Risks and hazards of construction

What are the common risks and hazards in construction and what should contractors do to avoid or reduce it?

iiskunk

in Construction 9 years and 6 months ago

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pah123 | 9 years and 5 months ago

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According to me, the construction industry includes majorly following risks ? Risk of damage to person or property ? Increase in time due to bad weather condition ? Risk of damage due to nuclear pollution or war

mfoswzyvuzcghpje | 9 years and 5 months ago

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The construction industry is one of the riskiest industries on the planet and safety procedures must be followed by construction workers working on a site or else there are chances of serious fatalities. There are three main categories of risk in construction: First category is ‘pure and particular’ risk which involves damage to persons and property( construction workers injuries or loss, building collapse,etc) and is caused by factors such as fire, typhoon, flood, earthquakes , faulty equipments and construction techniques.There is contractual obligation to take insurance cover against such risks. The second category is ‘fundamental risk’ which include damage due to external factors like war, nuclear pollution and supersonic bangs; tax, labour, safety policies and other laws; malicious damage and industrial disputes. Such incidents are all the subject of statutory liability and no insurance cover is normally available or needed. The third category called ‘speculative risk’ is predictable to some extent and can be apportioned in advance by the parties involved in the construction project.These risks may involve losses in time and money arising from unexpected ground conditions, exceptionally adverse weather, shortages in labour and materials and other situations that normally the contractor finds difficult to control. Serious damages and incidents have occured while handling construction tools and equipments. Cranes and other equipments involved in [heavy lifting](http://bygging-uddemann.co.kr/heavy-lifting-supply/) if not operated properly may also result in serious damage and loss of human life. The crane crash at Mecca(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_crane_collapse#Crane) is a famous example of disaster involving crane that was highly avoidable .I read somewhere that this calamity would have not occured if the crane was not parked too close to the mosque and its boom and jib did not make a high angle with the ground. The cranes that are parked in such position are more easily affected by storms.

lewventry401 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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‘@bob! You totally made me laugh out loud reading your comment! But honestly, I’ll have to agree. When it comes to moving around and removals or construction in the home, a lot of solutions are actually very simple and brainless. Just be careful and take precaution would be my 2 cents in this!

stevepower | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Well, there are various risks which one can encounter during construction area. The most frequent risks which can put your life at danger or one can die is while moving objects and working at height. Noise is yet another issue which can cause hearing problems among workers. To avoid that, many construction companies provide ear plugs to their workers. Manual handling or I should say miss handling of construction materials and equipments can become a serious issue.

BobMarvin | 9 years and 6 months ago

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RE: MDR’s comment, I thought the same, thus my attempt at humor above.

MDR | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Sounds like a shilly question. By the way, in NYC we have the “Landmarks Preservation Commission” that regulates buildings in NYC that are individual landmarks or in a designated historic districts. There is no regulation by a state “historical society”.

germaineson73 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Number One, hire a professional. If you are accepting bids on work from a fly-by-night contractor, you are asking for trouble. Make sure you have permits and plans. Things to consider. Historics- Imagine buying all you windows at a great price, then find out that you can not use them! Yep, it has happened to many people. the Historical Society is governed by the state to maintain the look of the city. They are authorized to demand the type of exterior work you do and also some interior if space is common or a special instance. I have had to wait a year to find out what color I can paint the customers front entry door. If work has to be done to the exterior rear of your house, if it can be seen from the street or sidewalk, it falls under the historical society rules. Plans are usually submitted by the architect to figure these things out. If you go ahead with the work and do not consult the proper people, you may have trouble down the road when you go to sell or do additional work that is permitted. Lead- What? My 120 year old brownstone has lead? Yes it does. Lead paint on walls, trim and doors. Make sure your contractor is certified in dealing with lead. Abatement is a common issue and can by handled safely with the right contractor. If you are living in your home while renovations are going on, lead is a concern. Lead is not harmful if not disturbed. Asbestos- What again? My 120 year old house has asbestos? It certainly may. Asbestos was commonly used for pipe insulation. It is great insulation. It is not dangerous if it is not disturbed. I would rather eliminate it if at possible. This could be costly up front, but could save you the headache of removal later. Asbestoses was also used in drywall products and spackle. Many building material had asbestos in it. If you are roofing, you may have asbestos in the flashing and possibly in the roofing material itself. Safety- you might think that you are immune to accidents on the job site at your house. Well, if you have a contractor that is not licensed / insured and there is an injury on your property, guess what? You may end up having a lawyer digging in your drawers. Make sure that your contractor is a licensed / insured contractor and that the person in charge of the work is a competent person that has OSHA training. This person is called the competent person and will be trained on ladder and scaffolding usage. PPE- personal protection equipment, safety on site with subs, fall protection and much more. Your contractor should also have Workers Comp Insurance. This covers his guys. There are reasons why licensed contractors are expensive. They are equipped to handle these types of jobs, they are experienced do the work correctly and according to code. They also have INSURANCE which costs a ton of money! This insurance is also for faulty work. If you hire a handyman to do electrical work and you do not have it inspected, should there ever be a problem with the wiring or its devices resulting in damage to your home, you will be held liable for this and you will have voided your homeowners insurance policy. If you are doing this work on the down low, you better trust the person doing it. Check with your local building department and your insurance company. Know what to expect. Remember, wire has been dated by a laser jet printing during manufacturing for over a decade now. If you have wire installed and it is dated after you purchased your home, good luck explaining that. Remember that a multi family dwelling has more rules concerning renovation. Mostly dealing with fire and safety codes. If you are renovating a multi family home, the rules are strict and the penalties are stiff.

BobMarvin | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Worst risk: something will fall on your head Solution: hard hat -:)