PERSPECTIVE
2. Falls from height
Falling from scaffolding, ladders, and
incomplete building levels are another
of the most common construction site
hazards. In South Africa in 2007, 1 406
claims were made for falls of these kind,
and 10 of these were fatal. In the UK,
these types of accidents are the most
common cause of all injuries sustained
on construction sites.
3. Defective equipment
Equipment that is not outfitted with the
required safety mechanisms, or is in
some other way defective, can result in
electrocution, injury, or in severe cases,
death. Typically, equipment provided by an
employer must be kept in good working
order to ensure no damage is sustained
by the property or operator.
Impact of IOD to businesses
There are both immediate direct costs
to construction businesses and longer
term, indirect costs that are accrued
when employees are killed or injured at
work/on duty (IOD). The obvious outlays
associated to responding to an incident
— medical fees, loss of productivity,
and legal charges — are often just the
beginning. Businesses need to respond
to both the employee’s situation and lost
productivity to replace the injured worker.
This most often incurs recruitment,
training, and overtime costs as owners
endeavour to keep their contracts
on track.
According to OCSA, two construction
workers are killed each week in South
Africa; in 80% of incidents, the cause
is owing to unsafe employee behaviour.
The cost to South African businesses
for injuries, accidents, and fatalities on
construction sites can be upwards of
R36 380 per incident, in excess of
R2-billion annually for the industry.
In the UK, 30 deaths occurred on
construction sites in 2016/17, equating
to roughly one death per fortnight. Fatal
injuries are estimated to cost the UK’s
construction industry GBP1.5-billion
annually and USD5-billion for the USA.
The lower rate of deaths and
accidents on construction sites in the
UK and US in comparison to South
Africa is thought to be largely owing
to a wider acceptance of occupational
health and safety laws. This also results
in stricter enforcement of these laws and
regulations.
Transgressing health and safety laws
and regulations in the USA or UK comes
with hefty fines. These start at around
USD13 000 for general violations for
American businesses and go as high
as GBP20-million for UK construction
companies whose breach of safety laws
and regulations result in the death of an
employee. These fines are merely part
of the costs businesses must pay for
workplace injuries and deaths.
Footnote: The lack of detailed
statistics relating to fatalities, injuries,
and occupational diseases from the
Compensation Commissioner has
not helped with the perceptions of
current problems [in South Africa].
International statistics from the ILO
states that a worker dies every
15 seconds, resulting in about 6 300
fatalities each day from accidents and
occupational diseases.
Some 313-million injuries are
experienced by workers annually, or
860 000 injuries daily (Department of
Labour, 2017). ■
Source: Claire Deacon and Associates,
health and safety specialists.
Preventing injuries at work
Each nation’s legislation aims to mitigate
the risks associated with construction
work at several different levels.
Employee instruction on safe practices
on construction sites makes up 70%
of the OCA’s training at their Academy
for Excellence. Understanding how to
behave when on a construction site is
certainly part of the process for reducing
workplace injuries and deaths, but not the
whole solution.
Businesses that wish to reduce
hazardous incidents on their construction
sites should also investigate and assess
on-site risks and work to eliminate or
mitigate all dangers found. This can be
achieved through educating employees
on safe practices, the provision of
personal protective equipment and
clothing, and ensuring the necessary
levels of staff are on site always, to
ensure safe working practices can be
achieved.
1. Falling objects and struck-by hazards
Constructions sites are busy places with
activity occurring everywhere, including
work above and below as well as to the
side of staff. Struck-by accidents are
a hazard that can cause serious injury
or even death. Excavators, backhoes,
falling items, and loads, or even careless
workers not watching where they are
going, can all be the cause of struck-by
and falling object accidents.
The high frequency and impact of
these hazards earn them a top spot in
America’s ‘Fatal Four’ of construction site
injuries.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rae Steinbach is a graduate of Tufts
University, with a combined International
Relations and Chinese degree. After
spending time living and working abroad
in China, she returned to NYC to pursue
her career and continue curating quality
content. Rae is passionate about travel,
food, and writing, of course.
AUGUST 2018
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