Construction Safety and Health Review

Practice flashcards covering definitions, safety standards, and technical requirements for Construction Safety and Health based on the DOLE Occupational Safety and Health Standards.

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

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

Circumstances or deviations from standard condition which could permit the occurrence of an incident.

Elimination

The process of removing the hazard from the workplace; it is the most effective and preferred way to control a risk because the hazard is no longer present.

Substitution

The act of replacing a hazardous thing with another thing that is less hazardous.

Engineering controls

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

Administrative controls

Developing procedures to ensure the work is conducted in a way that minimizes the hazard.

Occupational safety

A field that deals with understanding the causes of accidents at work and ways to prevent unsafe acts and unsafe conditions in any workplace.

Occupational health

A broad concept explaining how different hazards and risks at work may cause an illness, emphasizing health programs essential in controlling occupational diseases.

Industrial hygiene

The identification, evaluation, and control of physical, chemical, biologic and ergonomic hazards.

Accredited organization

Any organization duly accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) authorized to perform functions related to OSH improvement such as training, testing, or auditing.

Certified first-aider

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

Construction project manager/consultant

A person or entity 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.

Construction safety and health committee

The general safety and health committee for a construction project site that acts as the overall coordinator in implementing OSH programs.

Safety personnel

Any employee/worker trained and tasked by his employer to implement OSH programs in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS).

Construction safety and health program

A set of detailed rules covering the processes and practices utilized in a specific construction project site, including responsible personnel and penalties for violations.

Construction safety signage

Emergency, danger, warning, or safety instruction signs of standard colors and sizes in accordance with standard specifications for warnings in building premises.

Constructor

Synonymous with "builder"; refers to any person or organization who undertakes to construct, alter, repair, add to, improve, move, wreck or demolish structures.

Emergency health provider

Any person or organization certified by the Department of Health who can provide emergency hospital services, including treatment on site and care during transport of injured workers.

General constructor

A constructor who has general supervision over other constructors in the execution of the project and directly receives instructions from the owner or construction project manager.

General safety and health inspection

Inspection of the work environment including machinery, work space, ventilation, lighting, handling, storage, and protection facilities.

Heavy equipment

Any machine with engine or electric motor as a prime mover for lifting, excavating, or leveling, with a minimum operating weight of $1,000\,KG$ and horsepower rating of $10\,HP$.

Imminent danger

A condition or practice that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm before abatement can be accomplished.

Occupational health personnel

A qualified first-aider, nurse, dentist, or physician engaged by the employer to provide occupational health services in the establishment.

Project manager

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

Resident engineer

A licensed engineer tasked to be present at the site at all times to assure technical conformance of designs, materials, and procedures, including safety and health.

Safety and health audit

A regular and critical examination of project sites, safety programs, records and management performance on program standards.

Technical safety inspection

Inspection for the purpose of safety determination of boilers, pressure vessels, electrical installations, elevators, and other mechanical equipment.

Skills standards

The written specification of the minimum stock knowledge and skills a worker should possess to perform the functions identified in their job description.

Trade test

An instrument used to measure workers' skills and knowledge based on the requirements of the skills standards.

Treatment Room

An enclosed area or room equipped with necessary medical facilities and supplies located within the establishment for emergency medical examination and treatment.

Toolbox meeting

Daily meeting among workers and supervisors for instruction, discussion, and briefing on planned work, past work assessment, and accident prevention tips.

Unguarded surface

Any working surface above water or ground, platform, or scaffold where workers are exposed to the possibility of falls hazardous to life or limb.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Equipment furnished by the employer at his own expense for eyes, face, hands, feet, lifelines, and harnesses to protect against hazardous work processes or environments.

Competent person

One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Cave-in

The separation of a mass of soil or rock material from the side of an excavation and its sudden movement into the excavation in sufficient quantity to entrap or injure a person.

Protective system

Methods of protecting employees from cave-ins, including support systems, sloping and benching systems, and shield systems.

Benching

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.

Sloping

A method of protecting employees from cave-ins by excavating to form sides of an excavation that are inclined away from the excavation.

Shoring

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

Sheeting

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

Shield

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

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

Scaffold Capacity Requirement

Must support at least $4$ times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it.

Scaffold Platform Width

Must be at least $18\,\text{inches}$ ($46\,cm$) wide.

Maximum Platform Deflection

Must not deflect more than $\frac{1}{60}$ of the span when loaded.

Male worker manual lifting limit

A male worker shall not be made to lift, carry or move any load over $50\,kgs$.

Female worker manual lifting limit

A female worker shall not be made to lift, carry or move any load over $25\,kgs$.

Excavation support threshold

Walls of every excavation over $1\,m$ ($3\,ft$) deep shall be supported by adequate shoring and timbering.

Structural engineer design requirement

Shoring or timbering in excavations over $6.6\,m$ ($29\,ft$) deep must be designed by a structural engineer.

Excavation barricade height

Walls more than $2.0\,m$ ($6\,ft$) deep shall be barricaded to a height of at least $1\,m$ ($3\,ft$).

Demolition exclusion zone

No person except directly engaged workers shall enter a demolition area within a distance equal to $1\frac{1}{2}$ times the height of the structure.

Explosives drilling safety distance

No holes shall be drilled within $5.0\,m$ ($16.4\,ft$) of those containing explosives or being loaded with blasting agents.