COMMENT
14 CONSTRUCTION WEEK JULY 2019
H
igh-rise buildings are the current
trend because of its convenience,
advantages, architectural design,
grade and luxury. With many
property developers across the
globe developing skyscrapers of 150-200 me-
tres and more, an increasingly pressing question
of safety has been surfacing.
The most obvious accidents in the high-rise
construction include falling debris, trips and
slips, ladder fall, falling from heights, crane and
heist operation, electrical shock and accidents
with machinery. These accidents often result in
disability and at times even death of staff.
However, there can be measures taken to avoid
or prevent these accidents on site. These mea-
sures include:- Safety management: Depending on the size
and complexity of building construction proj-
ect, safety committee should be constituted
to manage all safety related affairs. The safety
committee should deal with all the safety re-
lated issues through well-structured agenda,
in the meetings and all safety related mea-
sures installed at the site and implementation
thereof shall be periodically reviewed. - Excavation and foundation work: All excavat-
ing tools shall be kept far away from the edge
of the trench. Proximity of buildings, crushed
rocks, sand, piles of lumber, and other con-
struction materials, large trees, etc. may im-
pose paddings on the side of the trench to
cause sliding, etc. - Construction of walls and floors: Before mak-
ing an opening in an existing wall, adequate
support against the collapse or cracking of the
wall portion above the opening or roof or ad-
joining walls shall be provided. Staging should
be of full length of the wall opening. The form-
work provided for the horizontal projections
out of the wall should not be removed until
walls, or other stabilising construction, pro-
vide protection against overturning. It must be
ensured that joints in corrugated galvanised
iron or asbestos cement sheets are kept se-
cured in position and sheets do not slip. Walk-
ing on asbestos cement sheets should not be
allowed. Each floor hole should be guarded
by a railing with toe board, or a hinged cover.
Every ladder way floor opening or platform
should be guarded by a guard railing with toe
board except at entrance to opening.- Concrete work: Workmen involved in concrete
work should be provided with safety gear, es-
pecially when concrete pumps, or precast ele-
ments are used. Precast piles must be lifted and
driven by skilled workmen under supervision.
Temporary fencing should be created around
heavy equipment outlining the danger zone.- Formwork and scaffolding: They should
be tied to vertical members resting on a firm
floor. Wooden planks or steel sheets should
be placed across flat poles to provide suitable
footrest and transport construction materials.
The formwork must be rigidly braced so as
not to bulge or sag when concrete is placed. - Electrification, equipment, and operations:
All wiring systems must be designed by an
engineer. All temporary wiring should be done
by a license holding electrician. All electrical
circuits, other than those required for illu-
minating the site at night, must be switched
off daily. The machinery shall be operated by
competent operators only.
- Formwork and scaffolding: They should
SAFETY TIPSFOR HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
The author is
president, business
development
& marketing,
Capacit’e
Infraprojects.
Tushar Srivastava lists out some of the safety measures that developers
can take during construction of high-rises