Safety

[D39SA]

Management

School of the Built Environment

Heriot-Watt University 2009 Module leader: Mr. Issack M Peter School of the Built Environment Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus P.O. Box 294345, Dubai U.A.E. Tel: +971 (0) 4 361 6287 Fax: +971 (0) 4 360 4818 e-mail: i.m.peter@hw.ac.uk

Acknowledgements Mr Sam Barron and Dr. Fiona Grant (previous Module Leaders) for their permission to continue to use the lecture notes, slides and background materials which he has developed and sourced. Notes amended and updated by Mr. John Stothard, December 2007. Course restructured and further amended by Mr. John Stothard, August 2008. Course further restructured and amended by Mr. Issack M Peter, August 2009

First published March 2003 Reprinted September 2005 Amended January 2007 Updated December 2007 Restructured August 2008 Restructured August 2009

Contents

Module Aims and Structure Recommended Reading 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Course overview, basic principles, and the safety problem. Accidents Construction safety law 1 Construction safety law 2 Managing health and safety in construction Creating a safer construction site training Field Trip Creating a safer construction site practice Risk assessment worked examples and other safety issues. Case study the anatomy of an accident. The way ahead progress, new thoughts and initiatives Revision

Module Aims and Structure

Introduction
The construction industry worldwide is recognised as being one of the most dangerous for the health, safety and welfare of those employed in it. In Britain on average around 80 workers are killed each year and thousands are injured. In other countries the safety situation is much worse. For example in Britain around 8.5 workers in every 100,000 employed are killed each year, but in Malaysia this fatality rate rises to 19.1 per 100,000. In 1992 the Republic of Korea experienced 16 construction fatalities every week. Throughout the whole world it is recognised that the dangerous working environment on construction sites is unacceptable both from a personal point of view for those involved and also as a severe financial burden upon the industry. World wide safety legislation is being tightened and in particular, the European Community is harmonising safety standards to attempt to improve the situation dramatically. However safety legislation alone cannot change this situation. What is needed is a change in the inbred attitudes of all involved with construction operations, manual workers, management, designers and clients. This change can be helped by implementing legislation but it also requires higher levels of awareness of safety problems and how they can be reduced.

Module aims
The aims of this module are: a) To examine the main safety problems within the construction industry b) To provide an understanding of the law and management of safety on site and in the office c) To examine how higher levels of safety can be achieved.

Module schedule
Module Title: Module Number: Module Leader: Safety Management D39SA Mr Issack M Peter

Lecture Breakdown
Week Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Topic Basic Principles and the Safety Problem Accidents Construction Safety Law 1 Construction Safety Law 2 Managing health and safety in construction Creating a Safer Construction Site -Training Independent study/Field Trip Creating a Safer Construction Site -Practice Risk assessment worked examples and other safety matters Case study/presentations

Week 10 Week 11 Week 12

The way ahead progress, new thoughts and initiatives Revision

Module structure
The module comprises twelve units and the subject content of each unit is as follows: Unit 1: Basic Principles and The Safety Problem Background to health and safety in the construction industry, the philosophy of workplace safety, the size of the problem, the major dangers and the costs involved. Unit 2: Accidents Study of the definition of accidents and their causes and effects. Accident investigation and statistics. Unit 3: Construction Safety Law 1 An overview of the major legislation that is applicable to the construction industry: Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1999 Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 (COSHH) Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regs 1995 (RIDDOR) Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989 Manual Handling Regulations 1992 Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 Control of Asbestos at Work (Amendment) Regulations 1998 Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Unit 4: Construction Safety Law 2 An overview of the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM). Unit 5: Managing Health and Safety in Construction An overview of the HSE publication, Successful Health & Safety Management and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999. Unit 6: Creating a Safer Construction Site: Training Overview of the use of training and incentives to promote higher levels of site safety. Unit 7: Independent study/Field Trip A unit to consolidate existing study relating to practical experience promoting learning through real life scenarios. Students at the Riccarton/Dubai Campus will undertake a site visit. Unit 8: Creating a Safer Construction Site: Practice Overview of the accepted methods of creating safer working environment on construction sites: Working at heights: safe use of ladders, general access scaffolds, tower

scaffolds, work on flat roofs, pitched roofs and fragile surfaces Working in confined spaces and excavations Manual and mechanical handling Traffic and plant dangers Working on contaminated sites. Unit 9: Risk assessment worked examples and other safety matters The first part of this unit will consist of carrying out risk assessments of worktasks nominated by the students themselves, and worked through by the group and tutor together. In the second part, several specific topics are covered including site office safety, personal protective equipment, stress at work and personal responsibility for safety.

Unit 10 Case Study/Presentations A unit based on a case study of a real accident investigated by Dr. Fiona Grant. As the tale unfolds, students are invited to consider where the true blame lies for this accident. Unit 11: The way ahead progress, new thoughts and initiatives An overview of recent and current government initiatives to promote higher levels of safety in the workplace, in particular in the construction industry. Unit 12: Revision A student led unit to allow questions and review of any of the course content, including the format of the exam.

Module assessment
Assessment for this module is based on 100% examination only. There is no marked coursework.

In-text questions
A number of in text questions for tutorials/home study are included at key points throughout the course.

General advice
This course is not intended to produce safety experts, but only to stimulate students to understand the safety hazards associated with the construction industry, how these hazards are dealt with in legislation and how they as practitioners within the industry can help promote a safer working environment. Although the legislation discussed on the module is specific to the UK, similar legislation is often in place in other countries. The management principles and practice discussed are applicable to all construction operations.

General Marking Guidance for Safety Management Exam

Each question attempted will be marked according to the guideline below: A+ (>80%) exceptional answer, not only showing knowledge given in notes, but also indicating additional reading AND a clear understanding of how theoretical knowledge can be applied on site. A (>70%) exceptional answer, not only showing knowledge given in notes, but also indicating additional reading OR a clear understanding of how theoretical knowledge can be applied on site. B (>60%) similar to above in having good book/theoretical knowledge but limited understanding of application and maybe lacking passion for the topic. C (>50%) limited to book/notes understanding. D (>40%) weak book/notes understanding, with many gaps but no significant dangerous misunderstanding. E & F (<40%) answers that are flawed and could be potentially dangerous if writer placed in a junior management position.

Dr. Fiona Grant feedback on previous exam scripts

Having marked the scripts from previous years I would like to feedback the following comments to help students prepare for this years examination: Solutions presented MUST attempt to address the questions being asked; simply reproducing various sections of the class notes is not acceptable. In addition, many solutions which are very brief and do not provide detailed explanations, will receive low grades as this is not what is expected at this level of study. Exams should not be seen as a test of your memory, testing your ability to remember the notes and reproduce them for the exam. It should be your opportunity to provide evidence of your understanding of the subject area by being able to provide explanations, critical analysis, discussions and evaluations of specific areas of knowledge. Your solutions should contain reference to your notes, further reading undertaken by you in self-study time and, whenever possible, examples and case studies that relate to the question and allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and its application in practice. Solutions which reproduce the class notes but do not relate to the exam question being asked will not receive marks as there is no relevance in the information being presented to the original question, regardless if the information is correct, i.e. One solution presented an explanation of how impetuous young workers are on site, when the questions asked for an explanation of how accident investigations are undertaken. Scripts which reproduced the class notes, in a list format, with little explanation and discussion or any critical evaluation related to the questions being asked can not be awarded marks higher than a D grade. It is fundamentally incorrect to knowledge dump information in an exam situation as opposed to addressing the actual problem posed in the question, it is very obvious to the marker if students read the key word in the question and then write down everything from the class notes which covered this topic, with very little attempt at addressing the actual question in a structured manner. It is hoped you will find this helpful and constructive guidance which you will consider when preparing for your safety exam. It is important for you to realise that sitting any exam is your opportunity to demonstrate your broad knowledge of a subject area and your academic ability to provide reasoned and structured arguments that draw on several sources of information, not just the class notes. In an exam, I suggest you read the question carefully, identify the key areas to be addressed, clarify your structure and content before your start to write your solution. Remember to include reference to your class notes, additional reading you have completed and if possible a case study or practical example to add the academic rigour required for this level of study. I hope you find this informative and I wish you well in your studies. Dr Fiona Grant CMS Programme Director

Recommended Reading

These notes provide the core learning material. Some additional reprints of published documents are also provided. In addition students should be familiar with the Health & Safety Executive website: http://www.hse.gov.uk. Documents on this site will be frequently referred to and recommended for further reading. There is no core text book, but two publications are recommended for additional reading in a number of the units: Construction Health & Safety Management by Griffith & Howarth, published by Longman, ISBN 0 582 41442 3 and, Introduction to Health and Safety In Construction 2 Edition by Hughes and Ferrett. Published by Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN 13: 978-0-7506-8111-X Throughout the course students are encouraged to watch both the technical press and newspapers for reported instances of construction accidents. In addition, but without entering construction sites, students should watch out for examples of potential hazards and both good and bad practice on building sites.
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