The necessity of Health & Safety awareness in construction sites

HEALTH and Safety in the construction industry is of great importance and its benefits cannot be overemphasized. However, neglect in observation of their rules and regulations has had devastating effects on both the industry and particular organizations. Research by International Labour Organization (ILO) has shown that construction industry poses more dangers concerning with health and safety than any other industry. Construction in Tanzania like in many countries in the world comes high in the comparative list of accidents. Nobody actually knows exactly how many construction workers die from accidents at work in the country. There are little data because accidents are not reported.
Coupled with this, there is virtually no data on the extent of ill health among workers in the industry. In a study commissioned by the Contractors’ Registration Board (CRB) and done by the Occupational Safety & Health Authority (OSHA) in recent years, found that there had been 150 accidents on 63 sites in 12 months. Nevertheless, the ILO estimates that at least 60,000 fatalities occur at construction sites around the world every year. This means that, one fatal accident occurs every 10 minutes in the sector. It also means that around 17 percent of all fatalities at work (2 in every 6) are construction fatalities. According to Tanzania Civil Engineering & Contractors’ Association (TACECA), many hundreds of thousands more people in the country suffer serious injuries and ill-health because of bad and often illegal working conditions. Among them are the improper scaffolding procedures, defective equipment, wall and roof collapses, inadequate supervision, dropped loads, lack of information through warnings and inappropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE). An observation in many construction sites in Tanzania carried out by TACECA for example indicated that health and safety are not observed especially among building contractors. Health & Safety can be defined as the state of having knowledge of the risks hazards and consequences associated with the construction site.

Construction work in progress

There are various personal protective equipment designed to protect employees from work places. These are vital for safety reasons against any injuries or illnesses that might be caused as a result of contact with chemical radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical or other workplace hazards. In a move to ward off the existing problems at work places such as in construction sites, Tanzanian government formed an autonomous agency in the Ministry of Labour that was established in 2001 with a view to ensure health and safety of workers and their safe working environment in a more effective and efficient manner. The so-called Occupational Safety & Health Authority (OSHA) was set up with the aim of improving occupational health and safety practices for the well being of workers at work places in order to reduce accidents and occupational diseases and ultimately achieve better productivity.

OSHA is headed by the Chief Inspector who is assisted by division managers for occupational health and hygiene, safety and business divisions in the Ministry of Labour. Before its establishment, the agency was working as a separate entity under the department of labour called “Factories Inspectorate” which has been in operation since 1952. The firm’s main task is to improve working condition and ensure safety in different work places with the type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) depending on the type of hazards available in a particular workplace. OSHA finds solution to some of the problems to no cost technology. OSHA has been very keen in promotion of safety and health wherever there are effects of hazards in work places by giving good practice and proper planning and service training of safety and health aspects especially in a project undertaken. In construction industry where there are so many activities, OSHA uses multi-disciplinary approach to execute duties whereby engineers and occupational Doctors as well as specialists are brought to work together so as to improve working condition. OSHA measures the overall work performance by observing progressive reduction of occupational illness and injuries, however, he urges various steps to be taken by employers of the concerned construction firm. One of the programs according to him, employers should conduct a hazard assessment of their workplaces to determine what hazards are present that require the use of PPE and which proves to be very efficient and effective as well as safety work cycle.

Workers at a construction site with protective gears.

According to OSHA, the construction sector which generates more employment in Tanzania is an economic sector associated with proportionately many more accidents, injuries and diseases compared to other sectors. He says, many accidents at the construction sites are caused by poor housekeeping that results in loss of good materials and reduces efficiency at the construction sites. Materials that workers are exposed to includes synthetic minerals fibers, custom wood and wood dusts, solvents and sewage spills. Using personal protective equipment at work places is often essential and is the last resort of defense after engineering control of workplaces is maintained and the administrative controls.
OSHA ‘s vision is to enable the country achieve a significant improvement in the health and safety of workers and achieve better productivity at workplaces. This will be achieved by becoming a competent government agency.