Occupational risk index for assessment of risk in construction work by activity

The concern for occupational health and safety in construction work is reflected in the many preventive measures taken. However, examples of the systematic assessment of project alternatives aimed at minimizing occupational hazards are rare. This paper proposes a measure of occupational safety [occu...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Casanovas Rubio, Maria del Mar|||0000-0001-5265-9606, Armengou, Jaume, Ramos Schneider, Gonzalo|||0000-0002-7263-8471
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/23233
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/23233
https://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000785
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Occupational safety
Occupational Health
Construction industry--Risk management
Construction industry--Security measures
Risk management
Safety
Construction management
Assessment
Occupational health
Design
Labor and personnel issues
Seguretat en el treball -- Avaluació
Indústria de la construcció -- Mesures de seguretat
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Edificació::Seguretat en la construcció
Descripción
Sumario:The concern for occupational health and safety in construction work is reflected in the many preventive measures taken. However, examples of the systematic assessment of project alternatives aimed at minimizing occupational hazards are rare. This paper proposes a measure of occupational safety [occupational risk index (ORI)] that is based solely on the project design and resulting construction process, and is a function of the activities carried out and their specific occupational risk (probability and consequences of occurrence). The ORI can thus be used as an indicator to feed multicriteria decision-analysis tools. The proposal is illustrated with a simple example in which two alternatives (one precast and the other constructed in situ) are prioritized in terms of occupational safety, and certain aspects related to redesign are briefly addressed. With the ORI, occupational safety goes from having a passive influence (application to projects that have already been designed) to an active one (influence on the design concept itself) in the design stage of construction projects. The research is based on an analysis of the applicable legislation and interviews with experts.