| Health
and Safety
Introduction
In building construction work
there are some inherent dangers. The very nature of
the work means that for a large percentage of the time,
the structure is in a partially completed state. Openings
to the exterior and interior have to be kept clear of
obstructions to permit free passage of material and
equipment. Loose materials have to be kept on hand ready
for installation and heavy loads have to be hoisted
or manoeuvred into place. All manner of cutting and
penetrating tools, implements and projections abound,
and relatively large quantities of potentially dangerous
waste materials are generated. Each of these presents
a particular hazard to the safety of construction personnel
and to the general public - where the construction is
close to public access areas. The legal responsibilities
of the principal and the contractor for the safety of
site personnel and the public are set out in the Health
and Safety in Employment Act 1992, while general guidance
on this subject is provided in Occupational Safety and
Health (OSH) Guidelines for the Construction Industry.
The basis of safe working practices is an attitude to
safety by all site personnel. Creating a safe working
environment requires that in addition to any formal
rules of conduct, all personnel should be continually
aware of the potential dangers of their surroundings
and the particular activities in which they are involved.
Safety is not someone else's problem; it is everyone's
responsibility. |
©CCANZ |
General Safety
The following briefly outlines some of the potential hazards
and/or the practices which should be instituted to provide
general safety for those involved directly and indirectly
with concrete construction.
Access to the forms
Properly guarded walkways should be provided around formed
areas of suspended work, so that the various tradespeople
will have safe access to them while carrying out their tasks
before concreting commences, and a safe means of retreat as
concreting progresses. Where ladders are being used, one person
at a time is the safety rule.
Clear Areas
When heavy loads, such as formwork, reinforcement or concrete
are being hoisted by crane, the path over which the load travels
should be kept clear of all personnel. Adequate warning should
be given to persons working in these areas so that they can
get clear before lifting of the load commences. Clear areas
should also be maintained around the anchorages of prestressing
tendons while stressing is in progress, in case failure of
an anchorage occurs.
Falling Objects
Unfixed materials and hand tools should be kept well away
from unguarded edges of suspended formwork or openings through
it, or otherwise should be kept entirely within the forms
to prevent them from falling onto people below.
Form Cleanliness
Forms should be maintained in a clean condition at all times.
This is important not only for safety and good-housekeeping
reasons but it is also an essential requisite for producing
good concrete. Offcuts of timber, steel, electrical wiring
and conduits, plumbing pipes and other debris should be removed
at regular intervals (not longer than daily), as they are
all potential causes of people tripping, falling or otherwise
injuring themselves.
Projecting Reinforcement
The cut ends of starter bars or fabric which project from
construction joints in columns, walls and slabs can be a source
of serious injury to persons falling on or against them. Proprietary
plastic caps or other simple forms of guarding should be used
until the joining or lapping reinforcement is being placed.
Sheet Materials
Lightweight rigid sheet materials should not be left lying
around loose, but should be tied or weighted down, particularly
overnight. Such material can easily become airborne in the
strong wind gusts which are common in many parts of New Zealand.
In this condition, they become lethal missiles.
Electrical Wiring
Safe practices for temporary electrical installations are
set out in the Electricity Act and Regulations and should
be followed. Adequate safeguards are important where overhead
powerlines cross or are close to the work area, particularly
where cranes are being used.
Personal Safety
Most minor injuries to people working on construction sites
can be prevented or minimised by the wearing of appropriate
clothing and personal-protection devices. While this applies
to all construction personnel, it applies particularly to
those engaged in concrete construction, as the injuries they
are designed to protect against are common in the various
stages of concrete construction.
Clothing
Overalls or tough trousers and a heavy-duty, long-sleeved
shirt or jacket, offer reasonable protection from scratches
by nails, tie wire, cut timber edges and cut reinforcement
ends. They also give protection from harmful ultraviolet radiation
from the sun. Shorts and T-shirts provide little or no protection
from any of these sources of injury.
Safety Helmets
An approved type of 'hard hat' is required by industrial regulations
in New Zealand. Common sense should dictate that this is an
essential device in areas where there is a constant risk of
objects falling from above and where headroom is likely to
be restricted by temporary construction, such as formwork
and falsework.
Safety Boots
Safety boots with heavy-duty soles and protective toecaps
minimise the chance of pierced feet from protruding nails
or crushed toes from dropped timber or steel props. Like helmets,
these are required by law.
Work gloves
All concrete construction work involves some degree of manual
labour. Appropriate work gloves should therefore be used when
handling undressed timber, reinforcing bars, cut fabric sheets,
or formwork props. They should also be worn for all activities
involving the handling of fresh concrete, because it is strongly
alkaline and can cause corrosive burns on bare skin, or strong
allergic reaction in some instances. The 'slurry' of cement,
water and sand, in which the coarse aggregate is suspended,
is also very abrasive and will rapidly damage the outer layers
of skin when rubbed against it.
Safety Goggles
Safety goggles should always be used when cutting or grinding
with power tools. It would also be prudent to wear them whenever
there is a chance of eye damage from airborne grit, cement
dust, or splashed concrete slurry.
Sunglasses & Sunscreens
Glare from sheet metal formwork and smooth, Iight-coloured
concrete can be hazardous in the short term (by obscuring
a potentially dangerous situation) and in the long term by
causing permanent damage to the eyes. Sunglasses are therefore
recommended in these situations. Publicity of the dangers
associated with long-term exposure to harsh New Zealand sunlight
should provide sufficient reasons for using sunscreens on
those parts of the body which cannot be otherwise protected.
Further information
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