Essay On Health And Safety In The Canadian Construction Industry

The construction sector serves a significant role in Canada’s economic progress offering several employment opportunities to Canadians (Chen et al 2017). Nevertheless, there are a number of safety and health hazards associated with construction work, such as falls from heights, being struck by falling objects, and exposure to hazardous materials. The average number of deaths of construction workers in Ontario, Canada increased from 2014 to 2019. In 2014, there were 231 deaths and in 2019, there were 357 deaths. The topic selected for the keynote address is health and safety.  This topic is of great essence since it will equip the audience with the essential safety knowledge concerning the construction industry and that would help them avert cases of injuries.

 

The topic is of great essence since it will equip the audience with the know-how of preventing accidents and injuries while working in the construction industry which is prone to such adversities (Neis & Lippel (2019). The suitable mitigation would be prevention via design approach.  The prevention through design approach is a proactive approach that takes into account the potential hazards and risks associated with a project during the design phase and aims to mitigate or eliminate them (Ezisi & Issa, 2019; Ibrahim et al. 2020). The prevention through design approach can be used to mitigate these hazards by, for example, designing work platforms and scaffolding that are safe and easy to use, and specifying materials that are not hazardous to workers.

 

In conclusion, the thesis is concerned with health and safety of workers in the construction sector presenting strategies for making the industry more sustainable. Several mitigation measures can be adopted to prevent occurrences of accidents and injuries during construction for instance prevention via design approach. I would like to end the discussion by stating that although the prevention through design approach is effective in reducing the number of injuries and accidents on construction sites, it is important to note that it is not a panacea. Construction work is inherently hazardous, and accidents will still occur even when all the potential hazards have been taken into account. Therefore, it is important for construction workers to be properly trained in safety procedures and to use personal protective equipment when working.

 

 

Chen, Y., McCabe, B., & Hyatt, D. (2017). Impact of individual resilience and safety climate on safety performance and psychological stress of construction workers: A case study of the Ontario construction industry. Journal of safety research, 61, 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2017.02.014

 

 

Ezisi, U., & Issa, M. H. (2019). Case study application of prevention through design to enhance workplace safety and health in Manitoba heavy construction projects.

 

 

Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 46(2), 124-133. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.1139/cjce-2017-0454?casa_token=E4K0pVYsg3sAAAAA%3AuPWyfo8iilnmkRtLfW58-BrgpeFKjLoRYXCCnFh7buQDWW5Kgx2PD3aogTUh9NQUqSeKTdTRfZ7n8Gc

 

 

Ibrahim, C. K. I. C., Belayutham, S., Manu, P., & Mahamadu, A. M. (2020). Key attributes of designers' competency for prevention through design (PtD) practices in construction: a review. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ECAM-04-2020-0252/full/html?casa_token=F0vB-etrj8IAAAAA:HMgJfs22bg3j6pIfgktojIAo--jR8xSMpj4x1Df2JCYCyywUN3IGi7J_32exvHRR_KuDNLa1MpPpij-1CcnM4-Pmba3670a70AjNJjxWtNaThP1RnJAu

 

 

Neis, B., & Lippel, K. (2019). Occupational health and safety and the mobile workforce: insights from a Canadian research program. New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 29(3), 297-316. https://doi.org/10.1177/1048291119876681