Best practices to improve construction site [631721]

Best practices to improve construction site
safety, in the specific condition of processing
plant building
Blagovesta Vladkova 1*
1University of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski”, 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria
Abstract. Construction and installation works for large industrial sites are
a major challenge both in terms of implementation of deadlines and
ensuring healthy and safe work conditions. Force majeure circumstances
that require rapid and adequate response often occur in complex objects.
Construction site safety is one of the most important things during a
construction project. The main reason is the accidents that occur. Presented
paper’s target is to give more light to some good practices, which can lead
to health and safety improvement at work . Author experienced such
practices in specific conditions during processing plant constructio n. Such
facilities characterize with inst allation of large scale special mineral
processing equipment, including work in explosive atmosphere . What is
more, very often outdoor work in severe weather conditions is performed.
Another very important and at the same way heavy to handle is
coordinatin g of many people , working for contractors and subcontractors.
Some of t he most important factors in such practice, which have a key role
in the successful realization that type of project will be discussed .
1 Introduction
Construction industry is a m ajor part of an economic sector, where are occupied large
number of people and heavy mechanization. Work at construction sites is year -round and
the workers are exposed to different climatic conditions. All these are preconditions for
high risk level which lead to occupational accidents and diseases , as shown by US statistics
[1].
Despite the dynamics of work in construction industry, some good practices have been
proven in practice – technical and organizational decisions, compliance with which leads to
a significant reduction of incidents. This, of course, is an interaction of many factors. As a
first, role of company's management in understanding the importance of safety work
conditions on site. Next comes experienced OSH experts and reasonable implement ation in
practice of safety regulations . When talking about a large construction site it is clear that
the mai n contractors, as well as subcontractors, different companies are involved. It is of
utmost importance to lay down clear working rules, still at contract level, to be strictly

* Corresponding author: [anonimizat]

observed during construction and assembly work. Why is safety so important? On o ne
hand, when a ccidents occur , injured personnel is away from work and might have temporal
or permanent disability , while on the other hand, company is exposed to financial and
material losses [2]. Present paper will suggest and consider some of key elemen ts and good
practices for providing OSH, which could lead to the successful implementation of site
safety.
2 Types of Construction Accidents
Some common types of construction accidents include:
1. Crane or hoist accidents . Cranes and hoists are important construction tools.
However, lack of training, operator errors, and other factors can lead to serious
accidents on construction sites.
2. Falls from heights . Scaffolding accidents, ladder accidents, roofing accidents,
and other falls from heights can result in tragic accidents.
3. Slip and falls . A slip and fall s on the ground can cause broken bones, sprains,
and other injuries.
4. Repetitive stress injuries . Repetitive nature of some construction work can
result in repetitive stress injuries in the back, wrists, ankles, and joints.
5. Gas leaks, fires, and explosions . Gas leaks, fires, and explosions can be
sudden and deadly. Carbon mo noxide, for example, can be dangerous in a
confined construction space.
6. Forklift accidents . Without proper training and attentive operators, forklifts
can be dangerous and result in serious construction accidents.
7. Trench accidents . A trench collapse or an accident within a trench can be
devastating. A construction worker may be trapped and unable to get out on his
own.
8. Elevator shaft accidents . Construction workers may be at risk of falling down
elevator shafts if safety precautions are not observed .
9. Electr ocutions . Electrical equipment, overhead electrical wires, wiring, and
lightning all create risks of electrocution for construction workers.
10. Machinery accidents . Heavy machines perform great deal of construction
operation , which is a base for risk situatio ns for construction workers in both
cases: either malfunction of machinery or operator’s fault.
11. Struck -by accidents . Motor vehicles are common on construction sites.
Construction worker is at risk of being hit by a motor vehicle or part of
machinery while working on a construction site.
12. Caught -between accidents . A limb of a person or entire body may get caught
by a piece of equipment or crushed by the debris of a construction accident.
13. Exposure to hazardous or toxic chemicals . Inhalation of chemicals or toxi c
vapors by construction workers can cause severe respiratory problems . [3].

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reported that one of ten
construction site workers are injured every year. OSHA also reports that fall hazards are the
leading cause of injury at construction sites. There are roughly 150,000 construction site
accident injuries year ly according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) .
The BLS also reported that while falls make up the majority of the construction site
accidents, contact with equipment was also a significant cause of injury for wor kers.
Workers between 25 and 34 years old are most likely to be injured in a construction site
accident. Most construction site injuries involve workers' backs, spines, and trunks. NIOSH
(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) reported that yearly 1,224

construction workers died at work place , which make the construction industry most
hazardous industry in the country. Construction w orkers' compensation s are full 15 percent
of the whole expenses of insurance compa nies, covering injuries in all industries. [4].

Fig. 1. Construction Worker Fatalities& Fatal Injury Rates, Data for USA, Source:
https://www.constructconnect.com/blog/construction -news/construction -leads -industries -worker –
deaths/
3 Improve ment construction site safety, in the specifi c condition
of processing plant
3.1 Contract between Contractor and Site Performer
The conditions of work and safety are set in the beginning, when signing a contract
between the contracting authority and the contractors / subcontractors. This is the stage
where the specific requirements, sanctions, rules of work are specified.

Fig. 2. Determination of safety conditions Fig. 3. Lift Operator License Document
3.2 Inductions and trainings
Inductions is required before allowing workers to the construction site. Adequate
information on types of site potential hazards should be provided . It is important for the
induction to be documented by instructed workers in writing quiz about their knowledge.
Quiz, records in induction books are important for documenting the results and creating an
archive.
3.3 No access permission for workers witho ut licenses
Every construction site has people with different qualifications – electricians, wel ders, crane
operators, operators of road construction machinery and heavy mechanization.

Occasionally, workers are not allowed to perform any task, which in turn increases the risk
of accident. Therefore, strict control of licenses for each activity, copies of license
documents and archive storage should be ensured.
3.4 Mandatory use of PPE at the workplace
One of the main problems in Bulgaria is the general safety culture of the construction site.
Workers often underestimate the importance of PPE, do not wear them permanently ,
causing incidents and accidents. Typical mandatory PPEs are helmets , boots, glasses and
signal workwear. Practice shows that financial sanctions are most effective .
3.5 Working clothes labelling
When a large number of companies work on a construction site, (for example over 400
workers ), it is very important for people to be easily recognizable. This can be realized by
having the printed logo or the company name over working clothes . In this way the control
over the activity / resp. the sanctions against each company and employee are ve ry easy
applicable .

Fig. 4. Labeling of working clothes Fig. 5. Measuring of alcohol level before access
on site.
3.6 Check for Alcohol and Drugs of Workers
Practice in Bulgaria shows that often people working on construction sites use alcohol at
work. The best way to solve this problem is to introduce a control test for alcohol content
before admission to work and the appropriate sanctions for people who violated this rule.
Very good results are reported and more and more companies are starting to implement
similar measures. Similarly, this applies to the use of narcotic drugs.
3.7 Designation of smoking areas and PPE -free areas
When stringent working rules are set on the site, rest areas where smoking is permitted and
where not wearing PPE is allo wed should be regulated. This contributes to the good
organization and order of the site.
3.8 Equipment and heavy mechanization reliability
Access on site and use of machines (motor vehicles, cranes, other lifting equipment), is
only allowed after careful control of documents (technical inspection and revision books). It
is obligatory for the operator to submit a qualification document. In general, the overall
performance and maintenance of mining machinery and equipment is of great importance

Fig. 6 . Lifting equipment Fig. 7. Equipment and signaling of the vehicle on site ,
http://mineaccidents.com.au/mine -event/216/ravensworth –
vehicle -collision -2013 [6]
3.9 Vehicle traffic rules on site
First and very important rule is s peed limit. Th e speed must not exceed 30 km/ h, and
sometime there are areas with even lower values – 10 km/h, 20 km/ h. Phone calls during
driving are prohibited, unless with hands -free. Another important rule on site is to park the
vehicle so that it is ready for immediate departure without additional maneuvers.
It is obligatory for the vehicle to have an additional light signaling (beacon) and an
checked for proper operation fire extinguisher.
3.10 Fire safety
Each site should have fire safety plan. Depending on site type and performed activities,
type of fire extinguishers (with chemical powder, water, CO 2 and special) is selected. A
register of the number and location of fire extinguishers should be established,
accompanied by annual technical inspection and locations .
3.11 Explosion Hazards
Sometimes certain facilities are at increased risk of explosions . For the processing plants
these are the reagent compartments and the storage compartments of gas cylinders under
pressure. For areas with explosive atmospheres, proper ventilation and additional supply of
inert gas are important. A good practice solution is wind ventilation [5] – no electrical
supply and special coating for work in harsh atmosphere .

Fig. 8. Fire extinguisher with
chemical powder on site Fig. 9 . Example for wind ventilation application, (Dinchev Z,
2016) [5]
3.12 Working at heights

When working on heights, there are two important elements: specific personal protective
equipment tools available to protect the worker against falls from a height and lifting gear –
self-propelled lifting platform , scaffolds and ladders .
3.12.1 PPE for working on heights
When working at height a harness is mandatory. Before work harness should be thoroughly
check ed.
3.12. 2 Lifting equipment
Technology development in lifting devices allows application of modern facilities such as
self-propelled lifting platforms, scaffolds, ladders . Each of them has strict requirements and
applications. Main r ole of OSH experts is to ensure permanently that malfunctions of PPE
and equipment is not possible and not allowed on work site. Sometimes workers
underesti mate dangerous situations or their long experience makes them feel self -confident.
Practice shows that even the most innocent at first glance situation can lead to a serious
accident.

Fig. 10 . Harness for working at height
http://www.pik3000.com/categories/list/name/pr
edpazni_kolani.html Fig. 11. Self-propelled lifting platform,
http://www.avv -bg.com/building -mechanization/
3.13 LOTO – procedure
The essence of this procedure is securing areas with different energy sources (electricity,
steam, pressure, vapor, mechanical energy). Always isolate the source before work so that
there is no accidental start of the power supply and increased risk of accidents. Using
personal padlocks and keeping a padlock register is important for administering the process.

Fig. 12 . LOTO – procedure for electric panel
3.14 Housekeeping at workplaces
Housekeeping at workplace is very important for safety on construction site. This can lead
to a reduction of accidents and contribute to raising the overall level of safety culture. For

the good realization of this goal, it is good to regulate daily cleaning and arrangement of
workplaces and provision of containers for waste collection.
3.15 Register and analyze incidents
When there are incidents and accidents, investigate the causes, analyze the facts and learn
lessons from them is important. T his would be a prerequisite for choosing preventative
actions and preventing such a case in the future. Good practice from Canadian companies is
sharing experience: when an accide nt occurs in a company, colleagues are notified about
what has happened to pr event similar situations in the future and in other companies.
Unfortunately, in Bulgaria the practice is in the opposite direction – when an incident
occurs, the aim is not to give publicity. This is an area where can be worked and improve
the corporate c ulture.
3.16 Environment and sustainable development
When it comes to activities on a large mining site – an opencas t mine and a processing plant
– it is clear that protection of the environment is of utmost importance. This topic includes
mining waste management, circuit waste water management [7], reagent handling, mining
operations, dust emissions, and more.
4 Conclusion
The safety of construction works in the mining industry is extremely important and there
are a number of factors in its implementation. Practice shows that a high level of safety can
be achieved with experienced team of 4-7 people for a company of 200-500 workers on the
site. Financial resource should be available for this task. Sometimes large companies
underestimate the role of OSH unit, and with few people and without enough money, the
results are far below expectations. There are many examples of good p ractice worldwide,
exchange of experience and training would also be beneficial.
References
1. Arya Hojati : 8 Best Practices to Improve Construction Site Safety , https://esub.com/improve –
construction -site-safety/ , December, 2018
2. Edgar Snyder & Association: Construction Site Accidents, https://www.edgarsnyder.com/job –
site-accident/construction -site-accidents/
3. Steve Lee, http://www.attorneystevelee.com/l ibrary/types -of-construction -site-accidents.cfm
4. James R. Keller : Construction Accident Statistics: https://w ww.2keller.com/library/construction –
accident -statistics.cfm
5. Dinchev Z, "Wind ventilation of industrial explosives storage facilities", Annual of the
University of Mining and Geology "St. Ivan Rilski", Volume 59, part II, Mining and Mineral
Processing, Sofi a, 2016, p.64 -71, (ISSN 1312 -1820);
6. Ravensworth Vehicle Collision 2013 , http://mineaccidents.com.au/mine -event/216/ravensworth –
vehicle -collision -2013
7. Kisyova T, Radulov G.: “ Automation of waste water treatment by mining companies ”, X
Mineral Processing Congress, 15 -20 June 2003, Varna, Bulgaria, pp 543 -547
8. Iliev Zh., Perenovski N.: " Computer modeling and investigation of the operating parts of the
screw conveyor b y finite element method ", Fifth National Scientific and Technical Conference
with International Par ticipation,2016, Devin, Bulgaria pp.54 -62