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.

A Few More Warning Signs....

If you saw these warning signs would you know what they mean?

Check out our Yola Blog for the answers!!!

Managing Noise and Vibration During Demolition

Anyone walking past a construction site at any stage from planning, excavation or even a demolition will know they are noisy areas. In fact, noise is often associated with construction due to drills, vehicles and the amount of machinery that is needed to build. Imagine what that noise would be like if you were working on the construction site on a daily basis. This is why is it essential to protect workers with the appropriate tools and ear protection.

Vibration from using hand tools in demolition work and general construction work can cause HAVS, which is hand-arm vibration syndrome. Any workers that are exposed to vibration need to ensure they are correctly assessed and managed to reduce the risk on long term injury, or even a personal injury claim.

There are ways in which to measure and monitor exposure to vibration and this needs to be checked and ensure any processes are implemented.