Introduction
Built environment refers to the man made structures. The structures can range from small tools to the large buildings, towns and cities. One of the fields in built environment is construction. This paper seeks to discuss occurrence of accidents in the construction industry in the UK with respect to the causes of the accidents, and possible solution to reducing the number of accidents registered in the construction industry.
The paper intends to talk about the types of accidents in the construction industry, their causes, and the existing legislations regulating the industry as well as the necessary steps that can be taken to reduce the accidents in the construction industry.
The built environment in the UK
According to sustainable development commission (SDC, n.d.), the built environment includes the construction activities among other things like maintenance of completed structures. SDC identifies the construction industry as one of the significant figures in the UK’s economy.
The industry contributes about eight percent of the country’s economy and is a source of employment to more than two million people. In addition to this, the industry possesses some negative elements that are not favorable to environment and at times induce risks to the people around the construction sites. A significant amount of carbon emissions, estimated at half the total emissions of the said gas is as a result of the construction industry. The industry is also a substantial contributor of waste products in the country (SDC 2).
Accidents in the built environment in UK
According to Fewings (2008, 149), the accidents experienced in the built environment can either be construction operations or during maintenance.
Most of the accidents are caused by risks in the construction environment such as emitted poisonous gases, fumes and dust, asbestos, chemicals and unsafe situations that can lead to workers falling off from high levels to the ground or tumbling. The health and safety executive (HSC) classify the accidents under construction into three categories. These are fatalities, major injuries and over three- day injuries.
Fatalities refer to the accidents that result in death. The accidents could include falling from high levels or any other source but the implication is the death eventuality to the victim. Injuries from accidents are on the other hand classified as major if the victim is under the circumstance forced to pull out of work due to the injury. The injuries considered to be major can in other words be described as those that require the victim to be hospitalized.
Over three day injuries are on the other hand those injuries that are not classified as major though they pull the victim out of work for more than three days. Most of these injuries have over time been realized from the process of handling the equipments and machinery used in the construction process, workers falling due to slipping among others. Apart from the immediately visualized injurious accidents, other aspects like, dust, emitted gases and even asbestos are known to cause harmful effects on the construction workers.
A similar view of the construction industry is expressed outside UK by a group called Philips national injury group. Philips identified common types of accidents in the construction industry to be inclusive of “site falls, crane and scaffolding accidents”, (Philips 1) machinery running over people and fires among others. The construction accidents have therefore been identified as a major cause of accidents not only in the UK, but globally.
Legislative regulations
The apparent accidents witnessed the industry over time led to the enactment of numerous legislations to help protect the workers in a given site. Quite significant among the legislations according to ATL (2011), are the “health and safety acts and the management of health and safety at work regulations” (ATL 1).
The regulations have put a variety of measures on the employers to ensure that their working environments are in better condition to reduce accidents. The health and safety act for example laid down provisions for safeguarding the safety and health of employees of a worksite and even other people who might be affected by the works undertaken at the site.
The act of 1974 which has since been amended and supplemented by other legislations laid down duties and responsibilities of employers, employees and eve the third parties like producers and suppliers of the equipments to be used in a working site. The legislation required the employers to take responsibility over the health and safety of its workers. It requires employers to engage other stake holders like trade unions in matters that pertain to the safety and health.
It further provides for a policy preparation by employers on health safety which must then be presented to the firm’s workers. The act also protect vulnerable third parties like minors and students on accidents in the cite areas. The act puts responsibility on officers in charge of various sections in a sight as well as producers and suppliers of machinery to ensure safety conditions. Employees are as well required to take measures to ensure safe condition prevails in the work place.
The management of health and safety at work of 1999 on its part requires the employers to conduct assessments in order to curb risks in the working sites. The act call for measures to identify safety measures, monitoring the implementation of the and in conjunction with any other employers around the same site, share information to ensure safety measures are properly implemented. Several other regulations have also been enacted to enhance safety in and around the work places.
Some of the most significant in the construction industry include the workplace regulations of 1992, the manual handling operations regulations of 1992, control of asbestos at work regulations of 2006, health and safety regulations of 1992, reporting of injuries, disease and dangerous occurrences regulations of 1995 (HSE 1).
Evaluation
Data of the reported cases of accidents, according to the records of health and safety executives, indicates a reducing trend in the recorded cases of accidents since 2000. There was an isolated rise in numbers but the overall trend indicates a continuous reduction in the number of accidents reported in the construction industry.
The almost smooth trend in reduction is an indication that the regulations that have been put in place are having their effects in reducing the accidents. It is also an indication that there is still more room for further reduction of the accidents. Measures should therefore be taken to ensure strict adherence to the set rules as the statistics are indicating their effectiveness.
Reducing accidents on a well-run construction project
Owing to the above analysis view, it can be concluded to an extent that the already established regulation are good enough to minimize accidents in a construction project. The best move to reduce accidents in a particular construction project would entail a strict adherence to the regulations.
The responsibilities by subsequent legislations including the corporate manslaughter and homicide act of 2007 has put responsibilities on the employers, employees, management levels in a construction project, stake holders like manufacturers and suppliers of construction machinery among others to contribute to the safety measures.
The steps that can further be taken to reduce the accidents can include putting stiffer penalties on any party to the industry that breach their provided responsibility, educating stake holders on measures and ethical responsibilities and educating workers of their rights in the construction industry.
Conclusion
The construction industry is an important sector in the country’s economy. It is however corrupted with a large number of accidents which leads to deaths and incapacitation. Laws have been passed and seen to be effective in reducing these accidents. It can therefore be recommended that steps be taken to improve the implementation of these regulations in order to further reduce these accidents.
References
ATL. (2011) Health and safety legistlations. Web.
Fewings, P. (2008) Ethics for the built environment. New York, Taylor & Francis.
HSE. (n.d) Work-related injuries and ill health in construction. Web.
Philips Group. (2010) Types of Construction Site Accidents. Web.
SDC. (n.d) Built environment. Web.