Health and sefty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health and sefty - Essay Example Naturally large number of skilled and unskilled manpower is engaged for successful completion of these projects. It has been observed with concern that large number of accidents of different types and intensities frequently occurs during different construction activities causing personal injury or property damage. Blake defines accident ‘as any assurance that interrupts or interferes with the orderly progress of the project’. The accidents are direct result of unsafe activities and conditions both of which can be controlled by health and safety management. Unsafe activities involve working without authority, failure to warn of danger, leaving equipment in dangerous condition, using defective equipment etc. Unsafe conditions involve inadequate or missing guard, defective tools and machinery, inadequate fire fighting, excessive noise etc. An accident prevention programme is aimed to reduce the number of accidents and there by the cost of construction. From the observation and analysis it has been seen that 85 to 95% of accidents are prevent able. It is not just a matter of setting up a list of rules and making safety inspection, although both of these have their place. We need a system for managing health and safety which meets the needs of project and fulfills legal requirements. Objectives of Health and Safety Management. The perceived objectives of the health and safety management for accident prevention are as under:- 1. To reduce the chances of loss of human life. 2. To reduce the temporary and permanent injuries to work force employed. 3. To avoid adoption of unsafe practices during all phases/ activities. 4. To avoid loss of materials resulting from accidents. Project Identification. A ware house was constructed for the storage of chemicals. The project involves design, excavation for basement, digging of foundations, scaffolding and form work for roof slab. The project was completed in six months and we will discuss the health and safety issu es along with risk management during all activities. Considerations and Decisions of the Architect/Designer. At the onset of design stage or planning to begin work, a comprehensive health and safety plan for the project should be formalized and set out in a health and safety plan.  Following are the salient aspects need to be addressed by the designer. 1. The project should be well designed and meeting standard engineering and environmental requirement of the area by the competent designers. 2. Principles of structural design along with standard code practices are adhered while designing with minimum risk. 3. Waste management for the debris likely to encounter during construction must be worked out in design stage. 4. Environmental factors like wind, cold, snow and rain should be considered while designing the structure. 5. Adequate fire arrangement in design should be incorporated. 6. Cross checking of design by an independent party. 7. Design must ensure safety during constructi on and maintenance afterwards. Hazard Identification. These are danger or potential danger likely to occur during any phase of project. The Maximum hazard identification levels were found to be 0.899 (89.9%) for a construction project within the nuclear industry. Investigation into hazard identification levels have been initially targeted on three different industry sectors i.e. UK rail, nuclear, and general construction. Likely hazard during identified project are