BOS 3401 Construction Safety: Establish Contributory Factor

Fall in Construction
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Falls in Construction
Construction hazards may be categorized as falls, electrocution, struck by and caught in/between hazards. The research paper will cover falls in construction, focusing on falls from ladders where it will seek to establish contributory factors, review data on fatalities and injuries resulting from falls and find the corrective measures to avert this hazard.
According to a study conducted by Haslam et al. (2005) various contributory factors to falls in construction were noted. Safety trainings were not adequately conducted as required, when conducted they were delivered by incompetent trainers who do not have knowledge concerning safety precautions and how different measures can be implemented to prevent or respond to falls in construction hazard. In addition, conflicting interest of meeting the deadline and ensuring safety measures are put in place made supervisor and managerial officers put little consideration on safety awareness to its workers.
Haslam et al. (2005) further noted that workplace layout and material packaging as contributory factors, construction site with uneven ground and where building materials were not arranged orderly reduced the working and walking space forcing workers to walk on the edges of building. Lack of enough space to place the ladder in the required angle risked the workers on falling. Failure to package sharp and slippery materials was cited to pose trip or slip hazard to workers. Poor condition of tools and equipments such as worn out and ill fitted ladders posed as a causative factor. Damaged ladders or missing steps due to long use without repair or replacement was also noted as a falls from ladders cause.
According to Potts, S., McGlothlin, J. (2005) large construction companies which have a wider market share and competitive advantage include costs of implementing safety standards in their proposal when bidding for construction tenders. Including the costs makes the proposal expensive but due their good reputation in delivering first-class work and putting in place every needed safety measures win the bid. On the other hand small construction companies who have not achieved a competitive edge omit the costs to make the proposal cheap. By making the proposal cheap assist the small companies in winning the tender but expose the workers to falls in construction hazards as no money has been budgeted to implement falls in construction protection and prevention options.
According to United States Department of Labor of all 4,386 worker fatalities in private industry in the year 2014, 899 workers were in construction industry. 359 out of 899 workers deaths in const...