Health & Safety Coordination on Construction Sites

Health and safety coordination at construction sites involves handling all potential risks faced by construction workers. Coordination is required at all stages of the project, from design to final execution. In the U.S., requirements for health and safety coordination on construction sites are overseen by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which has set clear guidelines in this regard.

History

• The Occupational Safety and Health Act was formulated in 1970 and requires employers or contractors to make provisions for the health and safety of all workers, including those in construction, at work sites. The original regulations approached health and safety on construction sites by focusing on types and quality of materials, methods of construction and overall workmanship. This approach was revised in August 1996 to a more performance-based approach, which allows contractors to use better fall-protection systems for workers. It also emphasizes training construction workers on using scaffolds.

Significance

• Before OSHA was signed by President Richard Nixon in 1970, there was little involvement of the federal government in regulating requirements for the health and safety of workers. Contractors made few arrangements for safety because it was cheaper for them to replace an injured or dead worker than to get safety equipment. But increasing pressure from labor unions, and the general public's demand, forced the federal government to come through with comprehensive regulations that not only dictated health and safety requirements but also laid down statutes for compensation in the event of an accident.

Requirements

• Health and safety coordination on construction sites now begins right at the planning phase of a project. OSHA, requires all constructions projects to have a thorough health and safety plan drawn up during planning. The creation of the plan must be supervised by a trained planning supervisor, who ensures that all necessary safety requirements are taken into consideration and the necessary measures put into place.

  Once the project goes into the implementation phase, it becomes the principal contractor's duty to acquire and put into place all health and safety equipment as detailed in the plan. This equipment should be of a quality and make approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contractor is also required to appoint a safety supervisor at the construction site to oversee all safety and health requirements and ensure that everything is as per the original project plan.

What Should Be Covered

• A health and safety plan for a construction site should cover all aspects of construction and every potential hazard that can arise at the site. This includes hazardous tasks and conditions such as height, excavations, dust, power tools, noise, falling objects, confined spaces and electricity. The safety and health coordination plan should also provide specifications for personal safety equipment such as helmets, harnesses, boots, gloves, jackets and clothing.

Training and Reporting

• Health and safety coordination on a construction site cannot be completely effective if workers are not trained in safety methods. Regardless of their experience, all construction workers must be trained in the correct methods of using equipment and the measures to be taken to ensure their own safety. If there is an accident on a construction site, the safety supervisor and the principal contractor are required to file a detailed report with OSHA and NIOSH.