Introduction In the United States, construction has always been one of the most dangerous industries to work in. The number of fatalities that occur in this industry year after year demonstrate this. In 2014, 19.6% of worker fatalities, in private industry, were in construction (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015) despite the industry comprising only 6.8% of the total work force. This epidemic is not unique to the United States. Essentially every country faces similar problems regarding construction safety. For example, in 2004 the Australian construction industry employed approximately 8% of the countries workforce. However, workers compensation statistics indicated that the industry’s incidence rate was 28.6 per 1000 employees, nearly twice the overall industry average (Zou, Redman & Windon, 2008). Efforts to improve upon these dismal statistics have intensified in recent years in large part due to the escalation of successful liability suits and the effect the rising cost of workers compensation insurance has on a company’s ability to do business. Managing Occupational safety and health in the construction industry is difficult to manage for various reasons. The ever-changing environment, a persistently varying workforce and the various building methods utilized by the industry complicate safety measures. Those in the construction industry often view safety as problematic and as result safety solutions are only applied to the minimum limit allowed by law. A common outlook in the construction industry is that construction work is characteristically unsafe. This outlook creates problems. Physical work conditions do not and should not contain unnecessary hazards. There are several solutions to minimize these ris... ... middle of paper ... ...y. Journal of Architectural Engineering, 3(1), 32-41. Langan, E., 2009. Blueprint for Action. The Safety & Health Practitioner, 27(11), 67-69. Renshaw, F. M., 2013. Design: Methods for Implementing PTD. Professional Safety, 58(3), 50-55. http://search.proquest.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/docview/1330852566?accountid=10639 (September 9, 2015) The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 2012. Prevention Through Design http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ptd/ (September 28, 2015) Toole, M., 2013. Prevention Through Design, Design for Construction Safety. http://www.designforconstructionsafety.org/history.shtml (September 11, 2015) Zou, P. X. W., Redman, S., & Windon, S., 2008. Case Studies on Risk and Opportunity at Design Stage of Building Projects in Australia: Focus on Safety. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 4, 221-238.
Western Australian Department of Education. (2010). Occupational Safety and Health. WA: Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/policies/occupational-safety-and-health.en?bbp.s=9&bbp.e=select&bbp.v=4&bbp.i=d0.1&bbp.8.policyID=10918572&g11n.enc=UTF-8&bbp.9.pane=0
Professional Safety, 46(10), 20-25. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5367632&site=ehost-live&scope=site McGuire, C. (2011, April). Workplace Safety 100 Years Ago! Safety Compliance Letter(2524), 1-6.
As opined by Cassidy (2006), these are intrinsically demanding, hazardous and actually challenging lines of work. Consequently, it is important to consider workers’ health related issues and others connected to the place of work to diminish the effects of drug use in construction sites and to augment the protection contained by the workers in addition to the place of work.
When it comes to safety most people think they are safe, and they have a true understanding on how to work safe. Human nature prevents us from harming ourselves. Our instincts help protect us from harm. Yet everyday there are injuries and deaths across the world due to being unsafe. What causes people to work unsafe is one of the main challenges that face all Safety Managers across the world.
In order to foster appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment, both employers and employees have specific mandates relating to safe handling, storage and use of Personal Protective Equipment. Some Personal Protective Equipment are delicate and if not handled appropriately, are likely to be destroyed and their duration shortened through reckless use. Specifically, employers are mandated to ensure that their employees are provided with appropriate training, guidance and effective supervision to ensure that they are cognizant of the reason for using Personal Protective Equipment in the course of dispensing their duties. Such supervision may entail ensuring that employees not only use the protective gear appropriately, but also adhere to replacement schedules for such gear and observe the limitations of Personal Protective Equipment to avoid misuse.
Workers Health and Safety Perspective: Workers are required to be trained to learn about the possible hazards and solutions. For example, scaffolding, fall protection, excavations, etc. Workers are also required to wear necessary protective equipment during the construction process. In addition, workers have the right to negotiate for better working environment and get compensations if injured during construction.
The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources. (2004, Juy 27). Retrieved November 17, 2013, from U.S. Department of Labor: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/jcaho/jcaho_20040727_agreement.html
Abu Hassan (2008) stated in his report, although the construction industry plays an significant part in contributing to the economic operation of the rural area, its contribution to the workplace accident is equally strong. It still clings to its infamous position of being responsible for more occupational accidents, injuries and fatalities as compared to other manufactures. Abu Hassan also said that the case fatality rate in the construction industry in Malaysia was of more than three times of other workplaces, it was 3.3% in the construction industry as compared to other workplaces of 1.1% as accordance to SOCSO’s report. Influenc...
In the early 1900s industrial accidents were commonplace in this country; for example, in 1907 over 3,200 people were killed in mining accidents. At this time legislation and public opinion all favored management. There were few protections for the worker's safety. Today's industrial employees are better off than their colleagues in the past. Their chances of being killed in an industrial accident are less than half of that of their predecessors of 60 years ago. According to National safety Council (NSC), the current death rate from work-related injuries is approximately 4 per 100,000, or less than a third of the rate of 50 years ago. Improvements in safety up to now have been the result of pressure for legislation to promote health and safety, the steadily increasing cost associated with accidents and injuries, and the professionalization of safety as an occupation. When the industrial sector began to grow in the United States, hazardous working conditions were commonplace. Following the Civil War, the seeds of the safety movement were sown in this country. Factory inspection was introduced in Massachusetts in 1867. In 1868 the first barrier safeguard was patented. In 1869 the Pennsylvania legislature passed a mine safety law requiring two exits from all mines. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was established in 1869 to study industrial accidents and report pertinent information about hose accidents. The following decade saw little progress in the safety movement until 1877, when the Massachusetts legislature passed a law requiring safeguards for hazardous machinery. In 1877 the Employers' Liability Law was passed. In 1892, the first safety program was established in a steel plant in Illinois, in response to the explosion of a flywheel in that company.
Regulation compliance, employee safety, fire safety, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, hazardous waste removal, training procedures, and management relations are samples of features taken into consideration during a Safety Major’s day. Though there are numerous specializations safety professions can choose, a base knowledge in all fields is essential for a successful career. Therefore, I intend to pursue a continuation of safety certifications that will demonstrate a persistent ability to learn about my career. For the initial duration of my profession, I hope to obtain an Environmental Health and Safety specialist entry level position for an established organization. If the opportunity arises, I will promote within the same organization until
Controlling exposures to occupational hazards is known to be essential to the fundamental method of protecting workers. Nevertheless, a hierarchy...
Accidents occur in the workplace but in secret. These most of the time lead to physical and mental injuries that might affect the worker way of living for the rest of their lives. It is estimated that more than 337 million workers get injured in their place of work or in the course of work every year leading to work-related diseases causing about 2.3 million deaths per year (United States Department of Labor, n.d.).
It is vital that as many prevention strategies as possible are implemented. It is a legal responsibility that the Duty of Care representative – generally the employer – provides Workplace Health and Safety Training. A. Scogilo, Senior Workplace Health and Safety Advisor, wrote ‘Implementing the following actions into the business’s workplace to reduce the risks of harm: identify the hazard, assess the risks associated, decide on control measures to minimise the risk, implement control measures, monitor and review effectiveness of control measures’ (2003). The international franchise, Subway, uses a self-produced and interactive site from University of Subway which educates future staff of all Workplace Health and Safety precautions and practices within this particular workplace environment (TrainingDone, 2015). Programs generally follow the recommended actions from the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 in the Fast Food Café and Restaurant Industry – Guide to Risk Management (1999) which firstly identifies the greatest hazards whilst working in a kitchen and follows with the most efficient methods of reducing the risk of harm associated with it (1999). The Government has listed the five greatest hazards within the food industry to be manual handling
Construction is one of the most dangerous works during this era. The advanced technologies are to be utilized in the construction work but still it is not really safe work. Many of the human beings are now involved in the construction work. It is one of the most typical working fields. Most of the persons who have lack of knowledge, degree and skills join the construction teams in order to earn living. It is said that most of the workers related to the construction industry are not really well educated. This becomes that major cause of their less focus on the work. This proved sometimes very critical condition. One of the most important things in this regard is that workers sometimes not really work with taking great care.
Zanko, M & Dawson, P 2012, ‘Occupational health and safety management in organizations: A review’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 14, no. 3, p 328-344, viewed 2 April 2014, http://ro.uow.edu.au/commpapers/2832/.