| 1. |
- Aulin, Radhlinah, et al.
(författare)
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Near-miss reporting among construction workers
- 2014
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Ingår i: [Host publication title missing]. - 9789176230053 ; , s. 456-466
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2012, there were 11 000 accidents and near-miss reported of which most of it can be prevented. Though reporting and investigating injuries present a more detailed picture, this is still a lagging indicator — measuring after the event. Recording and investigating near misses, on the other hand, can be used as a positive indicator of performance tool to fix problems before injuries occur. Employers are obligated to inform about near-miss to the workers so that they are aware what a near-miss is, how to report a near-miss and whom to report to. By definition, near-miss leaves no injuries, nor property or equipment damage. They also leave little (or no) evidence that they even occurred and as such, easy to ignore. As a result, workers have no reason to believe reports will be viewed positively and acted on. This study aims to investigate how well informed construction workers are about near-miss reporting. Importantly, investigations will be performed to identify factors that influence workers' willingness to report near misses that they were exposed to or had observed. To achieve the aims, a deductive approach was adopted. Interviews were conducted with 37 construction workers from two districts, all within the same contractor's organisation. Although results indicated that majority of the interviewees are familiar with the definition of a near-miss and routines of reporting, the willingness to report near misses is still low. The study had also identified obstacles to reporting and proposed suggestions to address this issue. Results from this exploratory empirical investigation will be used as a basis for a more substantial empirical investigation
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| 2. |
- Ek, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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A study of the proactive occupational safety and health work in a Swedish construction company - the example of vibration exposure
- 2014
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Ingår i: [Host publication title missing]. - 9789176230053 ; , s. 360-370
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure to vibrations from tools and machines used in construction work can induce damages to the human body. One of the most frequent symptoms is the hand-arm vibration syndrome commonly known as white fingers. The proportions of the international workforce exposed to vibrations are high and dominating sectors are construction, agriculture, forestry, and transport. Particularly exposed construction occupational groups include machine operators and drivers of vehicles. In 2005, the Swedish Work Environment Authority introduced a new guideline on the topic of preventing vibration exposure risks (AFS 2005:15) based on the European union 2002/44/EC directive on workers’ exposure to vibration. It includes raised demands on estimating vibration exposure, and clearly stated responsibilities and rights of employers and employees. However, in 2011 the Swedish Work Environment Authority’s inspections showed that many employers belonging to sectors such as building and construction, transport, and mining industry did not have any satisfactory proactive risk management work concerning vibration exposure. This paper reports on a pilot study performed in a large Swedish construction company with the aim to yield more knowledge about factors affecting the implementation of the guidelines and to suggest actions for improvement. A total of 31 construction workers and supervisors were interviewed at nine construction sites in southern Sweden. Interview results demonstrated a lack of knowledge in estimating vibration exposure; the incorporation of the Work Environment Authority’s directions had not been accomplished; driving forces for improving the proactive health and safety work and specifically vibration exposure management was weak on all organisational levels; important factors affecting the implementation of vibration exposure regulations are the psychosocial work environment at construction sites as well as company safety culture; a large proportion of the interviewed construction workers was judged to be at risk for developing vibration injuries if the exposure was not decreased; management, supervisory, and production levels need increased knowledge about vibration exposure and vibration injuries; and methods and tools for easy estimation of vibration exposure needs to be developed.
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| 3. |
- Gao, Chuansi, et al.
(författare)
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Using a walkway with adjustable inclination to measure and assess slip and fall risks
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of CIB W099 International Conference Achieving Sustainable Construction Health and Safety. - 9789176230053 ; , s. 118-124
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fall is the most common cause of serious work related accidents. Falls and related injuries not only cause suffering for individuals, but also means a high economic burden to industries and society. The objective of the study was to use a walkway with in-built force plate, adjustable inclination and surface to assess how risks of slips and falls vary due to inclination and friction of the walkway surface. A walkway was designed with adjustable slopes between 0 to 30 degrees. Subject walking tests were performed on dry and wet steel sheet surfaces in two walking directions (uphill and downhill) at three inclination angles (0, 5 and 10 degrees). 3D ground reaction forces while walking were recorded using the force plate. Required coefficient of friction (RCOF) was derived to determine slip and fall risks. The main finding of this study is that the RCOF during heel strike when walking downwards on the steel plate surface increases linearly as the inclination increases. The results contribute to the understanding of slipping and falling mechanisms and the prevention of slipping and falling accidents. When ramps or sloped surfaces are used in workplaces, slip resistance between footwear and the sloped surfaces should be improved.
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| 4. |
- Kuklane, Kalev, et al.
(författare)
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Insulation of traditional Indian clothing: Estimation of climate change impact on productivity from PHS (predicted heat strain) model
- 2014
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Ingår i: Achieving Sustainable Construction Health and Safety : proceedings of CIB W099 International Conference, 2-3 June 2014, Lund University, Sweden - proceedings of CIB W099 International Conference, 2-3 June 2014, Lund University, Sweden. - 9789176230053 ; , s. 234-244
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Major databases on western clothing and their thermal properties are available, but information on non-western clothing is lacking. A recent ASHRAE project 1504 TRP, Extension of the Clothing Insulation Database for Standard 55 and ISO 7730 dealt with the issue. Simultaneously, a co-operation study at Indian workplaces allowed us to acquire some sets of the traditional clothes used at construction sites in Chennai area. The work was related to mapping of present work conditions in order to allow predictions and measures to be taken if the mean temperature of the work environment would rise. We selected ISO 7933 on predicted heat strain (PHS) as a tool to estimate productivity loss in physical work. PHS criteria are related to reaching safe body core temperature limit of 38 °C or excess water loss. 3 sets of clothing were investigated: 2 female sets of traditional clothes (churidar and saree) modified as used at construction site (added shirt and towel to protect traditional clothes and hair), and a male set commonly used at the construction sites. The clothing insulation and evaporative resistance were measured on thermal manikins. The climatic conditions were based on weather statistics, and metabolic heat production was based on field observations at work places and the ISO 8996:2004 tables (Ergonomics of the thermal environment — Determination of metabolic rate). For the future scenarios all basic parameters were left the same except the air temperature was increased by 2 °C. Adding the protective layer on female clothing did increase clothing insulation by 25-31 % and evaporative resistance by 10-18 % respectively. This affected the performance showing lower capacity to maintain work pace already under present climatic conditions. Further increase in mean air temperature may decrease the productivity by 30-80 % depending on the parameter that is observed (limited exposure time or lower work load), and on the earlier capacity to carry out the tasks. The present evaluation may have several limitations related to the PHS model's boundaries, and validation of the presented method application is needed.
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