scholarly journals New Normal Set-up on Safety and Health Standards in Government Construction Projects: A case of Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-374
Author(s):  
Noel T. Florencondia ◽  
Rhizza Mae B. Lansangan ◽  
Ericka V. Marcos ◽  
John Vincent L. Santos ◽  
Keith Russel E. Soriano
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Health Standards ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Government Construction

The New Normal Set-up on Safety and Health Standards in Government Construction Projects during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic is a new guideline or protocol on construction sites in preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease within the construction workers in Central Luzon before, during, and after construction activities. This study aims to verify the effectivity of the New Normal Set-up on safety and health protocol in preventing the spread of the virus during a pandemic crisis. This paper will provide an assessment, evaluation, and recommendations on the current mandated rules of government agencies within Central Luzon in terms of safety and health guidelines in the implementation of construction projects during this Covid-19 public health crisis.

scholarly journals Coronavirus 2020: From lockdown to resumption at the National Library of Scotland

2021 ◽  
pp. 095574902098347
Author(s):  
John Scally
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Final Section ◽  
National Library ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
New Normal ◽  
The Public ◽  
Digital Service ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Set Up

Pandemics are nothing new to libraries. Our collections contain many works on epidemics and pestilence through the centuries. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the National Library of Scotland to deal with a public health crisis that went beyond the experience and policies of the institution. This account describes the measures taken to close the Library rapidly and to set up a staff of over 300 to homeworking. It is then explained how the Library continued working under lockdown and provided a digital service to the public. In the final section, the Library’s approach to reoccupying the buildings and resuming public services is discussed, emphasising the complex administrative and human issues involved. Finally, a short assessment of the ‘new normal’ for the National Library is posited.

scholarly journals Analysis of COVID-19 Concerns Raised by the Construction Workforce and Development of Mitigation Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makram Bou Hatoum ◽  
Ali Faisal ◽  
Hala Nassereddine ◽  
Hadi Sarvari
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Impact

The coronavirus outbreak has created a global health crisis that has disrupted all industries, including the construction industry. Following the onset of the pandemic, construction workers faced and continue to face unprecedented safety and health challenges. Therefore, construction employers established new safety precautions to protect the health and safety of the workforce and minimize the spread of the virus. The new precautions followed the advice and guidelines offered by different health and safety agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). With construction projects resuming operations, it becomes important to analyze the coronavirus-related health and safety concerns of construction workforce and understand how the new safety procedures can assist on jobsites. Existing studies mostly focused on interviews and surveys with construction companies to understand the impact on project performance and supply chains. However, no study has yet to analyze the United States construction workforce. This paper fills the gap by providing a qualitative descriptive analysis of the COVID-19 complaints data gathered by OSHA from construction jobsites. Information gathered by OSHA includes the jobsite location, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) of the construction company, the type of the complaint (i.e., formal or non-formal), and a thorough description of the complaint. N-grams were employed to analyze the complaints, detect trends, and compile a list of the most frequent concerns reported by the workforce. The analysis of the complaints data identifies safety practices that were most violated, highlights major safety and health concerns for construction workers, and pinpoints geographical areas that have seen a surge in complaints. The study also synthesized the existing research corpus and compiled a list of 100 best practices that construction employers can adopt to mitigate the concerns of the workforce. The findings of this study provide insights into the safety and health trends on construction sites, lay the foundation for future work of academicians and practitioners to address the concerns faced by construction workers, and serve as lessons learned for the industry in the case of any future pandemic.

scholarly journals EVIDENCE‐BASED PREVENTION OF WORK‐RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romuald A. Rwamamara ◽  
Ove Lagerqvist ◽  
Thomas Olofsson ◽  
Bo M. Johansson ◽  
Kazys Algirdas Kaminskas
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Musculoskeletal Health ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Work Related

Many construction work tasks are physically very strenuous and the incidence of work‐related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among construction workers is considerably higher than those in most other occupations. The aim of the study presented in this paper was to contribute to understanding a healthy construction site brought about by the best practices implemented by large construction sites to prevent WMSDs. A triangulation method made of interviews, site observations and studies on company's documents was used to identify the best practices in 13 several construction projects. A range of the best practices both in the pre‐construction and construction phases of the projects were identified in six different areas of the balance of the construction workplace system; however, there seems to be a significant need for good practices in the management of a systematic work environment. It is now established that Swedish construction industry has several best practices to protect work‐related musculoskeletal health. However, inadequate worker participation and the neglect of health and safety issues by designers in the planning process as well as the implications of some remuneration methods on the production schedule were perceived as detrimental to the musculoskeletal health of construction workers. Santrauka Daug statybos darbu yra fiziškai labai itempti, o su darbu susijusiu raumenu ir skeleto sistemos pažeidimu dažnis tarp statybininku yra kur kas aukštesnis negu tarp daugelio kitu profesiju. Šio tyrimo tikslas – pletoti supratima apie sveikatos būkle ir jos svarba dirbant statybu aikštelese, igyvendinant didelius statybos objektus, siekiant išvengti su darbu susijusiu raumenu ir skeleto sistemos pažeidimu. Tyrimams buvo taikytas interviu, pagristas trianguliacijos metodu, darbo procesu stebejimo statybos aikštelese metodas, buvo nagrineti statybos kompaniju dokumentai, siekiant identifikuoti 13 skirtingu statybos projektu. Geriausia praktika, prieš pradedant statybas ir jau statant, buvo nustatyta šešiuose skirtinguose statybu regionuose, tačiau tokia praktika yra svarbi darbo aplinkos vadyboje. Pripažinta, kad Švedijos statybos pramoneje taikomi keli būdai, kaip apsaugoti statybininkus nuo raumenu ir skeleto sistemos pažeidimu. Vis delto mažas darbininku domejimasis šia problema, sveikatos bei saugos problemu nepaisymas planavimo procese, kai kuriu atsilyginimo būdu itraukimas i gamybos veiksniu saraša buvo vertinti kaip faktoriai, žalingai veikiantys statybininku raumenu ir skeleto sistema.

scholarly journals Developing a Culture of Health and Safety on Construction Projects Framework in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1019-1022
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Nouban ◽  
Serah Onuh John
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Security Framework ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Government Construction ◽  
Construction Works

Managing health and safety on construction sites has always been a challenging issue faced by the Nigerian construction industry. Safety conditions on the construction sites depends on type or nature of work to be carried out and the management make commitment to implement safety projects concerning construction. There are no requirements assigned for implementing a security management system by the Nigerian government. Construction industries lacked a framework to implement security regarding projects on construction sites. Developing a Safety Framework can help professionals involved in carrying out construction works, implement and improve safety practices in executing their projects on sites. This study presents the development of a structure for implementing an effective health security on construction sites. An extensive review of the literature was carried out to design an appropriate security framework. The results underscore the requirement for competent personnel who must be appointed to ensure safety on construction sites. Finally, a security framework was developed in which companies can accept and adhere. The results of this research will help Nigerian construction companies to improve safety on construction sites.

scholarly journals Environmental Factor, Education & Training and PPE Impact on Safety Performance: A Study Among Construction Workers at SESCO Sub-station, Balingian, Sarawak

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Jati Kasuma ◽  
Norlida Ismailly ◽  
Sara Ghaffari ◽  
Muhamad Saufi Che Rusuli ◽  
Abdul Hakim Abdul Gapor
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Insurance Premium ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Relationship

Safety and health at workplace is an emergent concern in almost all parts of the world including developing countries such as Malaysia. Construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries with regard to work-related injury and fatality rates. Impact on the company would include loss working hours of injured employee, cost of repair and replacement of property and damages as well as increment in insurance premium. The purpose of the study is intended to examine the relationship between factors with safety performance at construction sites. This study investigates whether factors such as working environment, education & training, PPE and weather have any influence on safety performance. The study was conducted among construction workers at Sesco Sub-Station, Balingian, and Sarawak. A set of validated questionnaires were distributed to 100 construction workers. Data were examined based on 95 returned questionnaires (respond rate 95%). Data were analyzed with SPSS version 22 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of relationship between independent and dependent variables. It was concluded that the most important factor affecting safety performance of the construction workers at SESCO Sub-Station, Balingian, and Sarawak is PPE.

scholarly journals Profile of COVID-19 Patients at Zero Delay COVID-19 Ward, Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110350
Author(s):  
Theranirajan Etherajan ◽  
S. Zahir Hussain ◽  
Karthick Rajendran ◽  
Arunkumar Ramachandran ◽  
Murugan Natrajan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Late Presentation ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Poor Patient ◽  
High Risk Factor ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Time Of Admission

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide public health crisis. During huge surge in COVID-19 cases, most of the patient arrived at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai were severe due to late presentation and also available evidence demonstrating that the delay in treatment is directly associated with increased mortality or poor patient outcome. As an innovative concept of Zero Delay COVID-19 Ward were set up to provide the required critical care for all severe COVID-19 cases. The experience of setting up of such Zero Delay COVID-19 Ward and profile of admitted COVID-19 patients were described in this paper. Methods: A total of 4515 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted at Zero Delay COVID-19 Ward was analyzed retrospectively from 7th July to 31st December 2020. Results: At the time of admission the frequency of dyspnea were 85.6% among them 99.1% recovered from dyspnea after the oxygen therapy and other management at Zero Delay COVID-19 Ward. Of the 4515 COVID-19 individuals, about 1829 (40.5%) had comorbidity, 227 (5%) had died. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, COVID-19 death was more likely to be associated with comorbidity (OR: 18.687; 95% CI: 11.229-31.1) than other variables. Conclusions: Comorbidity is an independent high risk factor for mortality of COVID-19 patients. From our observation, it is strongly recommended that effective zero delay covid-19 ward model will help for the prevention of mortality in current/expected waves of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Adapting to COVID-19 on construction sites: what are the lessons for long-term improvements in safety and worker effectiveness?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Jones ◽  
Alistair G.F. Gibb ◽  
Vivien Chow
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Perceived Impacts

Purpose Substantial changes were made on many UK construction projects in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to explore the unanticipated positive consequences of these and the scope for longer-term learning and developments within the sector. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used, semi-structured interviews were conducted across six major project sites. Interviewees (n = 33) included site and senior managers, supply chain representatives and occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals. The interviews explored their experiences of working on site during the pandemic, the changes made to work practices and their perceived impacts of these changes. Findings Improved planning and work sequencing were part of the revised process to make sites COVID-secure. This increased worker effectiveness and housekeeping/tidiness. The view on some sites was that this would improve OSH performance. The changes were perceived to be beneficial but may not be accepted by clients in the long term, as they could result in projects taking longer to complete. The ways in which COVID-19 risk has been communicated and perceived also provides longer-term lessons for the sector’s OSH management and training. Originality/value Construction has adapted rapidly and effectively to new ways of working during the pandemic. This research captured in real time some of the changes made and presents an argument for embedding and adopting the changes to improve working arrangements and OSH within the construction sector.

scholarly journals On-site Architects' Offices in Major Construction Projects of Budapest in the Second Half of the 19th Century

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Kristóf Zoltán Kelecsényi ◽  
Ágnes Gyetvainé Balogh
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Architectural History ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Royal Palace ◽  
Parish Church ◽  
Building Set ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The 19Th Century

During the 19th century, the most renowned architects considered a permanent presence on the site of their larger construction projects necessary. Some of them even maintained several on-site offices close to their construction sites, where architects and designers were contracted for the duration of the construction. This study presents two on-site offices in detail (office of the Palace of Justice and the Parliament Building) while outlining a further four examples in Budapest (office of the Parish Church of Lipótváros, the Ministry of Agriculture, the enlargement of the Royal Palace and the Technical University).There were three practices used to settle these offices: I. using an older building, before its demolition, near the site; II. in a temporary building set up for this purpose; III. in rented rooms in the surrounding buildings. Examples for the use of existing buildings are the building of the Palace of Justice (A. Hauszmann), the extension of the Royal Palace (A. Hauszmann) and the building of the campus of the Royal Joseph University (A. Hauszmann, Gy. Czigler, S. Pecz). St. Stephen's Basilica (M. Ybl), the Parliament (I. Steindl) and the Krisztinaváros wing of the Royal Palace (M. Ybl, A. Hauszmann) are examples where newly constructed buildings were used, and we assume rented apartments as on-site offices in the case of the Opera House (M. Ybl) and the Museum of Applied Arts (Ödön Lechner). The large public building's on-site offices have great significance in architectural history as well as being theoretical and practical workshops.

scholarly journals Safety and Health Measures for COVID-19 Transition Period in the Hotel Industry in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 718
Author(s):  
Rafael Robina-Ramírez ◽  
Jose-Amelio Medina-Merodio ◽  
Libertad Moreno-Luna ◽  
Héctor V. Jiménez-Naranjo ◽  
Marcelo Sánchez-Oro
Keyword(s):  
Transition Period ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Hotel Managers

The health crisis caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease has devastated the worldwide hospitality sector. The current situation has led many countries to implement drastic rules to stop the spread of the virus. According to the Spanish health authority decisions need to be made in the context of uncertainty and lack of knowledgeable experiences through a gradual and asymmetric de-escalation process planned in four phases. Although the vast majority of studies refer to economic risks and impacts on tourist flows and economic income, few of them explicitly investigates safety and health measures that hotel managers should implement to their customers. Over a population of 12,740 hotels, 823 Spanish hotel managers have been involved in a participatory study. With the aim of assessing the actions taken to stop the spread of the virus, empirical research was implemented. A model presented four variables and 13 indicators which have been previously tested among hotel managers in the tourism sector. Five conclusions are drawn from the hypotheses: (1) Mass testing surveillance in customers and employees should be quick, affordable, and homogeneous throughout the European Union. (2) Training measures need to be taken by both public authorities and the private sector to reach a knowledgeable crisis management team with high commitment to the customer’s health and safety. (3) Protocols established by public authorities should be observed and adjusted gradually not only in hotels but also in tourist arrivals. (4) Healthy measures need to be periodically updated. (5) Each hotel should set up a surveillance process to guarantee the safety to their customers.

scholarly journals Evolutionary Process of Promoting Construction Safety Education to Avoid Construction Safety Accidents in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10392
Author(s):  
Feng Guo ◽  
Junwu Wang ◽  
Denghui Liu ◽  
Yinghui Song
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Evolutionary Game ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Safety Education ◽  
Behavior Strategies ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Construction ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Construction safety is related to the life and health of construction workers and has always been a hot issue of concern for government and construction units. The government can use “construction safety education” to reduce the probability of safety accidents in the construction process and avoid the loss of life and property of construction workers. To encourage construction units to provide safety education for construction workers before construction starts and promote construction workers to actively participate in safety education. In this paper, a tripartite evolutionary game model of government–construction units–construction workers is established, and the factors affecting each party’s behavior strategy are comprehensively analyzed. Firstly, evolutionary game theory is used to investigate the influence of different behavior strategies among government, construction units, and construction workers on the behavior strategies of the other two parties. Secondly, according to the events in different situations, the influence of critical factors on the evolution process of the model is analyzed. On this basis, combined with the construction experience and construction data of actual construction projects, the established model and preliminary conclusions are verified. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of all parameters is carried out. The results show that: (1) The government’s enhancement of reward and punishment is conducive to promoting the choice of "providing safety education" for construction orders and the choice of “actively participating in safety education” for construction workers, but the excessive reward will lead to the government’s unwillingness of participation; (2) The reasonable reward and punishment mechanism set by the government must meet the condition that the sum of rewards and punishments for all parties is more significant than their speculative gains, to ensure the construction safety under the evolutionary stability; (3) Increasing welfare subsidies for construction workers who choose to participate in safety education actively is an effective way to avoid unwilling participation of construction workers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document