Chandler Building - Safety and Health Hazards of Demolition Work - Case Study Example

Safety and health hazards of demolition work Name Institution Course Date Tutor Introduction The Chandler building is a building for UCLAN University in UK, which was constructed before 1990 and has served the university well. The building is located at the Harris site in the University ground and is surrounded by other buildings like the Bowran house, Harris Building, Edward Building, and the Boatmans Court. The Chandler building is also near the Edward street and the corporation street among other surrounding streets, as per the Preston main campus map. The Chandler Building is applied of the strip foundation and is constructed from heavy bricks. The University intends to demolish Chandler Building to make way for the new civil engineering structural laboratory for the academic year in 2017/18. The demolition operation is to be carried out during term session and will take around 6 weeks. Additionally, the construction work for the new building is planned to commence the first week of January 2016. Due to the demolition plan, the Board of Directors (BOD) of the Democon Ltd Company has raised some concerns about the period of demolition and the environment within which the demolition work has to be conducted. The concern requires preparation of a report regarding all the health and safety concerns associated with the project for the Democon’s appreciation. This paper seeks to identify the safety and health hazards related to the demolition work. The paper explores the potential accidents and incidents that might be faced by the parties in the demolition work. There is conduct of assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed health and safety strategies presently available for use on the project. The paper also contains some recommendations to the company’s BOD on the health and safety findings report. The safety and health hazards associated with the demolition work Demolition of a building involves the reversing practice whereby the ready construction is put down. There are a number of health and safety hazards and associated risks likely to be experienced in the process of demolition (Hallowell, Esmaeili and Chinowsky 2011, 417). The demolition of the Chandler Building will involve application of hand tools and equipments. Below are the hazards, associated risks, the consequences according to mobilization and the actual implementation of the demolition process, and the necessary control measures to be taken by the employer or the contractors as per the HSE UK regulation (Gregson, Watkins and Calestani 2010, 1065) Hazard 1: Roofs and walls Risks or the associated consequences: Falling from their heights. During the demolition practice, the involved workers are likely to be injured by the partially demolished and fragile surfaces and the edges through the openings. Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: It is the responsibility of the duty holder from Democon to check the current condition of the roofs and recognise some marks influencing the wall stability. Special precautions should be taken to prevent materials from one floor falling through to other floors (Ku and Mills 2010, 7). The nature of the roofs and walls should be assessed for any cracks because there might be diverse thickness of the walls because of the brick usage. Since the building has been existing for a long period, it is important to consider the stability of the concrete or materials used to construct the walls and floors, as well as roofs. The duty holders should surround the demolished building with a warning wall to keep away people who might be intending to pass around the building thus preventing them from the falls (Shaurette 2010, 130). Hazard 2: Concrete structures and dangerous structures Risks or the associated consequences: Personal injuries from the falling materials. Due to uncontrolled collapse of the building structures, people passing-by and the demolition workers can be injured. The flying debris might also cause injuries. Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: It is important to examine the concrete structures for likely signs of destruction because of concrete damage and reinforcing corrosion. The Democon Company duty holders should ensure proper investigation for efficient determination of the structure framework prior the demolition activities (Hallowell et al. 2011, 417). It is also important to consult a registered engineer either from the company or from outside the company for effective demolition plan. It is also vital to cover all the walkways surrounding the building like the Edward Street and Corporation Street (Gregson et al. 2010, 1070). The equipments used should be of high- reach and the workers should be trained and supervised. In addition, the machine cabs should be reinforced to prevent injury to drivers. Acquire appropriate authority in case of some dangerous structures and identify the possible causes of their damage (Manu, Ankrah, Proverbs and Suresh 2010, 688). Hazard 3: Poor structure inspection Risks or the associated consequences: Unexpected structural collapse, and falls Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: There should be proper examination of the building structures and not rely on the building drawing because it might not be exact the same with the construction (Feng 2013, 31). Inspection should also be conducted with assistance from a registered engineer and the engineer should determine applied hand tools and equipments. It is important to fence off the building location (Shaurette 2010, 132). The bonding of the walls should be examined and the duty holder should check the condition of the walls and the remaining gables. The stability of various cantilevered structures, such as cornices, balconies, and staircases should be examined. It is important to determine if the basements can withstand the likely ground pressure and if the ground had high table of water during construction, adequate precautions should be considered. In case of walls and some underground storage tanks, they should be tested for flammable gases and solutions (Hallowell et al. 2011, 420). Hazard 4: Poor pre-demolition checks Risks or the associated consequences: Explosion, fire, electrocution, inhalation of some toxic materials, and vibration and noise Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: Plan well for the demolition work. Identify the fire sources and electronic connections, as well as their main sources (Hallowell 2010, 409). The alarm should also be checked for its efficiency. Since demolition of this building is likely to cause loud noise from its size, it is necessary to have helmets and masks, as well as using silencers on the jackhammers. It is also important to use some compressors that are insulated against the noise (Ku and Mills 2010, 7). Hazard 5: Health hazards Risks or the associated consequences: Ingestion and inhalation Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: The demolition workers are exposed to health issues because of exposure to the polychlorinated biphynyls (PCBs) during the process of dismantling the transformers and electrical capacitors. There is also exposure to silica dust, lead poisoning from the inhaled fumes, and asbestos dust from the insulation materials and chemical plant. It is important to have sufficient ventilation in the demolition area. It is not good to let the exhaust products blow to the operator (Shaurette 2010, 133). Hazard 6: Mobile equipment and plant Risks or the associated consequences: Fumes, trips, poor visibility, noise, machinery rolling, and crushing Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: The people on the site should put on some high-visibility vests, jackets, and shirts. Unintended mobile equipments should not be left running. One should avoid using diesel and petrol equipments in demolition and it is necessary to climb down rather than jumping down in the demolition process. The Democon Company should only work with competent and trained duty holders (Hallowell et al. 2011, 421). The busy areas should be avoided until when people are not around, for instance during the weekends and evenings. The erected fence around the Chandler Building should be sufficient to protect the students and other university workers, thus being located at around two meters in the height from the ground (Manu et al. 2010, 690). Hazard 7: Welding and cutting operations Risks or the associated consequences: Explosion and fire Control measures according to the HSE UK regulation: Since the Chandler Building has been having electric connections that require to be cut down, it is necessary to acquire a permit satisfying conduct of work. The compressed air cylinders should not be left free standing and the demolition area should have enough fire extinguisher equipments. During the process of welding and cutting, it is necessary to remove all the combustible materials from the location. Before cutting, it is also important to set up the hoses and standpipes, as well as wetting down the smouldering debris that are not possible to remove (Hallowell et al. 2011, 421). The type of potential accidents and incidents associated with the demolition work An accident refers to an event that occurs by chance or without deliberate cause. An incident occurs unintentionally leading to some injuries or damages. An incident is an occurrence or an event that is likely to occur and in this case, it is an occurrence resulting from demolition work (Rawlinson and Farrell 2010, 429). In the demolition of Chandler Building, there are likely incidents and accidents that might be faced by the parties in the demolition work (Ku and Mills 2010, 10). The resources that might lead to accidents during the demolition of the building include the falls of roofs and walls, explosions, as well as the hazardous materials leading to fire. With respect to the UK regulation for managing accident in work place, the demolition of the Chandler Building will be associated with accidents and incidents from the hand tools and equipments applied in the demolition work and the construction structures (Park and Kim 2013, 98). The different types of major accidents and incidents that might occur during the demolition practice are; unexpected collapse of the building during the demolition practice (Manu et al. 2010, 691). There is also the fall of structures like walls and roofs from heights because of conduct of demolition activities without adhering to proper structure inspection and examination measures. There are also the electrical incidents that might affect the demolition work because of poor grounding of the electricity connections in the Chandler Building (Hallowell et al. 2011, 424). Fire is an accident that is likely to affect the Chandler Building demolition if the building had some poor electricity connections and it there are some inflammable gases and liquids in the building. Occurrence of fire might lead to injuries to the duty workers from the Democon Company and might extend to the university community if it happens to extend to the surrounding buildings like the Bowran house, Harris Building, Edward Building, and the Boatmans Court. The effectiveness of the proposed health and safety strategies The above proposed health and safety strategies are currently available for use on this project. They would enhance protection of occurrence of damages to the workers in the demolition area and prevent occurrence of the above incidents and accidents (Shaurette 2010, 136). Putting on the right clothing when conducting the demolition work prevents the duty holders from having physical injuries, thus the effectiveness of OSH techniques and process used in the demolition site (Gregson et al. 2010, 1078). To enhance the OSH awareness and performance of the demolition team, it would require the demolition team to be well trained and be offered with the appropriate prevention materials and guidelines. Proper conduct of the demolition work will save the university the cost of loss of other property that might be affected by poor demolition of the particular building like the damage to the surrounding buildings. Having fire plan and enough fire extinguishers would help in dealing with any likely fire in the building during the demolition work (Hallowell et al. 2011, 421). Ensuring that all the involved workers are taking the necessary precautions helps in reducing the likely risks and leads to success of the demolition work. Having silencers, helmets, and other protective clothing would help the demolition team to retain their health even after the demolition work. Ultimately, understanding the condition of the building would be effective enough to prevent uncontrolled collapse of the building structure (Manu et al. 2010, 690). It is widely realized that erecting a strong and heightened fence around the building would be effective in prevention of falls of roofs and other building and concrete structures away from the building location (Shaurette 2010, 138). General inspection of the applied tools, equipments, and consultation from the experienced and registered engineer would lead to success of the demolition work in the Chandler Building. In addition, proper conduct of the demolition work would retain the nature of the building ground since the practice would prevent the damage of the ground from the demolition pressure (Hallowell 2010, 412). Conclusion and recommendations In demolition work, there are likely hazards with associated risks or consequences, such as fire, explosion, falls from height, and noise among others. Poor structure checking, the construction structures, roofs, demolition operators, mobile equipments, concrete structures, and health hazards are among the hazards associated with demolition of Chandler Building. Taking proper safety and health precautions during the demolition work would help in having a successful demolition practice and it will prevent occurrence of unexpected incidents and accidents that might influence the health and safety of demolition team. As the health & safety manager (SHM) in Democon Ltd Company, hired to demolish the Chandler building, I would recommend efficient examination of the building structure to understand its current condition before starting the demolition practice. The Democon Company’s BOD should ensure acquisition of complete report about the current nature of the building to plan on the necessary precautions taken for health and safety during the demolition work. It is important for the Democon Company workers to have access to the building a period prior the demolition practice in order to access the condition of the building and plan well on how to conduct the practice. Different floors should be dealt with differently and it is important to start with the roof of the Chandler Building going down from one floor to another. The basic activity should be disconnection of the electricity connections and examination of the underground storage tanks as well as the staircases for their stability. It is also important for the university community to be informed in advance about the demolition work to prevent movements around the streets surrounding the Chandler Building. References Feng, Y., 2013. Effect of safety investments on safety performance of building projects. Safety science, 59, pp.28-45. Gregson, N., Watkins, H. and Calestani, M., 2010. Inextinguishable fibres: demolition and the vital materialisms of asbestos. Environment and planning A., 42(5), pp.1065-1083. Hallowell, M., 2010. Safety risk perception in construction companies in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Construction management and economics, 28(4), pp.403-413. Hallowell, M., Esmaeili, B. and Chinowsky, P., 2011. Safety risk interactions among highway construction work tasks. Construction Management and Economics, 29(4), pp.417-429. Ku, K. and Mills, T., 2010. Research needs for building information modeling for construction safety. In International Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 45nd Annual Conference, Boston, MA. Manu, P., Ankrah, N., Proverbs, D. and Suresh, S., 2010. An approach for determining the extent of contribution of construction project features to accident causation. Safety Science, 48(6), pp.687-692. Park, C.S. and Kim, H.J., 2013. A framework for construction safety management and visualization system. Automation in Construction, 33, pp.95-103. Rawlinson, F. and Farrell, P., 2010. UK construction industry site health and safety management: An examination of promotional web material as an indicator of current direction. Construction Innovation, 10(4), pp.435-446. Shaurette, M., 2010. Safety and health education for demolition and reconstruction. Proceedings of the ICE-Management, Procurement and Law, 164(3), pp.129-138. Read More