School Fire Alarms and Students

The personal safety of students and staff is important to everyone who enters a school building. There is a need to make sure that every person knows the escape routes and the quickest way out. One concern can always be students at the top floor of a school building have to exit quickly as there would be no other options. This is why fire doors are used within large buildings to contain a fire as much as possible and prevent it spreading across an entire floor.

Students, especially younger children are prone to panicking more and therefore the need for a calm and efficient exit of a building is essential to avoid accidents or falls. Teachers will be well practiced in keeping students calm and getting them to move along quickly to avoid an accident or compensation claim.

Fighting Fires At Work

If you are working in an office there is usually a need for a fire person or fire warden. The role and responsibility for this person is to ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency and they will also be trained in what fire extinguishers are required for which fire.

Fighting fires is not something which should be taken on lightly. Professionals are trained for years with the correct equipment to extinguish fires safely without causing injury which might lead to a compensation claims. In some cases a person might make the situation worse and end up endangering their own live by trying to tackle a fire within the correct training. In the next few posts we take a look at some of the training and situations that are involved in fire training.

Construction Site Fire Alarms

A fire cannot immediately be seen by everyone. If you are working in an office, the sound of an alarm is normally all that is needed to alert everyone to exit the building quickly. Unfortunately, a construction site is slightly different. 

At any point within the construction site the noise of machinery and vehicles would drown out the sound of a regular alarm. The fact that a lot of employees can be spread across the whole of the site means that one alarm would not be sufficient. 

The alarms for any construction site must be regularly tested to ensure they are working. This applies for any building site, office, warehouse or home. The more time employees have to escape the better as this avoids last minute panic, rushing and the potential for an accident that might lead to a personal injury claim.

Often large sites benefit from a Klaxon that is sounded. This can sometimes be used to indicate rest times aswell, so the klaxon will have a different sound or sounds to indicate the alarm.  Sometimes an air horn or a whistle is also used depending on the size of the construction site. 

A warehouse would have the same warning as a construction site as there are a lot of support functions and people working over noise and vehicles. The need to reduce personal injury, which might result in a personal injury claim is important, but the main purpose of an alarm is to get all employees out of the building quicker as possible.

Assessing Risks on Construction Site Fire Safety

Risk assessment is something that needs to be taken seriously as it sets out the fire procedures and potential risks. This could cover the simple thoughts about how a fire could start in the office or construction site and what materials are around or close by that could ignite and catch fire quickly.

Staff and visitors are an obvious priority as no-one wants to be dealing with people’s injuries, compensation claims or a situation far worse. This is why those people who might be at risk such as visitors who might not know the area or layout and vulnerable people like those who will need disabled access or assistance to leave quickly need to be planned and prepared for.

One way to ensure employees know the risks is to hold regular training and fire exit exercises. It seems like a hassle sometimes to have to leave a meeting or something half way through construction but a fire will not wait while employees try and remember the nearest exit. Planning and training to get everyone out quickly is vital.

Once training has happened, the process of doing this needs to be reviewed and to look for areas of improvement. Can the times to get out of the building be reduced, is there another safe route that no-one will have thought of. Is there a quicker way to review and document any changes on a building site that everyone needs to be aware of, which might speed up an emergency exit?

Stages To Fire Awareness of A Construction Site

We have previously discussed the problems with fire and damage it can cause on a building or construction site. Fortunately there are processes in place to make sure damage is limited and any personal injury claims are reduced. The key stages to general fire safety are as follows;

• Risk Assessment- this involves identifying hazards, people at risk and review processes
• Means of escape – ensuring that all employees know how nearest exits and can safely leave the area
• A means or way to give warning – this is especially important within noisy environments like a warehouse, factory or construction site
• Fighting fires – any potential ways of extinguishing fires where it is safe to do so.

Everyone knows the potential harm a fire can do to buildings and humans. In all cases fire escapes and processes are disclosed to the employee or visitor but these need regular reviews to reduce panic and confusion, should a fire really happen.

Fire and Construction Sites

Fire is a potential risk when working with tools that generate sparks, heat or flames. A spark or flame that catches on paper or any flammable material can quickly cause a fire that may be hard to control. Sometimes due to noise, a worker might not even realise that a spark has ignited.

This is why the fire plan must always be kept up to date. This is critical during any alteration work or as the construction develops. Workers must know at all times, the fire escape routes and what to do in the event of an emergency. There must be an effective way for all employees to raise the alarm in the event of a fire to reduce the hazard, prevent panic and ensure everyone is safe. 

A construction site really can develop and change daily, so to ensure there are no compensation claims from accidents workers must know the fire routes and know if they are likely to change as a building or area changes.

Working With Hazardous Chemicals and Demolition

There is one aspect of construction sites and demolition, which we have only really touched on with this blog and that, is working with hazardous chemicals. Some chemicals can have an effect on employees health if they not are suitably protected so imagine the damage that it can cause to members of the public who will not be aware of the dangers and therefore will not be suitably protected.

The main areas that people need protecting from are dust and asbestos. Both of these can have long term effects, which might need the person to make a personal injury claim to deal with the financial restraints of not working or a lower quality of life.

In some cases, depending on the age of the structure that is being demolished there may be chemicals or contamination from that was not cleared up properly and these can range from;

• Acids from previous industrial processes
• Paints that might have been used for decorating
• Any potential flammable liquids
• Drums that are not identifiable. These could contain anything from chemicals to water, but without examining the contents first, this is unclear.
• Old buildings, such as the older hospital buildings may even have microbiological hazards that were not cleaned or sanitized properly. 

Dismantling a pipe and knocking it into smaller pieces can release asbestos if the pipe work is old, as it might be asbestos lined. This will cause problems as asbestos getting into the atmosphere can cause problems, but if the person is too close they may inhale some of the asbestos and this could lead to medical problems later on, which might lead to a compensation claims.

Connected Services and Demolition

All buildings that are in use will have utilities and other connected services. In order to ensure a safe demolition, these need to isolated or disconnected. A gas leak can cause untold damage and problems that might result in construction workers or members of the public getting hurt and making a personal injury claim.

In situations where utilities cannot be cut off, they need to be labelled clearly to make sure the pipes are not disturbed. This also applies to cables to make sure these are not cut through either. When workers start knocking walls down and creating dust these cables need to be labelled so that they can be seen.

This is the reason only competent people and employees should be working on a demolition project.

Uncontrolled Collaspe and Demolition

Uncontrolled collapse on a building site is one thing that everyone needs to be concerned with. The same factors that apply to excavations, apply to demolition and these include;

•    The age of the structure that is being demolished
•    Its previous use
•    The type of construction that is being demolished
•    Any structures or buildings nearby
•    And finally the weight of any removed material or machinery on floors that might be above ground level.

To avoid and prevent accidental collapse and any potential compensation claims these points need to be thoroughly assessed. When a demolition takes place, there is a lot of processes that need to b auctioned before any work starts.

Falling Materials During Demoliton

Aswell as working at height, there is the potential for workers and pedestrians being injured by premature and uncontrolled collapse of structures as well as flying debris as a result of the collapse.

The risk of any demolition work is that is can cause a premature collapse of the structure. This is why the safe way of working to reduce the risks of accidents and any compensation claims from the public

• Exclusion zones and hard hat areas are essential to protect the public and workers. The exclusion zones need to be clearly signposted and marked.
• Any walkways need to be covered?
• Ensuring the use of high-tech machines
• And finally…making sure that all employees are trained and supervised to reduce the risk of an injury, which might lead to a personal injury claim.

Demolition and Falling From Heights

The same principle applies to working at height aswell as falls from height, which can occur when demolition work is being carried out. Imagine that the working at height is dangerous enough (have a look over our previous blog posts on this) but accidents can always occur when demolition work is being carried out as edges and partially demolished floors are also present.

There is a potential for a personal injury claim when working at height as a fall can be fatal and cause problems. This is where the duty holder has the responsibility to assess, eliminate and control the risks of workers falling from height.

Surfaces that were once secure and solid may be damaged and become fragile, during demolition. It is essential for this to be assessed and confirmed so workers can confidently walk around the construction site.

Construction Signs Revealed

Did You Guess Correctly?

 

These signs are essential on a building or construction site to reduce injury that might lead to a personal injury claim 

Demolition Tasks On A Construction Site

Any demolition tasks that are carried out on a construction site need a lot of people who all have their own responsibilities and tasks. This part of a construction site is very much a team effort to ensure safety of everyone working on the demolition to prevent a personal injury claim.

• Clients that are having any demolition work must appoint dutyholders who are competent and adequately resourced.
• Structural engineers then survey the site and assess the stability of any nearby structures, the risks of uncontrolled collapse, the risks from hazardous materials. This needs to be done before the work is carried out and not left for the main contractor as any early findings might prevent or stop any work being started.
• CDM coordinators then plan effective site management that will keep people (site workers and the general public) as far as possible from any potential risks.
• Principle contractors manage and co-ordinate health and safety issues during the demolition project
• Site Managers then supervise workers and ensure that they are following safe working practices
• Sub Contractors and any site workers must then understand and follow the precautions and then ensure that their colleagues also follow them.

The Different Dumper Trucks On A Construction Site

The dumper truck is often used on a construction site, so these next few posts are in honour of the dumper truck as at sometime we’re sure everyone has played with a miniature version in the sandpit, although the potential for accidents are not as severe as on a construction site.

A great child's dumper truck - although not good for a construction site

A typical dumper truck is equipped and uses a hydraulically operated open-box which has a hinge at the rear of the truck. This allows the contents to be deposited as the box lifts away from the truck. The UK term for dumper truck tends to be a tipper or tipper lorry.

A Standard Dump Truck
This truck chassis has a dump body mounted to the frame. The bed is raised a hydraulic ram that is mounted under the front of the dumper. There are several configurations for a dumper which include the six wheeler, the ten wheeler, quad and tri-axle. However, the common truck is often referred to as the centipede and this has seven axels. There is a short wheelbase on a standard dump truck which makes it more manoeuvrable than the higher capacity semi-trailer dump trucks.

However, regardless of the size of the truck, wheelbase or how many axles a dumper truck still needs to be operated by a competent and trained person to avoid an accident that might lead to a personal injury claim.

Important Inspection and Maintenance

As with all machinery on a construction site, warehouse or even the family car there is a need for regular servicing and maintenance. Construction site maintenance is essential as employees are using the machinery on a regular day to day basis.

There are several measures to make sure dumpers and any piece of machinery are safe to use. These include daily visual checks, regular inspection and servicing schedules in accordance with any manufacturer's instructions.

Any defects should be reported immediately to avoid any personal injury that might lead to a personal injury claim. That vehicle should be taken out of service until it is fixed and sorted.

Reduce Accident Claim With Dumper Trucks

Due to level of accidents and personal injury that can occur with dumper truck accidents there is a huge emphasis on controlling the risk and making sure hazards are reduced as much as possible to avoid an accident claim.

Gradients: Check and plan out the work so that dumpers are used only on gradients that are within their safe working capacity. It is important to check this with the manufacturer of the dumper to clarify the safe gradient levels.

Competence: Arrange for the dumpers to only be driven by competent and trained operators.

Safety: It is important that the dumpers are provided with the rollover protection and that drivers must wear seatbelts when operating the machinery.

Loading: Loads must be evenly distributed

Vision and views: The driver operating the dumper must have clear vision and that the load does not obstruct the drivers view

Edges and existing holes: Make sure that the dumper can stop at a safe distance from excavation pits and any spoil heaps to prevent the dumper falling when tipping into the pits. This can be done with wheel stops to make sure the dumper can stop and reduce any potential accident claim.

Dumper Trucks On A Building Site

Dumpers are an essential part of a construction site or building project. Unfortunately they are pieces of machinery that if not handled or operated correctly can cause several problems or even more severe injury that might lead to a personal injury claim. The whole point to using a dumper is that they can move a lot of ground and ‘dump’ building materials such as sand and cement close to the area it is needed.

The most fatal injuries occur as a result of dumpers overturning or collisions. This is collisions with pedestrians when the vehicle is reversing or going forwards on site.

There are procedures and practices in place that control and reduce the risk of injury caused from the dumper truck overturning and these are implemented on every construction site, to reduce these risks.

Controlling The Risks of Excavation

As we have seen in the previous post there is potential for an accident to happen on a construction site when excavations are happening.  Thankfully to avoid a personal injury claim on site there are ways in which the risks can be minimised and controlled.

Exclusion – Sounds an obvious one but people should be kept away from areas where excavations are in operation. This can be done by using barriers. A pedestrian exclusion zone should be created with barriers and tape to make sure pedestrians are kept away.

Visibility – When carrying out any excavation work the excavator needs the best view around them and the driver needs to have as much clear vision as possible when operating the excavator.

Clearance area – When slewing in a confined area a minimum tail swing should be used and is preferred. Clearance needs to be over 0.5m between any part of the machine.

Signaller – This is an important job which can minimise risk. The signaller should be in a safe place to direct the excavator operations and be aware and notify pedestrians in time for them to vacate the area.

Attachments and Bucket attachments – these need to be secured as a number of deaths have occurred when the bucket has fallen from the machine.

All of these are potential risks and can be easily implemented to ensure safety on a construction site or anywhere when excavations are taking place and avoid a personal injury claim.

Excavation Safety and Personal Injury Claims

There are several hazards associated with excavations and there are three main areas which can cause fatal and serious injuries. These tend to be when the excavator is either;

Moving – this could involve striking a pedestrian when reversing. An employee might be aware to look out for machinery, but a member of the public might not be aware to look out for the truck

Slewing – which involves someone (an employee or member of the public) becoming trapped between the excavator and a fixed structure or the vehicle

Working – this can occur when the moving bucket or other attachment strikes a pedestrian or if any attachments fall from the excavator machinery.

All the above are examples of excavator hazards that can happen on a construction site. There are ways in which the risks can be controlled to avoid an accident claim and these are looked at in the next few posts.

Construction Sites and Excavations

Another element of a construction site is the use of mobile plant and vehicles. Construction sites have a lot of machinery and employees.  Those vehicles perform various tasks and the operator needs to be concentrating on the job as well as safety for those around him to avoid a personal injury claim being made by himself or a fellow co-worker.

As we have mentioned before, some construction sites are also situated close to pedestrian areas and therefore also need to be made secure. The safety of pedestrians is just as important as employees.

When any building work takes place there is a need to make sure the relevant excavations have been carried out to check the foundations and footings. There are several elements of excavations that need to be taken into consideration.