ON-SITE TALK: 'We all must do our bit to promote safety'

Ratna Kumar of Adel Ahmadi

Ratna Kumar, civil engineer, Adel Ahmadi and Associates, discusses how engineers, contractors, consultants and project managers can play a vital role in improving the safety of workers on construction sites.

There is no doubt that the construction industry is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. Even in the Western world, where governments stipulate stringent safety measures, many deaths occur in the industry.

But here in Bahrain and in other GCC countries, the fatality and accident rates in construction are much higher with reported deaths occurring in the region on almost a weekly basis.

The sad fact is that the number of unreported accidents far outweighs the accidents reported to the Ministry of Labour and this requires immediate action from all concerned including contractors, consultants, engineers, project managers, insurance companies and above all, government authorities.

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Statistics are a vital part of formulating new safety awareness plans and gauging the success of such.

The Seoul Declaration on Safety at Workplaces in 2008, signed by 55 countries from across the world, has adopted the slogan “Safety at the workplace is society’s responsibility” and this must be upheld if things are going to change.

Bahrain, being the first GCC Country to adopt Human Rights and ILO conventions for the expatriate workers has set an example to all and it is our duty to support and achieve the goal set by the government.

The industrial organizations like Alba, Bapco, Gpic, Asry, have strict enforcement of the safety rules as maintained by their safety officers and as such have much less fatal accidents in the workplace.

But in the general construction sector, the situation is the contrary. The onset of the construction boom has seen the growth of with mushrooming contracting companies that have neither the manpower nor the willpower to enforce safety norms in their worksites.

The Labour Ministry is attempting to implement safety standards in all construction sites, but its efforts are hampered by a lack of resources and safety inspectors.

It is in this context that the role of engineers and project managers becomes vital in providing assistance to the Ministry, as well as enforcing strict safety standards in their worksites and projects.

It is often, unfortunately, the case that these powers are not serious of their role as safety watchdogs and/or are neglecting their duty due to monetary constraints.

For this reason it should be highlighted that a safe workplace has many financial benefits such as worker happiness resulting in increased output and less accidents resulting in more productivity and less costs related to accident payments.

If the GCC is to reduce its accident rates to at least a global average then the following actions must be taken.

• A safety plan must be approved and implemented in all projects.
• An alert and appropriately trained safety officer must be engaged by all companies.
• Where possible companies should engage independent safety auditors to carry out proper inspections, and improve safety plan implementation and reporting of violations.
• Engineers, supervisors and project managers must make safety a watchword and insist that workers have a safe environment.
• All consultants/contractors must enforce safety standards and keep a record of accidents to be reported to the Ministry ever week or month.
• Efforts by the Ministry to enforce safety regulations needs to be supplemented by the efforts of NGOs, embassies and volunteer organisations.
• Insurance companies must report violations and penalise companies for such neglect through additional premium etc. 
• Similarly, contractors who complete projects without accidents should be complimented with a reduced premium for the next project.
• Other basic preventative measures include:
• Workers must be thoroughly educated on the necessity and proper usage of approved personal protective equipment.
• Scaffolding must be erected according to the site requirements and subject to weekly inspections by a qualified scaffold inspector. 
• Safety harnesses with proper safety rails must be used by all workers at height under the guidance of a trained foremen/supervisor/safety officer.
• Proper side protection must be implemented on deep excavations to prevent earth collapse accidents.
• Heavy earthmoving equipment should only be used at sites with a trained “banksman” to guide the operator. 
• Proper lifting gears and shackles should be implemented while using lifting equipment which should also only be used under the guidance of trained “rigger.”

The Kerala Engineers’ Forum (Keen4), a non-profit organisation of nearly 600 engineers from the state of Kerala, India, intends to start a new safety awareness campaign with a two-day convention in Bahrain on construction and industrial safety this year.

Dates for the convention are tentatively set for early April and we are seeking the cooperation and support from like-minded organisations, safety related companies and other major players in the construction field.
 

It is hoped that these efforts will trigger a cooperative effort to promote safety in the workplace in accordance with the basic human rights of all workers.

If you would like to write for Construction Week in this column, please email rob.wagner@itp.com