The construction industry in India has seen considerable growth due to the advent of globalisation. Simultaneously, it has also seen an increase in the incidents of physical suffering, fatalities, disabilities, property damages and ill-health resulting from construction activities. Construction is a highly accident-prone industry and accidents in construction are about three times more frequent than in manufacturing industries. The main reason for such incidents is the general flouting of safety standards, safety rules, legislative regulation and labour laws. To minimise fatalities, it is necessary to provide workers with:

􀁘 Safe working conditions

􀁘 Safe working methods

􀁘 Safety awareness

􀁘 Continuous monitoring and vigilant supervision

􀁘 Personal protective wear.

Safety could be ensured by developing a safety culture and promoting safety as an integral part of project management, as well as adhering to the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act, 1996, and BOCW Central Rules, 1998. Simply practicing this will help the construction industry remain incident-free. According to the published information on incidents occurring in the Indian construction industry, statistics indicate that 57 per cent of labourers fall from heights and 8 per cent are victims of falling objects. Work designs and related drawings must be given to engineers for project execution to prevent major incidents due to faulty activities. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry. Most fatalities occur when workers fall from open-sided floors and through floor openings. Falls from even 1.5 metres can cause serious accidents and sometimes death, in addition to lost time. Providing safe scaffolding, ladders, working platforms and fall protection systems such as body harnesses, life lines, handrails and toe boards will help minimise accidents.

How Accident-Free Construction of a Pre-Heater Building Can be Achieved
As compared to normal industrial structures, the pre-heater building of a cement plant has many specific features which pose challenges while executing activities with safety. The height of the building itself rises to as much as 100 m with the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) portion poised at 85 m and the rest supported with structural steel. The height between successive floors is in the range of 12–14 m. The main beams have depths ranging from 2–3 m and width from 0.25–1 m. For support to its vertical depths and chimneys, the pre-heater building has many RCC cantilever brackets at various levels. Some of the floors have openings of various sizes for equipment. In addition, for the entire height of the building, including the RCC wall for the lift, a structural steel staircase right from ground level to the top of the building has as many as 50 mid-landings.

Using Tower Cranes and Tubular Staging Materials: Initially one completes the foundation and raises the columns from the ground floor. Only after backfilling, proper consolidation and laying of plain cement concrete (PCC) does erecting staging for beams and stairs begin. As the slab-to-slab heights and the size of the beams and slab are considerable, the cuplock staging systems are properly designed and provided with proper spacing and adequate cross bracing. The tower crane must also be erected only after the foundation work is complete. The base area of the tower crane is properly consolidated, a layer of PCC is laid over it and a steel plate is also placed for extra safety. The tower crane is erected with an outrigger arrangement. The tower crane, including ropes, is properly tested and cleared before the commencement of its use. Precast RCC counterweight blocks are cured before they are positioned. A walkie-talkie arrangement is provided for the operating crew of the tower cranes. As the building height increases, the tower cranes are also raised accordingly, with adequate ties to the adjacent RCC columns.

Special Methods of Execution: In order to reduce manual handling of reinforcement steel rods at a higher elevation, which poses more safety hazards with respect to the lifting and tying of individual rods, efforts must be made to tie the reinforcement cages for the main beams at ground level itself. Using tower cranes, these grills must be positioned at the required locations with the minimum use of manpower, thereby reducing hazards and improving the rate of progress. As the height of the building increases, specially designed steel brackets are provided with insert plates, so that the staging arrangement is restricted only to a maximum of two floor heights, thereby avoiding staging from the ground level to the top. This results in faster execution and reduces hazards. Inverted U-shaped rods must be provided while concreting the slab so that horizontal steel members are temporarily provided from the floor, with the extended cantilever for staging supports.

Safety Precautionary Measures: Everyone at the worksite is provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety helmets, safety harnesses, nose masks and the like. There is also the possibility of dust emission from adjacent running plants, and hence nose masks must be provided to all workers. Until the permanent staircase is made ready, temporary access stairs with proper hand rails and passenger hoists are provided for the movement of personnel between various floors. Safety nets are provided at bracket levels along the periphery. Lifelines are also provided at the working level for hooking safety harnesses. Floor openings at lower-level slabs generally pose safety risks. All these openings are temporarily closed with properly designed structural steel supports and plates, which also helps in the easy erection of staging for the beams and slabs at the next level.

With all these special measures, one is able to complete the construction of an entire pre-heater building, in a potentially hazardous environment, without any loss of man hours due to unforeseen incidents.

General Steps for Safe Construction Sites
Accidents during construction operations can be mitigated to a large extent by using appropriate activity-based protective equipment such as safety helmets, safety shoes, safety gloves, fall arrestors, nose and face masks, ear plugs/muffs and respiratory equipment when working in constrained spaces and in hazardous areas. Incidents also occur due to improper use and improper maintenance of key construction equipment such as:

􀁘 Concrete mixer machines (diesel or electrically operated)

􀁘 Concrete pumps

􀁘 Batching plants

􀁘 Vibrators

􀁘 Tower/mobile cranes

􀁘 Passenger material joists

􀁘 Elevators

􀁘 Chain pulley blocks

􀁘 Steel bending or cutting machines

􀁘 Earth-handling equipments

􀁘 Hand-operated tools.

Equipment failure is usually due to defective products, lack of awareness about proper use of the equipment or slipshod working practices.

Some causes of equipment failure are:
􀁘 Improper placement of equipment on unstable platforms or loose soil

􀁘 Rotating parts not guarded

􀁘 Improper communication during operation

􀁘 Untrained workers using tools

􀁘 Poor maintenance

􀁘 Equipment not tested for fitness

􀁘 Defective wire ropes and lifting devices

􀁘 Limit switches not installed or not working.



Electrical accidents are also common on construction sites. Construction sites can help prevent electrical incidents by insisting on:
􀁘 Work permit systems

􀁘 Employing qualified, licensed electricians

􀁘 Displaying electrical equipment and cable routing

􀁘 Proper earthing for all electrical equipment

􀁘 Providing earth leakage circuit breakers (ELCB) to all electrical equipment

􀁘 Power cables not overlapping
􀁘 Always using the correct rated fuse

􀁘 Lock-out and tag-out systems during maintenance

􀁘 Maintaining a safe clearance while working close to power lines.

All categories of adverse incidents in the construction industry can be managed and mitigated to a large extent by following simple steps. These include:

􀁘 Identifying hazards for all construction activities.

􀁘 Evaluating the level of risk based on the frequency and severity of the hazards.

􀁘 Developing a hierarchy of controls by a combination of elimination, replacement, engineering, management programmes and operational controls, as well as the use of protective personal equipment.

􀁘 Providing appropriate activity-based safety signs to increase employee awareness about safe work practices and conditions.

􀁘 Facilitating two-way communication and consultation about safety among all those concerned in the project.

􀁘 Recognising and rewarding employees’ suggestions for safety and safe working practices.

􀁘 Providing safety training, conducting mock drills for handling emergency situations and holding regular safety meetings. Regularly following up on unsafe conditions and practices goes a long way in ensuring safety.

The basic steps for incident prevention would be to make all employers, employees and self-employed persons realise their duty to care for their own and others’ safety and health at the workplace. Compliance with all statutory and legal requirements within the workplace will ensure a safe environment for construction. Exposure to hazards at the workplace can be reduced by identifying them, controlling risks and bringing these down to acceptable levels. Construction sites should have a licensed first-aid practitioner to provide immediate assistance to any injured worker until he is taken to the nearest hospital. The site should be provided with a first aid room—preferably an air-conditioned one with first-aid box containing approved medicines, a bed as well as a stretcher to shift the injured worker safely to the hospital. These basic steps should be followed at all construction sites to ensure a safe and healthy environment and prevent accidents.

The author is Head—Safety, Coromandel Engineering Company Limited