcohol or nicotine stuff. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: OCCUPATIONAL HISTORY The construction industry is the most dangerous land based civilian work sector. Construction work is not only the process of building, but also involves much other type of side activities from basic construction work to management. It was observed that multiple responses were found in case of activities performed by workers as 45 and 20 per cent of workers engaged in either basic construction activities (loading/unloading of materials, mixing, concreting, scaffolding etc.) and installation work, respectively. However, skilled construction labours were engaged in laser operations (16.67 per cent), gas cutting (16.67 per cent) and power tool operations (18.33 per cent). Approximately 16 per cent of skilled workers were belongs to safety management and supervision group. As far as duration of activity is concerned (Table:1), it was found from the study that basic construction work, power tool operations, installation and management were long duration task because these were performed for more than 1 h daily. Therefore, laser operations and gas cutting was performed for 15 min to 1 h in each trial daily and categorized as moderate task. As frequency of task characterized as never, sometimes and always, and it was noticed that basic construction activities, laser operations, gas cutting and installation were performed by workers sometimes, but power tool operations and, management and supervision work were performed, always by construction workers. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HAZARD IDENTIFICATION WITH AND WITHOUT THE USE OF PPE The problem regarding construction industry is not that the hazards and risks are unknown, but it is very difficult to accurately identify in a constantly changing work environment. To prevent health hazards at work, all possible hazards that may be encountered should be identified in advance. Table 2 indicates that various types of hazards present in construction areas include impact from falling objects, parts and tools, penetration with nails, scrap metal and sharp objects, chemical hazards as splashing liquids (oils, paints, acids etc.), dust/mists, fumes/vapors and penetration of chemicals, electrical, thermal, postural, vibration etc. It was found from the investigation that when workers were not using personal protective equipment then greater extent of hazards were encountered by them rather than with the use of PPE. A large proportion of construction workers agreed that exposure to mechanical hazards were as 85 per cent and 35 per cent impact from falling objects, 70 per cent and 17 per cent impact from falling parts, 76 per cent and 36 per cent penetration through nails and penetration through scrap metal/sharp objects as 65 per cent and 35 per cent were felt by without and with the use of PPE, respectively. Non mechanical hazards like chemical, electrical, thermal, heat and water were also more in case of non-ppe wearer. However, very little variations were found in postural hazards such as 53 per cent and 51 per cent (force), 55 per cent and 48 per cent (repetition), 45 per cent and 35 per cent (load) and 50 per cent and 51 per cent (awkward posture) perceived by non-ppe and PPE users, respectively, revealing,. Therefore, that PPE is not greatly effective in relation to preventing postural hazards. In addition to it, other hazards such as working in height, vibration, and noise and radiation exposure were less countered to PPE users as 21 per cent, 11 per cent, 18 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively. IDENTIFICATION OF PPE FOR HAZARD PREVENTION A cross-analysis was performed with 20 safety managers and supervisor staff from construction sector regarding hazard identification and required PPE to prevent occupation injuries and accidents. Data regarding such phenomena has been outlined in Table 3. Workplace injuries are a leading cause of eye and face trauma, vision loss and disability. It was found that eye and face were affected by cutting, drilling, welding and soldering type of work activities with work related exposure to dust, dirt, UV radiation, flying particles, hazardous liquid chemical mists, glare or high intensity light, hot sparks and other laser operations. The results were supported by findings of Adams et al. (2007), as most of visible hazards for eye and face are airborne dust, sand particles, filling due to

3 grinders, laser/ infrared or UV radiation amongst others. It was further found that most of the respondents agreed that hazards present in construction sites could not be eliminated without the use of PPE and various kinds of PPE that might be used for the workers in construction industry to protect their eyes and face against occupational injuries and infections i.e. safety glasses, dust tight goggles, impact goggles, chemical goggles, welding helmet, laser goggles etc. Adams et al. (2007) also reported that welding goggles and shields can be used to prevent eye damage that might be caused by bright lights and heat as well as from arc welding. According to National Library of Medicine (2008), millions of people sustain head and brain injuries through blows and pressure on head. Head injuries are common in construction setup due to the types of activities that take place on daily basis. More than 60 per cent of respondents replied that head injuries could occur due to impact from beams, pipes, exposed electrical wiring or component, falling or fixed objects and machine parts. Adams et al. (2007) further added that head injuries could be caused by activities such as falling objects, spillage and debris from conveyer belts, electric shocks and head bumping. Severe head injuries can lead to permanent brain damage or death. It, therefore, becomes important to protect workers against these head injuries which are sometimes fatal or life threatening. To protect head, PPE has to be used at all times when performing duties that could expose the workers to any possible type of head injuries which protect the wearer against falling objects, bumps, and knocks against stationary or moving objects. Unfortunately, hands are the most vulnerable parts of human body as they are prone to injuries and infections. It was also further revealed from observation that hand and arms related injuries occur greatly with irritating chemicals and with materials that could scrap, bruise or cut, per cent with thermal effect, electrical shock etc. For such reasons it becomes vital for workers to protect their hands from occupational injuries and other forms of danger. Schoemen and Schroder (1994) also stated that hands should be protected against potential agents such as chemical substances including infecting agents, mechanical injuries, bruises, abrasions, extreme temperature, electrical shock, falling or sharp objects, and many more risks that workers could expose to. There should be various types of hand protective devices to cater for different hazards, for example chemical resistant, abrasion/cut resistant, antivibration gloves and protective sleeves. It was further found that body/skin could be affected if the persons were engaged in fiberglass installation, welding, working in height and exposed to flying objects, chemical splashes and sharp and rough edges. However, respondents who involved in painting, fiberglass installation, confined space work and other dangerous environment were more prone to lung and respiratory diseases. As far as hearing is concerned, it was found that construction labour, power tool users and installation personals were exposed to loud work environment and noisy machines. Noise induced hearing loss occurs if workers persist to work in a noisy area in excess of noise at a level of 80 db (A) at a distance of one meter without wearing ear muffs or ear plugs ( Hattingh and Accut, 2003). Table 2: Comparative Analysis of Hazard Identification With and Without the Use of PPE N=120 Type of hazard Sources of hazard Identification of hazard Without PPE With PPE Impact Falling object Falling parts/ tools Nails Penetration Scrap metal, Sharp objects Mechanical Rolling objects Hazard Crushing Cart/ vehicles Splashing liquids (oils, paints, acids etc.) Chemical Dust, Mists Fumes, vapors Penetration of chemicals Electrical Contact with power lines Cuts and burns Non- mechanical Electric shocks hazards Sparks Thermal Exposure to heat Exposure to cold Heat Flying sparks Water Slipping / Tripping Non Mechanical Hazards Postural Force Repetition Load Awkward posture Working in height Falling from height Confined space Suffocation Restricted movements Other hazards Exposed to vibration Exposed to Noise Exposed to radiation 65 21

4 Body Parts Table 3: Identification of PPE for hazard prevention N=20 Work activities Work related exposure Required PPE Dust Eyes and Face Head Cutting Drilling Soldering Loading/ De-loading Gas cutting Use of power tool Installation Hands and Arms Material handling Grinding HammeringWorking with glass Feet or Legs Body / Skin Lungs/ Respiratory Ears/ Hearing Building maintenance Construction Use of highly flammable materials Construction activities Fiberglass installation Painting Fiberglass installation Confined space work Construction work Basic construction work Use of power tool Installation Dirt UV Flying particles/objects Hazardous liquid chemicals mists Glare/high intensity lights Laser operations Hot sparks Beams Pipes Exposed electrical wiring or components Falling objects Fixed object Machine parts Irritating chemicals Tools or materials that could scrape, bruise, or cut Electric shock Vibration Sharps injury Exposed electrical wiring or components Heavy equipment Slippery surfaces Impact from Objects Crushing Sharps injury Chemical penetration Working in heights Impact from flying objects Chemical splashes Sharp or rough edges Dust or particulate Toxic gas/vapor Chemical irritants (acids) Welding fume Paint spray Loud work environment Noisy machines Note: Type A helmet- Low voltage, Type B helmet- High voltage Dust Tight Goggles Safety Goggles Impact Goggles Chemical Goggles Welding Helmet/ Laser Goggles Protective helmet Protective helmet Type A Type B Safety helmet Chemical resistant gloves Abrasion/cut resistant gloves Temperature resistant gloves Shock resistant gloves Anti-vibration Protective sleeves Safety shoes or boots with electrical protection protection Anti-slip soles protection and steel plate protection Foot-Leg guards Chemical resistance shoes Heat/cold protection (Padded shoes) Safety harness Body suit Coveralls, Apron Insulated jacket Abrasion/cut resistance suit Disposable particulate Replaceable filter particulate Ear plugs Ear muffs STEPS FOR PREVENTION OF HAZARDS Level 1: Eliminate the hazard wherever possible Level 2: Minimize the Risk Substitute for something safer Modify the plant, equipment, chemical or other item Introduce engineering controls Level 3: Back up controls Implement administrative controls and safe working practices- the use of written procedures Require personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used. Whichever method of risk control is determined, ensure that the control does not contribute to the existing hazard or introduce a new hazard to the area. Also, after a period of time review the effectiveness of the control measure. REFERENCES Adams, D.; Plessis, A.G.; Gumbie, A. and Willis, R.P.H. (2007). Introduction to Safety Practice in South African Mines. Braamfontien. Creda Communication. e-reference. (Retrieved on 27/Aug/2007). Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Chol, Sang D.; Hudson, L.; Kangas, P.; Brett, J.; Maple, J.; and Bowen, C. (2007). Personal Protective

5 Equipment use in heavy construction e-reference. workzonesafety_org/ppeclothing.mht. (Retrieved on 12/April/2007). Hattingh, S.P. and Accut, J. (2003). Occupational health management and practice for health practitioners. Landadowe: Juta. Hecker, S.; Gambatese, J.; and Weinstein, M. (2005). Designing for Worker Safety, Professional Safety, September, National Library of Medicine (2008). e-reference. /headand braininjuries. html. (Retrieved on 18/July/2007). Schoeman, J.J. and Schroder, H.H.E. (1994). Vibration and white finger effect. Occupational Hygiene, Cape Town: Juta. Sokol, B (2004). Safety equipment use trends upward in heavy construction. published in ISEA newsletterprotection update Fall-2004.North Moore Street Arlington, USA. Stout, Nancy Ed. D. and Pizatella, M.S. Tim (2006). NIOSH science blog, research to practice for injury prevention, department of health and human services, center for disease control and prevention. e-reference. (Retrieved on 22/April/2007). Toole, T. (2002). Construction site safety roles. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, May/June pp.