09 December 2009
The number of best practices are increasing in the UAE, said Build Safe UAE (BSU) weekly alert 77.
Contracting companies such as Al Ahmadiah - Hip Hing JV, ABM, Eversendai, BK Gulf and Oger Abu Dhabi have ramped up their best practices on sites, it was revealed to Emirates Business. BSU is a not-for-profit organisation, which is aimed at improving the health, safety and welfare conditions of all construction industry stakeholders through the free exchange and sharing of information.
A home-made safety handrail system for the prevention of falls from flat bed vehicles, while banksmen prepare loads for slinging, was implemented as best practice by William Hares at the Masdar Green City Project in Abu Dhabi at the Mist 1A, a site carried out by Principal Contractor Al Ahmadiah - Hip Hing JV.
The new system breaks down processes for ease of transportation. It is first lifted into position following which the vehicle drives through the handrail system and stops with its wheels on the base plates as a secure measure. It is also tied back to the vehicle flat bed section for more stability. Presently, the access is via a ladder secured to the rear of the vehicle.
The development is significant considering that there were two incidents reported on personnel falling or jumping off the side of flat beds. While one of them sustained a broken ankle, the other had a bad sprain.
ABM, in its alert, said it recently organised safety awareness programmes for its workforces on project sites. "As a result of the programme, we found an improvement in the levels of motivation across the workforce, while the number of non-compliance decreased as required safety measures were being implemented correctly throughout the site," said ABM.
ABM said during the training programme it gathered feedback from trainees to understand difficulties they might face in implementing certain safety measures. Visual displays were also posted and notice boards installed throughout the site as an additional measure to create awareness.
Meanwhile, OGER Abu Dhabi, in its alert, said any workplace over, on, or near water, presents a danger wherein people might slip, fall or be swept off their feet by a rapid rise of tide, strong current, or swell from passing water traffic.
Whether or not a person is injured by a fall, there is an immediate risk of drowning and or being carried away by the current. Considerable effort must be made, firstly to prevent persons from tripping, falling or being swept into the water. If the worst does happen, companies must ensure that the person must be rescued in the shortest time possible before they can come to any further harm, it noted.
"Thereby, on our Sowwah Square Project our safety team has implemented the provision of lifebuoys housed in a wooden frame to make them readily available and to offer assistance to our employees," said an OGER statement.
Eversendai said fatal accidents and serious injuries continue to occur in the construction industry as a direct result of unsafe 'working at height' practice. Hence it has introduced a cost-effective basic engineering method to anchor mobile scaffolds using level jacks in all its projects.
"In addition to locking the caster wheel brakes, we install level jacks that act as ties and brace the mobile scaffold into a fixed position. This is a simple engineering control, which we have found effective and can be used by any construction stakeholder," it said.
BK Gulf said it has enforced a new health and safety standard, which is to be adopted throughout all its project sites, and addresses a number of risks associated with the storage and use of combustible materials.
The simplest way to eliminate fire hazard associated with stored materials, it said, is by not bringing combustible materials into the site. It recommended using off-site storage facilities wherever possible, or ordering materials with a minimum amount of packaging.
In case, such material has to be stored, it has been pointed out that only minimum amount of material required or what can be used in a single shift.
It recommended that sites must maintain regular housekeeping and remove packaging immediately after the delivery.
However, it is always ideal for combustible materials to be stored outside the building under construction.
Separately, a near miss incident occurred while a tower crane was engaged in lifting table formwork from level 19 of a tower under construction.
There were loose materials such as pieces of plywood and steel channel fell to the ground floor. One of the worker narrowly escaped from being injured.
The findings of the investigation revealed that the materials, which were kept on the table form were loose and should have been removed before commencing the operation.
The signalman also did not check the table form before giving the signal to the operator for lifting.
The number of best practices are increasing in the UAE, said Build Safe UAE (BSU) weekly alert 77.
Contracting companies such as Al Ahmadiah - Hip Hing JV, ABM, Eversendai, BK Gulf and Oger Abu Dhabi have ramped up their best practices on sites, it was revealed to Emirates Business. BSU is a not-for-profit organisation, which is aimed at improving the health, safety and welfare conditions of all construction industry stakeholders through the free exchange and sharing of information.
A home-made safety handrail system for the prevention of falls from flat bed vehicles, while banksmen prepare loads for slinging, was implemented as best practice by William Hares at the Masdar Green City Project in Abu Dhabi at the Mist 1A, a site carried out by Principal Contractor Al Ahmadiah - Hip Hing JV.
The new system breaks down processes for ease of transportation. It is first lifted into position following which the vehicle drives through the handrail system and stops with its wheels on the base plates as a secure measure. It is also tied back to the vehicle flat bed section for more stability. Presently, the access is via a ladder secured to the rear of the vehicle.
The development is significant considering that there were two incidents reported on personnel falling or jumping off the side of flat beds. While one of them sustained a broken ankle, the other had a bad sprain.
ABM, in its alert, said it recently organised safety awareness programmes for its workforces on project sites. "As a result of the programme, we found an improvement in the levels of motivation across the workforce, while the number of non-compliance decreased as required safety measures were being implemented correctly throughout the site," said ABM.
ABM said during the training programme it gathered feedback from trainees to understand difficulties they might face in implementing certain safety measures. Visual displays were also posted and notice boards installed throughout the site as an additional measure to create awareness.
Meanwhile, OGER Abu Dhabi, in its alert, said any workplace over, on, or near water, presents a danger wherein people might slip, fall or be swept off their feet by a rapid rise of tide, strong current, or swell from passing water traffic.
Whether or not a person is injured by a fall, there is an immediate risk of drowning and or being carried away by the current. Considerable effort must be made, firstly to prevent persons from tripping, falling or being swept into the water. If the worst does happen, companies must ensure that the person must be rescued in the shortest time possible before they can come to any further harm, it noted.
"Thereby, on our Sowwah Square Project our safety team has implemented the provision of lifebuoys housed in a wooden frame to make them readily available and to offer assistance to our employees," said an OGER statement.
Eversendai said fatal accidents and serious injuries continue to occur in the construction industry as a direct result of unsafe 'working at height' practice. Hence it has introduced a cost-effective basic engineering method to anchor mobile scaffolds using level jacks in all its projects.
"In addition to locking the caster wheel brakes, we install level jacks that act as ties and brace the mobile scaffold into a fixed position. This is a simple engineering control, which we have found effective and can be used by any construction stakeholder," it said.
BK Gulf said it has enforced a new health and safety standard, which is to be adopted throughout all its project sites, and addresses a number of risks associated with the storage and use of combustible materials.
The simplest way to eliminate fire hazard associated with stored materials, it said, is by not bringing combustible materials into the site. It recommended using off-site storage facilities wherever possible, or ordering materials with a minimum amount of packaging.
In case, such material has to be stored, it has been pointed out that only minimum amount of material required or what can be used in a single shift.
It recommended that sites must maintain regular housekeeping and remove packaging immediately after the delivery.
However, it is always ideal for combustible materials to be stored outside the building under construction.
Separately, a near miss incident occurred while a tower crane was engaged in lifting table formwork from level 19 of a tower under construction.
There were loose materials such as pieces of plywood and steel channel fell to the ground floor. One of the worker narrowly escaped from being injured.
The findings of the investigation revealed that the materials, which were kept on the table form were loose and should have been removed before commencing the operation.
The signalman also did not check the table form before giving the signal to the operator for lifting.
By Staff Writer
© Emirates Business 24/7 2009
