Construction Safety and Health

Hazard

A source or situation with a potential to cause harm in terms of injury, ill health, damage to property, damage to the environment or a combination of these.

Risk

A combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event with specified period or in specified circumstances and the severity of injury or damage to the health of people, property, environment or any combination of these caused by the event.

Unsafe Act

[NOV 2022] Human actions or behaviors that deviates from a commonly accepted safe procedure or standard operations that could permit the occurrence of an accident.

Unsafe Condition

[NOV 2021] Circumstances or deviations from standard condition which could permit the occurrence of an accident or incident

Elimination

It is the process of removing the hazard from the workplace. It is the most effective way to control a risk because the hazard is no longer present. It is the preferred way to control a hazard and should be used whenever possible.

Substitution

It is the act of replacing something with another thing... in this case, a hazard is replaced with a less hazardous one. The hazards and risks associated with an alternative must be thoroughly assessed to determine if it is an appropriate replacement.

Engineering Controls

These are methods that will control the hazard at the source, before it comes in contact with the worker.

Administrative Controls

These involve developing procedures to ensure the work is conducted in a way that minimizes the hazard.

Occupational Safety

It deals with understanding the causes of accidents at work and ways to prevent unsafe act and unsafe conditions in any workplace.

Occupational Health

It is a broad concept which explains how the different hazards and risks at work may cause an illness and emphasizes that health programs are essential in controlling work-related and/or occupational diseases.

Industrial Hygiene

It discusses the identification, evaluation, and control of physical, chemical, biologic and ergonomic hazards.

Accredited Organization

It means any organization duly accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) delegated or authorized to perform functions related to improvement of occupational safety and health in the form of training, testing, certification, safety and health auditing or any other similar activity.

Certified First-Aider

It means any person trained and duly certified or qualified to administer first-aid by the Philippine National Red Cross or by any organization accredited by the same.

Construction Project Manager/Consultant

It means a person or entity who is hired by the project owner, to act in the owner’s behalf concerning supervision and monitoring of all matters related to the overall execution of a construction project. He shall be a separate entity from the general contractor or any subcontractor of the construction project.

Construction Safety and Health Committee

It means the general safety and health committee for a construction project site that shall be the overall coordinator in implementing OSH programs.

Construction Safety and Health Officer

It means any employee/worker trained and, in addition to their regular duties and responsibilities, tasked by his employer to implement occupational safety and health programs in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS).

Construction Safety and Health Program

It refers to a set of detailed rules to cover the processes and practices that shall be utilized in a specific construction project site in conformity with the OSHS including the personnel responsible and the penalties for violations thereof.

Construction Safety Signage

It refers to any, but not limited to, emergency or danger sign, warning sign or safety instruction, of standard colors and sizes in accordance with the specifications for standard colors of signs for safety instructions and warnings in building premises.

Constructor

It is deemed synonymous with the term “builder”. It refers to any person or organization who undertakes or offers to undertake or purports to have the capacity to undertake or submits a bid to, or does himself or by or through others, construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish any building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or other structure, project development or improvement, or to do any part thereof, including the erection of scaffolding or other structures or works in connection therewith.

Emergency Health Provider

It means any person or organization who is certified or recognized by the Department of Health and who can provide the same or equivalent emergency health services as an emergency hospital, including emergency treatment of workers on site, emergency transport and care during transport of injured workers to the nearest hospital, with adequate personnel, supplies and facilities for the complete immediate treatment of injuries or illnesses.

General Constructor

It means a constructor who has general supervision over other constructors in the execution of the project and who directly receives instructions from the owner or construction project manager (if one is appointed by the owner).

General Safety and Health Inspection

It refers to inspection of the work environment, including the location and operation of machinery other than those covered by technical safety inspections, adequacy of work space, ventilation, lighting, conditions of work environment, handling, storage or work procedures, protection facilities and other safety and health hazards in the workplace

Heavy Equipment

It refers to any machine with engine or electric motor as prime mover used either for lifting, excavating, leveling, drilling, compacting, transporting and breaking works in the construction site, such as but not limited to crane, bulldozer, backhoe, grader, road compactor, prime mover and trailer, with minimum operating weight and horsepower rating of 1,000 KG and 10 HP, respectively.

Imminent Danger

It means a condition or practice that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm before abatement under the normal enforcement procedures can be accomplished.

Occupational Health Personnel

It refers to a qualified first-aider, nurse, dentist, or physician, engaged by the employer to provide occupational health services in the establishment/undertaking.

Project Manager

It means the overall technical personnel of the general contractor and/or the subcontractor in charge of the actual execution of a construction project.

Resident Engineer

It means a duly licensed engineer who shall be tasked to be present at the construction site at all times, whenever work is being undertaken, and shall have the responsibility of assuring the technical conformance of all designs, materials, processes, work procedures rendered for the execution of the construction project, including safety and health of all persons within the construction site.

Safety and Health Audit

It refers to a regular and critical examination of project sites, safety programs, records and management performance on program standards on safety and health.

Safety and Health Committee

[APR 2023] It means a group tasked with the authority to monitor, inspect, and investigate all aspects of the construction project pertaining to health and safety of construction workers.

Safety Organization

It means any organization recognized and accredited by the DOLE to conduct occupational safety and health training and/or safety and health audit.

Safety Personnel

It refers to any person engaged by any constructor, trained, accredited by DOLE and tasked to provide occupational safety and health services for the workers/employees in any construction project.

Skills Standards

It refers to the written specification of the minimum stock knowledge and skills a worker should possess to perform the functions identified in the job description of his occupation.

Technical Safety Inspection

It refers to inspection for the purpose of safety determination of boilers, pressure vessels, internal combustion engines, electrical installations, elevators, hoisting equipment and other mechanical equipment.

Trade Test

It refers to any enclosed area or room equipped with the necessary medical facilities and supplies, and located within the premises of the establishment where workers maybe brought for examination and treatment of their injuries or illnesses in cases of emergency.

Treatment Room

It refers to any enclosed area or room equipped with the necessary medical facilities and supplies, and located within the premises of the establishment where workers maybe brought for examination and treatment of their injuries or illnesses in cases of emergency.

Toolbox Meeting

It refers to daily meeting among workers and their respective supervisors for the purpose of instruction, discussion and proper briefing on the planned work, the assessment of past work, the possibility or actual occurrence of accidents at the site, tips and suggestions on how to prevent possible accidents and other related matters.

Unguarded Surface

It refers to any working surface above water or ground, temporary or permanent floor platform, scaffold construction or wherever workers are exposed to the possibility of falls hazardous to life or limb.

Construction Safety and Health Program Requirement

[APR 2023] Every construction project shall have a suitable ________, which must be in accordance with these rules, and other orders and issuances issued by the DOLE.

Personal Protective Equipment

Every employer shall, at his own expense, furnish his workers with ________ for eyes, face, hands and feet, lifeline, safety belt/harness, protective shields and barriers whenever necessary by reason of the hazardous work process or environment, chemical or radiological or other mechanical irritants or hazards capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical agent.

Safety Personnel Requirement

To ensure that a Construction Safety and Health Program is duly followed and enforced at the construction project site, each construction project site is required to have the minimum required ________.

Construction Safety Signages Requirement

These must be provided to warn the workers and the public of hazards existing in the workplace.

Competent Person

It means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to workers, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Cave-in

It means the separation of a mass of soil or rock material from the side of an excavation, or the loss of soil from under a trench shield or support system, and its sudden movement into the excavation, either by falling or sliding, in sufficient quantity so that it could entrap, bury, or otherwise injure and immobilize a person.

Protective System

[MAY 2022] It means a method of protecting employees from cave-ins, from material that could fall or roll from an excavation face or into an excavation, or from the collapse of adjacent structures. These include support systems, sloping and benching systems, shield systems, and other systems that provide the necessary protection.

Benching

[MAY 2022] It means a method of protecting workers from cave-ins by excavating the sides of an excavation to form one or a series of horizontal levels or steps, usually with vertical or near-vertical surfaces between levels.

Sloping

It means a method of protecting employees from cave-ins by excavating to form sides of an excavation that are inclined away from the excavation so as to prevent cave-ins. The angle of incline required to prevent a cave-in varies with differences in such factors as the soil type, environmental conditions of exposure, and application of surcharge loads.

Shoring

It means a structure such as a metal hydraulic, mechanical or timber shoring system that supports the sides of an excavation and which is designed to prevent cave-ins.

Sheeting

It means the members of a shoring system that retain the earth in position and in turn are supported by other members of the shoring system.

Shield

It means a structure that is able to withstand the forces imposed on it by a cave-in and thereby protect employees within the structure.

Support System

It means a structure such as underpinning, bracing, or shoring, which provides support to an adjacent structure, underground installation, or the sides of an excavation.

must support at least 4 times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it

[MAY 2022] What are the capacity requirements for all scaffolds?

spacing between the platform and uprights not more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide

What are the scaffold platform construction requirements?

Must support its own weight and four times intended load

What are the requirements for scaffold planking?

Must not deflect more than 1/60 of span when loaded

What is the maximum deflection of a platform?

must be at least 18 inches (46 cm) wide

How wide does the work area need to be on scaffolding?

Required for scaffolds more than 10 ft above lower level

Are guardrails required on all open sides of scaffolding?

Permanent standpipe with hose outlet ≥ 4 cm

Permanent stand pipe installed in a construction site shall have a hose outlet to which is connected a hose that is

1m (3 ft) and 0.33 m (1ft)

Permanent stand pipe installed in a construction site shall have a connection of the size used by the local fire department located on the street side not more than ___ and not less than ___ above the ground level.

50 kg for men and 25 kg for women

For continued lifting, a male worker shall not be made to lift, carry or move any load over ___ and female workers over ___. Weights over these shall either be handled by more than one worker or by mechanical means.

I. in which a worker is not required to enter for any purposes.

II. cut in solid rock.

III. the walls are sloped to forty-five degree (45) angle from the vertical or cut to the angle of repose.

IV. in which a worker is engaged in timbering or other work for the purpose of compliance with this Rule if precautions are taken to ensure his safety.

The walls of every excavation over 1 m. (3 ft.) deep shall be supported by adequate shoring and timbering to prevent collapse, provided that this shall not apply to an excavation

6.6m

Shoring or timbering in excavation over ___ deep and those installed to prevent the movement, collapse of an adjacent structure shall be designed by a structural engineer and approved by the proper authority.

1m

The top of the walls of an excavation more than 2.0 m. (6 ft.) deep shall be barricaded to a height of at least ___ to prevent the fall of workers.

1 1/2

[NOV 2024] All demolition operations of building or other structure over six (6) meters high shall be under supervision of a competent person. No person except the workers who are directly engaged in the demolition shall enter a demolition area to within a distance equal to ___ times the height of the structure being demolished, where this distance is not possible the structure shall be fenced around and no unauthorized person shall be allowed within the fenced area.

3.3 m (10 ft)

No holes shall be drilled within ___ of a hole containing explosives or blasting agents;

6.6m (20ft)

No holes shall be drilled within ___ of a hole being loaded with explosives or blasting agents.