Everyone is Responsible - Zero Tolerance to Site Risks to Protect Lives

At the beginning of the New Year, we send well wishes for a smooth year ahead. However, it is saddening to learn that multiple accidents occurred already, a few of them are suspected to be related to lifting and working at height, causing injuries and taking lives.

Before the start of the New Year holidays, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) organised a webinar to remind the industry that the following six weeks will be a super high risk period, construction sites should never rush or continue their work if they are understaffed. Despite multiple reminders, accidents still happened and lives were lost, hurting not only the deceased but also their beloved families. The CIC is enraged as the occurrence of multiple accidents unveils the long term ignorance of management and frontline staff on construction risks.

Again, the CIC urges everyone in the construction industry to never turn a blind eye to the accidents. Each of the construction practitioners—including clients, contractors, management, supervisors, and front-line workers—bears the responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone. Even the tiniest negligence could take precious lives and destroy happy families!

In the coming weeks, the CIC implores all management of owners and contractors to arrange site visits to all your sites, to ensure all risks are eliminated. There is no such thing as luck, it is a must to remind frontline staff to never rush and stay attentive at all times! Management must also closely monitor the manpower planning of construction sites and be decisive to halt their work. If the construction industry continues to stay ignorant, accidents will continue, making you the perpetrator of the injuries, deaths as well as their broken families.

Bear in mind the below 4 Important Checks:

Working at height - All scaffolding and working platforms should be inspected by a competent person ensuring that the stability and conditions are in order. All holes and openings should be guarded by a rigid railing and toe-board.
Lifting Operation – All lifting appliances and lifting gears should be inspected by a competent person. Overall review the lifting plan that makes sure it is adequate consideration of safety factors e.g. site layout, logistic & lifting route, plant capacity.
Electrical – All temporary electrical appliances should be inspected by a registered electric worker to ensure the functions of residual current devices and miniature circuit breakers are in order. Properly planning and implementing of the lockout and tagout system when carrying out any installation or repair works related to the electric circuit system.
Temporary Works – All temporary works should be checked by the appointed coordinator and/or professional engineer to ensure that the structures of the temporary works have followed the design requirements.

This is only the fourth working day after the New Year holidays. This is the wish from the whole construction industry that there will not be any more accident reports starting from today. Dear fellow construction practitioners, please, work with the CIC to undertake extra safety precautionary measures and understand your responsibility in construction safety. There is just one simple wish – let all go home safely after work with a peace of mind.