Category: Civil Engineering

Safety Engineering means, study of the causes and the prevention of accidental deaths and injuries safety engineering is an engineering discipline it assures that engineered systems provide acceptable levels of safety. It is very important to analysis about this one. We have a great responsibility to know about this fact because engineers must deal with risks and uncertainties as a part of their professional work. It not only Contain physical safety, it contains mental safety also. Although every engineering field are needed safe, specially civil engineering takes a main part of safety engineering

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridge, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.

Safety engineering is a processing that is buildup work places to prevent mental and physical accidents. Engineering safety concepts gives acceptable approaches and modes for reduce of prevent accidents by using a hazards management process.

Engineers’ work sites and factories are always Surround with machineries, dangerous elements and chemicals which are caused for injury or death. So we have to take compulsory actions to this.

Safety in Civil Construction

Engineers make the infrastructure reliable for people healthy and quality life. Construction is a honoring and rewarding word to us but It is very needed. I mean, it wants occur habitually. On construction sites, According to past records which has shown that hazards can be reduced to same extent awareness of hazards the safety and profitability of construction activities.

In civil engineering Deaths, injuries and illness are making it as mast hazardous work. For humanitarian reasons to prevent personal loss and injuries, we want move attention and awareness in construction site. The main reason for loss are negligence, carelessness, ignorance and etc. Especially structural failure during construction of buildings and bridge make massive deaths. The main reasons of structural failure during construction are: over construction loading, material weakness, improper formatting and nature disaster some temper construction jobs such as excavation site jobs receive a main attention. Engineers should be care and aware about this temporary hazards.

Sources of accidents and it’s causes

If we intend to prevent something the best thing and way is deal with it from it’s beginning stage. When we analysis of their origin. We can solve the problems very easily An efficient control on safety can be accomplished if we have a better knowledge of the causes and sources of accidents. All construction sites work are incomparable it’s mean each are unique with site specific issues, following things are the common and main considerations which are kept in mind to improve construction field safety.

• wrong prevision of all weights that could be applied to a building during construction works.
• Design engineers made some certain assumption about building construction. if others not communicated with the proper way. Site operations may lead to calamitous results.
• There some construction sequencing is very important thing to conserve the durability of some incomplete structures.
• In some construction works, some materials like concrete or steel bars might not have the compulsory strength. Assemblies of steel and timber depend on temporary field connections. if the materials are weak. It causes to many construction accidents.
• There are Countless examples for construction strength failures, under bath gravity and lateral loads, in buildings that would have been safe if the final connections had been completed. These are particularly dangerous because they fail suddenly without any warning.
• Roof structures of a construction system is always make troubles. It means, It always fails. Because, before they braced or sheathed they often fail. Long, tall, slender trusses and arches require temporary bracing to hold them in position. We must read user manuals before use it. Although the truss manufacturers provide handling instructions but these are always ignored by users.
• Expect the above mentioned causes, majority of the hazards at construction sites are accrued due to lack of awareness and concentration in workers, casual approach of the engineers towards safety lack of trained workers and inappropriate safety and hazards management system.

Importance of safety civil Engineering

Before any construction works gets underway health and safety is most important thing we must take. We must make sure that all the things of safety have been perfect before we step foot on the construction site. Health and safety in construction sites are especially needed and very important because the hazardous situations can be dangerous at some times.

According to statistics 3% of all construction site works in the United Kingdom are effected with injuries and 4% of all construction site workers are effected with illness. This is a main problem to builders and engineers. It means big loss in working hours also workers are not happy with in their works and they cannot get self satisfaction in their job. There are some important reasons why health and safety is important at the work place.

Injuries and illness in Construction

According to the last year, 84 workers fatally injured in the construction site which is still as a fatally large and unreachable falls number. Many accidents were occurred by slips and in the construction sites. But huge numbers of workers were injured during handling over weights and falling from a height in construction buildings. There are two ways to prevent and reduce these accidents in construction sites.

Training

There are so many accidents are occurred on the construction site as the workers had not the compulsory training before they start their project Engineers, contractors and builders should make sure that employees are well-trained and they are aware of the risk on the construction site.

Tools

Safety tools may also make a safety in construction site. It means, they can avoid hazards and accidents. Safety clothing also can help to reduce the huge accidents in the working site.

Businesses are responsible

If construction companies do not have a correct and adequate process in work site then they will most likely be breaking the law. It means that their business could be fined, sued, even banned from operating depending on the level of risk. HSE(health safety and environment) which is responsibility for the observance and production of occupational health and safety rules and regulations along with environment production. When HSE find that the construction site has not kept healthy and safety regulations, they can take necessary action against that construction company. When a worker feels that he do not safe or healthy ha can inform to HSE and they will take a investigation against company about that issue. If a worker is seriously injured on the construction site, the company which is agreed for the particular project must be halted for a investigation.

Business can benefit

We should not think that only health and safety is important to prevent injuries, illness and death. There are a plenty of other long term benefits that a business stands to get.

Construction field is the first place in death rates when developing countries. According to many studies, we can see that the construction filed is the most risky sector than comparing with other sectors.

When we observe the statistics of Turkish social security Institution, It is in the first place with comparing with other engineering field with 9209 accidents. In total occupational accidents, IT is 12.29%, 34% of the deaths caused by construction sites occupational. (Social Administration, 2012)

So If we reduce and prevent occupational accidents. We can reduce these kinds of losses. There are no extinctive records on the money losses of accidents for construction companies in Turkey. However In a record which was published in 2008. It has told that 1.6% of the total added-value in a contract, value is used to occupational accidents. (0 fluoglu, 2011) It is specified that the death rate is 730 for 10 million working hours in whole sectors while rate is 1430 in construction sector. One employee becomes ‘disabled’ (Arioglu, 2002) when 10 million gross of national product contribute to economy. According to this dates and studies we can come to a coclution that is, the accidents can cause to many losses in terms of operation and social safety system and focused on the importance prevention studies.

Solutions and Tips for manage hazards

Safety control measures

The main varrier to be tackled to defend construction sites accidents, deaths and any other hazards including lack of well delimited contractual responsibility of safety, lack of an industry wide agreement on sharing of responsibility, and lack of general and site safety trained workers. At these all, employees are more responsible for their own action and safety. It is an unavoidable truth also.

Clients must assume an active role in project safety by handing over liability and authority of over all work safety to a particular organization or self experienced in handing that work.

· Reductions in hazard with reduced probability in dangerous accidents

• Marking safety performance as a perfect factor for contractor selection
• Allocating a self or organization the reliability for developing a coordinated project safety plan and monitor safety performance during work.
• Make sure that health and safety file, contributed at the beginning stage of project is maintained available for uses.

Builders and Engineers have the following liabilities

• Is there needed any measurement in construction site suggest any particular safety measurement.
• Defining the safety instructions and roles, get acceptable agreement from all types of parties on their role allocation and pass on any relevant safety-related information.
• The safety roles and their liabilities should be still relevant and more effective thus, they must be regularly reviewed to ensure.
• The engineers are the in charge of the work at a construction site so they have a great responsibility. That is, as the person in charge he may observe and inspire the workers to wear all safety codes to reduce accidents.

A construction company and a contractor have the following responsibilities

Contractors should provide the compulsory safe to works. And they should make sure that all employees who work under their administration are feeling safe. They must maintain the safety of all works and must offer the safety dresses and safety equipments. Providing the appropriate safety training to workers on particular accidents they may encounter. Contractors must develop and implement a safety programmed to their workers. At the time only workers can make sure their safety n the particular project work. Contractors want to approach a proper way to make sure their workers’ safety.

In addition to these all employee on work are personal responsibilities about their safety after they have got a proper training in their every action. They must understand the basic and common safety rules. They should wear the required clothing, equipment and safety devices. They must be away from drugs such as alcohol in working period.

Some construction Site Safety Tips

It is very useful to give some construction site safety tips for employers. The following safety tips which are provided by OSHA (Occupational safety and Health Administration) These are most frequently cited standards in construction.

Duty to have fall protection

Duty to have fall protection is the most cited standard in construction filed. It is one of the leading factor which is caused to many deaths in work. Engineers are needed to do a better job about this factor.

Workers must train themselves with all potential fall hazards on a construction site. Do not work in a place where are fall protection is not at good and safe level. The lanyard must be short enough to prevent the worker from making contact a lower level in the event of fall.

Employers must provide fall protection system to their workers on working surfaces with unsafety sides or edges that are six feet above lower level. Employers are asked to protect their workers from falling by installing toe boards, screens or guardrails, erecting canopies

Scaffolds

Scaffolds is a very important thing in a construction site In all construction workers 65% of them using scaffolds.

Workers must wear hard hats when they are working on scaffolds and they should wear sturdy, non-skid work boots and tool lanyards when they are on scaffolds to prevent from hazards and accidents. when workers on a scaffold, It is good to prohibit from using boxes and ladders to increase their height. They do not load the scaffold with overweight. It is good to keep tools and equipments at the center of the scaffold and never leave them end of a shift. employers must care about this, It mean scaffolding should be handled by a competent and well-trained person. This particular person should make sure that there is no any problem in it and ready to use it. scaffolding keep 10 feet away from power lines.

Stairways and ladders

Improper ladder in a construction site is caused to many injuries and accidents. Improper ladder choices, failure to properly secure the ladder are reasons for ladder falls.

There some proper ways to handle a ladder in correct way. Always keep three points of contact while climbing on a leader. It is both left and right feet and at least a hand. Workers must tie ladder to a correct point at the bottom and top. While bring tools and equipment by climbing on a ladder use tool belt or proper rope. When you use rope pull the things after you reach height. Do not load ladder with over weight than their rater capacity. A competent person must check all ladders before use all day. Repaired ladders should carry out or should mark with red colour until they come to it’s usual. All larboards should trained how use ladders in a proper way There are many kinds of ladders, fixed ladders and portable ladders. All these kind of ladders should conform to occupational safety and health Administration (OSHA) standards.

Toxic and Hazardous substances – Hazard Communication

This is a common industry standard that focuses on requirements for employers that have dangerous chemicals in their work site. Lead, silica, asbestos and treated wood or wood dust are some examples for hardous substance which can be observed in word places. Some building substance also contains hazardous chemicals and element such as Zinc, cadmium, beryllium and mercury. Workers who handle these kind of substance must read the MSDS (Material safety Data Sheets) and user manuals before they use it in construction areas. When workers handling or using hazardous chemicals they should make sure that, they wore PPE.

Employers should conduct a communication programme about hazardous chemicals which are usually used in work places. Because, A report tells that most of permanent disabilities and diseases are occurred by careless of the workers. All hazardous subtractions must be shown how to handle it. So it is impotent to well-train workers against these dangerous substances

Personal protective and life saving equipment

OSHA recently updated their standard eye covering and face protection in construction. They require the workers to wear eye and face protection when workers handle with flying substance, liquid chemicals, acid. Chemical gasses, light radiation and etc. You are recommended to wear these protection items some works must need eye protection such a welding, grinding, wood working, chipping and sanding. Eye and face protection must be kept clean without any dusts. Employers are asked to distribute Eye and face protection for free of charge.

Conclusions

Hazard identification is very important to building construction safety. A good and effective safety management system is a needed thing to construction site. Considering different things of the subject matter it may be said that importance of safety in construction can’t be over looked

There are a lot of workers and employers are death due to this factor. According to a study, Engineering is identified as a dangerous job. It is in the list where the most 10 dangerous works in the list. Especially civil engineering is very dangerous job. Even if civil engineers are important to our society. Because, our world going through a developments path. Today civil engineers’ works are very important.

Most of the accidents and hazards are occurred by careless and by improper tools and equipments. As the future engineers we have a great responsibility to study about this fact. Me must care about this and as a employee we must trained the workers who work under us so “safety engineering” concept is a important aspect today and it is a suitable topic to future engineers. so we must work with safe by knowing all about this course.

My report is based on the topic safety engineering under the construction field as also known as civil engineering. First of all let me give you a brief description about engineering. Even though there are many definitions, simply engineering is science, innovation and technology with design, machines and structures. Engineering uses math, science, especially physics, chemistry and computing, electronics and construction, to improve the world around us. Engineering is also quite clearly a problem-solving process. It clearly is made up of business organizations trading goods and services for money and they must make some profit to survive. Society needs and expects food, clothing, power supplies, shelter, transport systems, and accommodation and so on. All of these require an infrastructure of engineered products. The engineer has a different set of problems than that of the scientist. In planing and building a structure, for instance, the engineer has problems about which decisions must be made. If adequate data are not available then judgment and experience must be used to overcome the difficulty. Therefore there is no choice-a decision must be made. The research scientist is not forced to make practical decisions about matters that are both central to his purpose and highly uncertain. For the engineer, experience and judgment must take over when scientific knowledge fails.

We know that there are so many engineering fields, such as Electronic, Electrical, Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, Marine, Mining, CS, Environmental, Textile and so on. Mainly electronic and electrical fields deal with electricity so obviously they are hazardous; in addition, chemical engineering field deals with chemicals; in fact, there may be threats for the physical health conditions. In construction fields obviously there are so many hazards. As Sri Lankans, we know that Sri Lanka is a developing country therefore basically construction field plays a major role in engineering fields in Sri Lanka. In addition, according to my opinion it is one of the most unsafe engineering fields in the world. Therefore it is better to talk safety about in civil engineering.

Construction engineering field basically works with building roads, dams, canals, airports, bridges, railways, towers and so on. And also, we know that literally it is about civil engineering. Civil engineering influences a large number of our every day things. The structures we live in and work in, the transportation offices we use, the water we drink, and the seepage and sewage frameworks that are important to our safety and prosperity are some of them. Civil engineers measure and map the earth’s surface, design and supervise the construction of bridges, tunnels, large buildings, dams, and coastal structures, plan, layout, construct, and maintain railroads, highways, and airports, devise systems for the control and efficient flow of traffic, plan and build river navigation and flood control projects, provide plants and systems for water supply and sewage and refuse disposal. Therefore it is clear that civil engineers are in risk of doing mostly unsafe constructions. Our developments, while they might be essentially for safe house or transportation, regularly incorporate stylish contacts that are there to make us like what we have manufactured. Thus, bridges have geometrical designs intended to support weight, but they also have an artistic detailing that defines the era in which they were built. In developing structures, bridges, civil engineers work with planners to build up the presence of the structure. Appalling structures speak to a fizzled correspondence between the two experts, a building that tumbles down, or can not be kept up, additionally speaks to a disappointment, however one that the structural architect could have forestalled. Civil engineering is considerably more than raising high rises or scaffolds. Most water treatment is structured and developed by civil engineers.

Let move on to the term safety. What is safety? Basically safety is the condition of being protected from harm; and also recognizing hazards in tolerable risk levels as well as situations. We know that Engineering is obviously a practical subject. Therefore, it is clear as engineers they should have to face hazards; in fact, it could be worse. Therefore, considering safety is a must in engineering disciplines. When dealing with the subject of safety in the engineering context, we may loosely divide it into two aspects – safety at the workplace and a career as a safety engineering professional – though the two are closely interlinked. Safety engineering aims to manage risk in the workplace by eliminating or reducing it to acceptable levels. As its name implies, safety engineering is about reducing failure, it so that the consequences will not be life-threatening.

Let we consider about the importance of risk management in safety engineering. As we talking about civil engineering; therefore, we will mainly talk about risk management in civil engineering field. Risk Management is a deliberate way to look at zones of risk in a certain project deliberately and decide how each ought to be dealt with. It is an administration apparatus that points to recognize the wellsprings of hazard and vulnerability, to decide their effect and to create reactions to the heading. A systematic evaluation of risk management has been divided into four. Classification of risks, identification of risks, risk analysis and risk response. Risk identification figures out what could happen that could influence the task goals and how these things can occur. The benefits of the procedure of risk management process improvement and the executives of construction projects and the effective utilization of resources. For construction projects, there are lot of number of features of hazards and misfortunes just as the unpredictable connections that impact it. Convoluted connections incorporate direct, indirect, obvious, suggested or unforeseeable dangers. Quality goals, destinations of time, cost targets are the three destinations of the venture the executives. In the construction project, the point of time is intently and inseparably connected to the objective expense. Subsequently the hazard and misfortune the board of the development time frame is a key component in the administration of construction risks or risks. Before risk can be managed clearly, it must first be identified. Then described, after that evaluated it.

Safety in the civil engineering

Engineering is a part of the science. Both Scientists and Engineers studies science. Scientists study real world and they discovers the theories of science. But Engineer has to apply science and mathematics theories to their projects. Applying science to the real world is tougher process. That process contains lots of risks and uncertainties. Each engineering department has various varieties of hazards. Some of the hazards are same for all. Here let’s give our attention to safety in civil engineering. Civil engineers give lots of efforts to construct highways, bridges, tunnels, dams, stadiums, museums, airports and etc. Genrally projects of civil engineering wants lots of construction works. They require more site works than lab works. That may result hazardous conditions. When you compare to other departments, civil engineers have to work in more dangerous conditions. Let’s focous on how we can manage the hazards in this site.

Introduction to safety engineering and its principles

Risk is the possibility or chance for the failure. Hazard is property or ability which causes harm to human or a process. We always mix these two things. Risk is all about future possibility whereas harmful things are included in the hazards. No enough of safety procedure makes high chances for accidents or disasters. Identifying the hazards before the beginning of project and making proper steps to prevent the risks from occurring is called as safety engineering. Safety engineering creates workplaces safer to reduce accidents. Safety engineering is all about researching on the hazards and decreasing the hazards from happening. By implicating proper risk management process, hazards can be minimized. Safety engineering lets workers to work in safer site.

Confirming construction site is safer enough, supervising the construction works, teaching the workers on safety procedures, reporting the accidents, testing the buildings and equipment and identifying and solving the hazards are the most usual aspects of safety engineering in civil departments. Management, Safety officers and engineers should have knowledge to how to handle the risks. They should know about all the hazards and safety equipment. Management must be updated to the latest rules and regulations for safety equipments. They should know how to handle the toxic materials. They should be capable of giving first-aids. Communication skills are so important. So these skills are essential for a person who ensures the safety.

To decrease or eliminate the hazards, management must use the hazard management principles. There are three principles in safety engineering. They are

• Hazard identification
• Hazard evolution
• Hazard control

Hazard identification

Any problem can’t be solved without identifying it properly. Not identifying the hazards is one main reason for many accidents in the site. Management should watch how employees are working, how equipment and machines are handled. Management should know what are substances are used in the work. If something is wrong, then management should inspect the problem. Management should research the plan and design well. If some parts of the plan are wrong, plan must be corrected. If plan and execution are different, management should take proper action. Management also want to see past hazard records. They should confirm whether those hazards are managed properly. If some hazards are not treated, then they also have to be added in the hazard lists. Workers are dealing with the buildings and machines, not management. So workers know hazards that still alive in the construction site are. So management should talk to the workers. Conducting regular meetings with the workers and taking surveys are good steps of getting the opinions of workers. Asking specialists who have wide knowledge regarding safety and hazard management, to identify any kind of hazard in the construction site is a good idea. Reading manual hand book of machines and vehicles are also a way to find the hazards on them. So management will identify hazard by implementing above processes.

Hazard evolution

After identifying the hazards, management should have to analyze on each hazard. Experts will analyze the hazards. They will explore the factors which lead to the hazard. They will study on the impacts of every risk. Possible injuries, possible deaths and possible damages due to the hazard are predicted. And the costs will be calculated. Future impacts also should be predicted. They will analyse about possibility of hazard. They will analyze whether old hazard management system is enough to manage the hazard. Management should find about the actions that should be taken necessary to reduce or remove the hazard. Management finds how and when they need to take necessary steps.

Hazard control

After identifying and analysing hazards, management try to decrease the hazard. The controlling process must be processed immediately. Management will implement the actions. This process should be monitored carefully. After the hazard control process management must confirm that hazard is fully removed or decreased to the level that is possible.

Let’s see few examples how management should make use of this risk management principle.

• Principles
• Actions
• Hazard identification

In meetings, workers say that they are affected by the lung diseases and they complain that air is not good in the working site.

Hazard evolution

Management collects air samples in different sites. They test the samples. They feel that this hazard can’t be avoidable They research how to reduce the hazard.

Hazard control

Workers are advised to wear goggles and masks. Management makes some procedures to reduce the air pollution level.

Principles

Actions

Hazard identification

Management see previous death records. They feel that working at heights produces more accidents frequently.

Hazard evolution

So management mark this problem as important. They test the old safety system and finds that safety system is unable to stop accidents.

Hazard control

Management repairs the safety system. They provide different positioning systems to workers to avoid accidents.

Principles

Actions

Hazard identification

Supervisor notice that workers who are dealing with asbestos have no safety.

Hazard evolution

Management knows that asbestos may produce bad long-term effects in human body. So they find good solutions quickly as this an important issue.

Hazard control

Management advised to store the asbestos in rural place with a danger safety signs. They provide appropriate PPEs to the workers who deal with asbestos.

Principles

Actions

Hazard identification

Supervisor notice that workers are smoking cigarettes in the construction site.

Hazard evolution

Management know that this is dangerous in construction site. Chemicals and toxic gases may catch the fire easily. So this will make big fire accidents in whole construction.

Hazard control

Management conducts the meeting with workers and explains about the harmfulness of smoking in the site. Management should strictly punish the workers who smoke.

Necessary of risk management

Risk management is a necessary process in every construction project. If a worker dies or gets injury because of lack of safety, Construction Company or owner should take responsibility. According to civil law, they should provide worker compensation. They should give all the money for the medical treatments. They have to pay lot of money as fine to the government or responsible organization like OSHA. Valuable Construction assets such as buildings, vehicles and other construction equipments may break or may go to unusable stage. Schedules may be postponed due to these issues. So construction expenses will increase lot. Complete the buildings with the client’s budget will be harder job. So reducing these expenses is so important. So risk management is essential when we see from an economic view.

Let’s consider this factor in legal view. When construction owners want to take responsibility for a human injury or death due to the bad safety quality, they have to answer to the government or responsible organization regarding the accident. Laws always support labors. So they have to answer to worker compensation laws. They have to answer to Medias and people. Brand name value of their business may decrease. So as a construction owner, it is important to stop these problems. So they should provide great amount of safety.

Everyone should have general liability. Workers are doing their job for employer’s construction. They enter to the construction site even though they know construction works are fulfilled of risks. So employers should respect them. They are working loyally to employers. So it is important for employer to provide many safety procedures. Buying safety equipment are cheaper than spending lots of money on these issues.

Construction hazards may result Fatalities, injuries and property damages. Each year several thousands of workers are dead while working in construction sites. Value of a human is immeasurable. Human loss or injury can affect their family and their community. Human health is being affected lot due to the bad environment in construction site. We always forget to focus on problems that continue long term. Even if a worker escapes from these injuries or deaths, he /she have to face long term problems. Construction site is highly polluted area. Contaminated air has impure, poisonous and polluting substances such as Toxic gases, mists solid particles, and volatile organic substances. So due to the bad environment, employees get bad diseases. Poor air circulation and bad surrounding temperature also affect the health. This will continue generations to generation. Their average life time is reducing. They will not spend lot of money for their health because they only earn some money. So health of an employee’s community reaches poor stage. So bringing safety engineering concept is the only route to reduce these issues.

We have seen that accidents produce lots of issues. Risks cause accidents. So we want to decrease the risks. Risks can’t be reduced to zero. But we should try to minimize the amount of risks. We will talk about risk management process that is agreed globally. We will discuss on the important hazards, Safety equipments. We will see how to get out from the hazards.

Risk management

· Personal protective equipment – PPE

Very first thing that must be done before entering a construction site is; employees should wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE is the collection of safety equipment which will assist employee to prevent from hazards. PPE consist Helmets, Safety shoes, Safety Jacket, Safety gloves, Safety goggles, Safety belts and etc. When construction work going above you, Safety helmets protects head from falling objects. Helmets have various types of suspension mechanism to absorb the shock. Toes are the most susceptible part against a falling object after head. Safety shoes prevents from falling objects, sharp objects, electrical shock and bad chemicals.

Safety Jacket will include a perceptible color that can be easily differentiable by human eye from any background. It is very useful equipment when working in low light to identify the human occurrence in the construction site. When an employee wants to handle the harmful materials, appropriate Safety gloves should be worn. When doing hazardous works such as welding, chipping and work involving dust, should wear safety goggles to protect their eyes. It prevents dust particles, liquids or chemicals from striking directly to the eyes. Two types of earmuffs are being used. Acoustic earmuffs (ear defenders) are used to get protection for ears from heavy noise. Thermal earmuffs are used to keep the employee’s ear warm in cold conditions. Safety belts reduce the possibility of a vertical free fall.

· Working at heights

Working at heights causes more accidents than other hazards. In civil engineering, Working at the heights is not avoidable. When dealing with fragile roofs, worker must be careful. It causes lots of accidents. During roof works, workers may lose balance because of wind or their mistake. Falling while working at heights may lead to serious injury. It is better to avoid working at heights if possible. Personal fall arrest system, Personnel riding systems, Restraint, Safety nets, work positioning system and Retrieval system are few examples of the safety equipments that will decrease the hazards when working at heights. Fall arrest system can absorb huge amount of force and can save the worker from falling. Work positioning system is used when worker has to use his both hands during working at heights. Retrieval system or rescue system helps workers who work in tanks, manholes, etc in emergency. Quality of these systems should be regularly inspected before the works. Workers should wear Appropriate fall safety system during the works.

· Working on scaffolds and aerial lifts

Working on scaffolds and aerial lifts also has more chances of falling. Hard hats, boots and other suitable PPTs should be worn when working on scaffolds. Workers should not exceed the maximum weight of scaffolds. Using ladders, other equipment to raise the heights is dangerous in scaffolds. When working on aerial lifts, workers must be well trained well. Structural failures and electric shock are the main hazards in aerial lifts. Operator of aerial lift should be well trained. Specialist should inspect the machine every day. Only trained and skilful workers should work on aerial lifts.

· Ladders

Working on ladders causes more accidents in the construction site. Ladders have many varieties to do different kind of works. Not using proper ladders is one of the main reasons for these accidents. Loading more weight than limit is dangerous. Ladders which have poor quality should be labeled and brought out of construction site. Maintain both feet contact and a hand contact with ladder while using provides extra safety. Portable ladders must be fixed stable with the ground to skip sliding. Climbing in a ladder with equipment in hand should be avoided.

· Slips

Slips are very usual in construction sites. Uneven surfaces, ruts, holes, trenches, obstacles, wet surfaces, slippery surfaces and trailing cables are few of the examples of slips in the construction site. This causes many injuries in both ground level and heights. It is better to walk slowly and carefully when the ground is soft or wet. Employees should know the places where the slippery conditions are located. Temporary caution tape covering must be covered surrounding these places. It is important to wear the safety shoes when working in these places. Providing good lane to walk and providing lighting will reduce the hazard. Areas containing mud should be replaced with stones. Employees should remove the unnecessary items after the work. Providing barriers both sides of stairwells could decrease accidents. Steps should contain constant various rise and depth with clear edges.

· Moving objects

Moving objects like supply vehicles, lifting equipment and excavators can be commonly seen in sites. These objects have higher chance of collide with employees. Drivers of heavy vehicles should be well trained. They should maintain low speed in construction sites and they should use different kinds of notification such as warning lights and sounds. Employees must wear PPEs like high visibility jacket to make others to know that you are standing.

· Heavy noise

Heavy noise is one of the common factors in construction sites. The work of carpenters, steel workers, roofers, electricians and plumbers produces lots of sound. Heavy vehicles and construction machines produces high level sound intensity. Exposing ears to high intensive sound for long time may lead to permanent hearing loss. Employees should wear Acoustic earmuffs (ear defenders) to protect their audibility.

· Health problems

A contaminated atmosphere has impure, poisonous and polluting substances and gases. Bad diseases like Cancer, respiratory illness, asthma, Leukemia may affect human body. Management should provide good working atmosphere to workers. Construction sites generally contain hazardous things such as Lead, mercury, dusts, asbestos, and silica. Appropriate PPE should be worn to escape from these hazards. Harmful materials, chemicals and other hazardous substances should be labeled clearly. Employees must be well trained to use the harmful substances safely.

· Asbestos

Asbestos is a natural mineral fiber that is commonly used in the construction site. Asbestos releases harmful particles to air. Handling and berthing theses particles could lead to serious diseases. Asbestos is killing lots of workers each year. Workers should know where the asbestos materials are stored. Workers should not disturb the asbestos sources and they should avoid having meals near to it. When dealing with asbestos, it is necessary for the employees to wear the suitable PPEs.

· Fire accidents

Fire accidents kill many workers each year. Chemicals, gases, electrical failures and other reasons may cause fire accidents. Firefighting machines should be fixed in various parts of construction sites. Those machines should be in good working conditions. Materials that can easily catch the fire should be kept safely. Management should reduce smoking habit in the construction sites.

· Electric shocks

This is a the major reasons for the deaths in the construction site. Necessary inspection should be made before using new electrical equipment. All electrical equipments should be inspected regularly by an expert. Only qualified person must do electrical works. The places which contain high dangerous electrical wires should have danger safety signs. Exposed wires and damaged wires must be repaired quickly. Coating hand tools must be made of nonconductor substances like woods. And management should provide suitable PPE to the electrical workers.

Conclusion

We learnt on the definition of safety engineering, safety engineering principals, the importance of safety engineering, hazards and the ways to control them. We know that it is essential to make some procedures regarding safety to decrease the numbers of human loss and equipment loss. These procedures should be applied to the site. In our country, organization should be formed as responsible organization for safety engineering like OSHA. In other countries they have a special engineering department as safety engineering. But in our country, engineers should have that ability. Employees are working for employer’s construction. Both employers and employees must be loyal to both. As an employer he/she should provide the Maximum safety that is possible to the employees. As an employee he/she should know the safety procedures and should obtain to the rules of safety. By doing this both parts gets the advantage. So implementing correct safety is very important.

This report provides an outline of why railway infrastructure development is an important part of urban development and the multidisciplinary nature of its design and construction process (‘Engineering the Railway Industry,’). This report also includes an overview of a life cycle assessment of railway infrastructure, focusing specifically on the steel rail component of the track bed.

The life cycle assessment does not provide numerical data showing the environmental impact the component has during its lifetime, but rather an assessment of what the sources of environmental impact are. It was found that the parts of the steel rail’s life cycle with the greatest environmental cost are the construction and renewal processes, as well as the manufacture of the steel rails from raw components (Kiani, Ceney, & Parry, 2008). The sustainability of the steel rail’s life cycle is achieved by the relatively long lifetime of the steel rails, requiring them to only be installed and dismantled every 20-30 years. Another important sustainability strategy is the recycling of old steel rails, allowing up to 85% of the old steel rails to be remade and used again (Kiani et al., 2008).

The multidisciplinary nature of the development of the railway track was evident in the need for the professional knowledge and cooperation of engineers of many disciplines – primarily electrical, mechanical, civil, and computer – to successfully complete such a large project. These engineers are not only in charge of the technical aspects of design and construction, but they must also be able to manage and oversee the construction of their designed components (United States Department of Labour, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c, 2019d).

Introduction:

Railway infrastructure is an integral part of urban development. Freight railways decrease both the cost and environmental impact of transporting commodities (Australian Railway Association, 2017), while passenger railways can support the development of new real estate land. Passenger railways are becoming an increasingly essential mode of transport as CBDs continue to develop and apartment and townhouse living become more commonplace (Australian Government, 2017), making it an essential part of urbanization. Most importantly, both freight and passenger railways can reduce road congestion and carbon emissions and support the growth of the nation as a whole, helping improve employment, wages, and GDP (Australian Railway Association, 2017).

The design, construction, and operation of rail transport systems fall under the term ‘railway engineering. Railway engineering is a multidisciplinary line of engineering, encompassing the disciplines of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering (‘Engineering the Railway Industry,’).

Life Cycle Assessment:

A life cycle assessment is a framework used to quantify the environmental impact and evaluate the sustainability of a product during its life span, from its manufacture, transport, maintenance, and ultimately disposal (Dowling, 2016). An overview of the life cycle assessment of a ballasted railway track bed will be explored, with a focus on the steel rail component of the ballasted railway track bed.

The most common type of railway track is the ballasted track, which is composed of steel rails with rubber rail support pads on re-enforced concrete (Kiani et al., 2008), all of which are supported and held in place by a layer of granular material known as ballast, typically made from coarse stone and gravel (Bressi, Apos, Angelo, Santos, & Giunta, 2018).

This life cycle assessment will examine the environmental impact of the manufacture, transport, construction, maintenance, and the end of life processes of the steel rail’s life cycle, as shown below in figure 1. Figure 1 (Kiani et al., 2008)

The manufacture of steel rails from raw materials also has a significant environmental cost (Kiani et al., 2008). The environmental impact of manufacturing the steel rails includes not only the consumption of large amounts of electricity and emission of carbon dioxide (Burchart-Korol, 2013) but also the fact that it consumes a non-renewable resource: iron. The effect of the latter is partially counteracted by the steel’s life cycle process, as 85% of old steel rails can be recycled and remade into new rails to be used again, significantly increasing the sustainability of rail track redevelopment (Kiani et al., 2008).

During the transportation phase of the steel rail life cycle, the main source of harm to the environment is air pollution, caused by the consumption of fuel by transportation vehicles. The exact environmental impact of transportation is difficult to determine as it is dependent on the distance between the development site and the manufacturer (Kiani et al., 2008).

The construction phase of the rail tracks involves using rail laying machines to install the steel rails. The main environmental impact here is due to the carbon emissions of the machines when in use. To lay a single kilometer of steel rail would require 185 liters of diesel fuel and take 37 hours to complete (Kiani et al., 2008).

Steel rails generally have a life expectancy of 20 years but can last up to 30 years. During this 20-year period, there is typically no need for any steel rail maintenance, they are however removed and replaced at the end of their lifetime (Kiani et al., 2008). The environmental impact of replacing the steel rails is approximately twice that of when it was installed, with the main source of harm being carbon emissions from machinery. 85% of used steel rails can be recycled and remade into new steel rails, directly reducing the energy used during manufacture (Kiani et al., 2008). Scrap metal from the steel rails can also be used to make other steel items, decreasing the environmental cost of manufacturing other items (‘Uses for Recycled Scrap Metal,’ 2015). This is the most important step in achieving sustainable redevelopment of rail infrastructure as it significantly decreases the environmental cost of manufacturing the rails and helps to reduce the depletion of iron sources.

Further research has been conducted to improve the sustainability of railway infrastructure redevelopment, for example, research into using different materials for the construction of the railway track to improve the lifetime of components, reducing the frequency and in turn environmental cost of maintenance and renewal, while also being economically viable (Indraratna, Ngo, & Rujikiatkamjorn, 2017). More specifically, research has been done with the aim of finding an alternative foundation bed material to the traditional ballasted track (Giunta, Bressi, Apos, & Angelo, 2018). While the ballasted track is highly durable and relatively quiet (Yi, 2017), the degradation of the track shape is a common issue due to the settlement of the loose ballast which causes the geometry of the track to change, resulting in the need for periodic examinations and maintenance (Bressi et al., 2018). New research attempts to find a solution to remove the need for such frequent maintenance, reducing the number of resources consumed during the life cycle of the rail track. The development of railway infrastructure also helps indirectly improve energy sustainability and reduce carbon emissions by providing a cleaner alternative mode of transport for people and for freight (Australian Railway Association, 2017).

Role of Civil engineers:

Civil engineers are the most involved in the development process of the rail track. Civil engineers must plan where and how the rail infrastructure will be constructed: considering the accessibility of the railway, the stability and strength of the foundations, possible environmental hazards, and the appropriate materials required to construct the railway (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). They also design the geometric shape of the railroad, as to ensure the smooth and safe travel of the train. These tasks are not completed by a single civil engineer but rather by many civil engineers of different sub-disciplines. For example, the surveying of the foundations to ensure they can support the planned infrastructure would be completed by a geotechnical engineer, a sub-discipline of civil engineering specializing in the study of foundations that support structures (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). While the design, construction, and operation of the railway itself would fall under the job of a construction engineer, a sub-discipline of civil engineering that specializes in the development of large infrastructure. And the design of structures such as bridges and tunnels that the railway passes through would be completed by structural engineers, engineers that are trained in the design of safe and stable structures (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). Civil engineers are also heavily involved in the construction, maintenance, and dismantling phases of the railway. They plan, organize and manage the entire project, often traveling on-site, to ensure that the project is completed on time, within budget, and most importantly, safely (United States Department of Labour, 2019a). To this end, civil engineers must be able to plan efficiently to comply with time constraints, be able to obtain and estimate project costs to stay within budget, and create comprehensive risk assessment and risk management plans (United States Department of Labour, 2019a).

Conclusion:

Railway infrastructure is an essential part of the framework of urban development that helps connect people and cities together (Australian Government, 2017). The sustainability of the steel rail’s life cycle is achieved by recycling most of the old rails for the same purpose and by requiring little to no maintenance for the steel rails during their relatively long lifespan (Kiani et al., 2008). The design and construction of a railway track require the expertise and collaboration of engineers of many different specializations. Civil engineers must not only have a comprehensive knowledge of their specialized field but also be able to work both as a part of a team and as a leader. Civil engineers must have the skills to work well as a part of a team when designing the different parts of the railway infrastructure with other engineers. They also must be an effective leader when overseeing the development of this infrastructure, requiring them to possess leadership, planning, and time management skills (United States Department of Labour, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c, 2019d).

References:

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Unit Group 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/FEC9451D12A0D9B9CA2575DF002DA5EA?opendocument
2. Australian Government. (2017). The National Rail Program: Investing in rail networks for our cities and regions. Retrieved from https://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/files/national_rail_program/national_rail_program_booklet.pdf.
3. Australian Railway Association. (2017). A Rail Industry Plan for the Benefit of Australia. Retrieved from https://ara.net.au/sites/default/files/National%20Rail%20Industry%20Plan_full%20report.pdf
4. Bressi, S., Apos, Angelo, G., Santos, J., & Giunta, M. (2018). Environmental performance analysis of bitumen stabilized ballast for railway track-bed using life-cycle assessment. Construction and Building Materials, 188, 1050-1064. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.08.175
5. Burchart-Korol, D. (2013). Life cycle assessment of steel production in Poland: a case study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 54, 235-243. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.04.031
6. Dowling, D. (2016). Engineering your future: an Australasian guide (Third edition. ed.). Milton, Qld: Wiley.
7. Engineering the Railway Industry. Retrieved from https://www.applydirect.com.au/Blog/engineering-the-railway-industry
8. Giunta, M., Bressi, S., Apos, & Angelo, G. (2018). Life cycle cost assessment of bitumen stabilized ballast: A novel maintenance strategy for railway track-bed. Construction and Building Materials, 172, 751-759. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.020
9. Indraratna, B., Ngo, N. T., & Rujikiatkamjorn, C. (2017). Improved Performance of Ballasted Rail Tracks Using Plastics and Rubber Inclusions. In Procedia Engineering (Vol. 189, pp. 207-214): Elsevier Ltd.
10. Kiani, M., Ceney, H., & Parry, T. (2008). Environmental life-cycle assessment of railway track beds. Proceedings of The Institution of Civil Engineers-engineering Sustainability – PROC INST CIV ENG-ENG SUSTAIN, 161, 135-142. doi:10.1680/ensu.2008.161.2.135
11. United States Department of Labour. (2019a). Occupational Outlook Handbook, Civil Engineers. from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/civil-engineers.htm
12. United States Department of Labour. (2019b). Occupational Outlook Handbook, Computer Hardware Engineers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mobile/computer-hardware-engineers.htm
13. United States Department of Labour. (2019c). Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/electrical-and-electronics-engineers.htm
14. United States Department of Labour. (2019d). Occupational Outlook Handbook, Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm
15. Uses for Recycled Scrap Metal. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.tucsoniron.com/uses-for-recycled-scrap-metal
16. Yi, S. (2017). Dynamic Analysis of High-Speed Railway Alignment: Theory and Practice. San Diego: Elsevier Science & Technology.

Transportation lab with an example from a student and one from the professor. I have uploaded all the necessary information for this lab, the photo uploaded is the traffic we will be using in the assignment. Please make sure to have the same number as the photo and make sure there is no plagiarism or AI detection. Again synchro is required for this assignment

Transportation lab with an example from a student and one from the professor. I have uploaded all the necessary information for this lab, the photo uploaded is the traffic we will be using in the assignment. Please make sure to have the same number as the photo and make sure there is no plagiarism or AI detection. Again synchro is required for this assignment

Transportation lab with an example from a student and one from the professor. I have uploaded all the necessary information for this lab, the photo uploaded is the traffic we will be using in the assignment. Please make sure to have the same number as the photo and make sure there is no plagiarism or AI detection. Again synchro is required for this assignment

Transportation lab with an example from a student and one from the professor. I have uploaded all the necessary information for this lab, the photo uploaded is the traffic we will be using in the assignment. Please make sure to have the same number as the photo and make sure there is no plagiarism or AI detection. Again synchro is required for this assignment

It is a civil engineering project on construction. I need a cost estimate for a new footway, culvert and foot bridge(page 31). All the information is available. I need a description of work undertaken(page 34). 

Book: Fire in the Grove by John C. Esposito
Suggested outline
The report should

Book: Fire in the Grove by John C. Esposito
Suggested outline
The report should have headings for each section, as suggested below, do not write using an essay format without the headings this will severely impact your final grade.
Front matter:
Cover page with your name and title of the book
Additional page with the table of contents
Introduction: provide a general introduction about the book and how the report is organized.
Description/Overview of the fire covered in your assigned book – include answer to item 2 above.
Most important factors influencing the fire – include answer to item 3 above.
Impacts of the Fire – include answer to item 4 above.
Relationship to builders’ place and time – include answer to item 5 above.
Lessons learned – include answer to item 6 above.
Conclusions – include your thoughts on, for example, whether a similar fire might happen today, and if so, how the design, construction, and use of similar structures might be approached differently today, and any particularly interesting thoughts or observations you have preventing a fire.
Back matter
Reference list with complete bibliographic records for any sources including the book you read.
Your review of the book (item 7), and any other relevant information you wish to include
Your report should answer the following questions:
WHAT BOOK did you read (give a full bibliographic citation, attach after report as an appendix)?
WHAT HAPPENED in this book? WHAT was built, WHERE, WHEN? Give a short summary of the structure(s)/city part/city and its intended functioning. Also, as part of this answer, explain how the WHAT, WHERE, WHEN of this fire relate to the topics discussed in terms of the different parties of the construction industry (e.g., builders, inspectors, engineers, owners, suppliers) who contributed to the severity of this fire.
WHAT were the most important factors that led to the fire and loss of lives as described in your assigned book? Consider human and social aspects of the decisions made, existing laws/regulations/requirements in place at the time of the fire, business practices, ethics. Additionally, compare and contrast how the factors you discuss in this answer relate to the factors that contributed to the recent fire in Maui, Hawaii in August of 2023.
WHAT were the impacts of the fire described in your assigned book? How did it impact the lives of people at the location where the fire happened? How did it impact the structure of the building, the city/State where it occurred? Similarly, compare and contrast how the impacts you discuss in this answer relate to the impacts that contributed to the recent fire in Maui, Hawaii in August of 2023.
HOW did the built environment influence survival in positive and negative ways? HOW innovative was the design of this particular structure(s), in terms of its methods and/or materials of construction, in terms of its environmental social impacts, and in terms of its use? Did it function in the way in which it was intended?
WHAT lessons did you learn from this book? How do they relate to existing buildings and building codes? How are these lessons used to design, build, and operate current buildings? Develop your answer using the ASCE Code of Ethics (available at https://www.asce.org/career-growth/ethics/code-of-ethicLinks to an external site.) and explain which areas of the code of ethics were violated by those who contributed to the fire and its aftermath.
Did YOU like this book? Would you recommend it to others? Produce a review of it as an object of entertainment, perhaps using a review of a book in a magazine or newspaper as an example.
I expect that you will submit this information in a 5-6 page written report (not counting any front or back matter, see details below). You should use Times New Roman, 12-point font, space-and-a-half, 1-inch margins all around. Number your pages. Spelling, grammar, and presentation will be graded. Also, use the following checklist to make sure your report meet what is expected from this assignment: Suggested outline
The report should have headings for each section, as suggested below, do not write using an essay format without the headings this will severely impact your final grade.Front matter:Cover page with your name and title of the book
Additional page with the table of contents
Introduction: provide a general introduction about the book and how the report is organized.Description/Overview of the fire covered in your assigned book – include answer to item 2 above.Most important factors influencing the fire – include answer to item 3 above.Impacts of the Fire – include answer to item 4 above.Relationship to builders’ place and time – include answer to item 5 above.Lessons learned – include answer to item 6 above.Conclusions – include your thoughts on, for example, whether a similar fire might happen today, and if so, how the design, construction, and use of similar structures might be approached differently today, and any particularly interesting thoughts or observations you have preventing a fire.Back matterReference list with complete bibliographic records for any sources including the book you read.
Your review of the book (item 7), and any other relevant information you wish to include.