Assed Naked Haddad

Assessing risk in sustainable construction using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM)

Traditional tools found in occupational risk assessments are a preliminary hazard analysis and checklists, both based on the isolation of a particular activity from the entire process and created for application in specific environments of manufacture. This strategy makes the results of such evaluations distant from real situations. Construction is a complex endeavor and can involve multiple contractors and groups working under each contractor. Work occurs under constant change and varying demands. In this context, as workers move through their daily journey, their health and safety are often are threatened by activities carried out by other contractors or groups. The study utilizes the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM), which aims to describe how function couplings may be combined in such a way that variability of performance, rather than failure or poor functioning, creates an occupational risk. The study also contributes to the evolution of FRAM, by proposing the application of the analytic hierarchy process, to investigate the relative importance of the criteria and alternatives for the identification of phenotypes of performance variability, as well as the aggregation of variability.

Case Study: LCA Methodology Applied to Materials Management in a Brazilian Residential Construction Site

The construction industry is increasingly concerned with improving the social, economic, and environmental indicators of sustainability. More than ever, the growing demand for construction materials reflects increased consumption of raw materials and energy, particularly during the phases of extraction, processing, and transportation of materials. This work aims to help decision-makers and to promote life cycle thinking in the construction industry. For this purpose, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was chosen to analyze the environmental impacts of building materials used in the construction of a residence project in Sao Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The LCA methodology, based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 guidelines, is applied with available databases and the SimaPro program. As a result, this work shows that there is a substantial waste of nonrenewable energy, increasing global warming and harm to human health in this type of construction. This study also points out that, for this type of Brazilian construction, ceramic materials account for a high percentage of the mass of a total building and are thus responsible for the majority of environmental impacts.

Building Sustainability Assessment throughout Multicriteria Decision Making

Opinion and choice strongly influence sustainability concepts. The building construction industry, in particular property developers, has been charged with promoting excess environmental impacts ranging from overuse of resources to pollution generation. This paper presents an application of sustainability concepts to building projects, as well as to the development of practices, methodology, and tools for evaluating existing buildings. This study will detail how current systems to evaluate building performance operate and how to improve them. This approach utilizes the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). AHP is a multicriteria method that evaluates the relative importance of criteria, subcriteria, and families of indicators, used in the proposed system of technical characteristics applied to the local culture. At the same time, AHP makes visible the critical factors involved in evaluation of sustainability of these buildings. A result of the application of this type of modeling is a system for sustainability assessment and evaluation of environmental aspects and socioeconomic perspectives of existing buildings in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Life Cycle Assessment: A Comparison of Ceramic Brick Inventories to Subsidize the Development of Databases in Brazil

Brazilians construction industry is facing a growth panorama. Given this, discussions on environmental suitability of the sector become relevant, since it is recognized as the most important sector for achieving more sustainable patterns of development. The life cycle assessment (LCA) has been considered one of the most appropriate methodologies for the analysis of interactions between products and services of construction industry and the environment and it has been used with numerous goals and different methodological referrals. In Brazil the main limitation related to the use of LCA is the lack of databases for the specific regional reality, which is related with life cycle inventories, part of LCA process. This article aims to compare different LCA studies that addressed the life cycle of ceramic bricks, an intensive used component in Brazilians buildings. The focus defined is the LCI of production phase, identifying possible differences in modeling processes and in inputs and outputs. The results pointed out to homogeneity in process description and to a lack of correspondence of inputs and outputs with functional units adopted.

Hazard Matrix Application in Health, Safety and Environmental Management Risk Evaluation

In occupational safety one of the most complicated and harder to achieve goals is to prioritize actions towards risk prevention and mitigation. There are several methodologies to do that. Some of them are expensive; demand some extensive structure for its application and so on. Some others are either weak in results or lack technical or scientific basis. (Haddad et al, 2008). The research presented in this chapter emerged in between these methodologies for being not expensive and requiring resources, most of the time, already available in a company’s documentation.

Environmental Management System: Risk Evaluation Integrated to Life-Cycle Assessment

In order to consider environmental impacts of a product’s life cycle systematically, the life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has been developed. From this background, this present paper aims to discuss and analyze the interdependencies between risk assessment and evaluation and a process LCA. From this study, it is possible to conclude that risk assessment is a powerful tool in providing information about environmental impacts, which is used in the LCA. Furthermore, one can conclude that integration risk assessment tools (mostly vulnerability studies) with LCA help to ensure a more accurate information for the intensity of the environmental impacts, which in turn ensures a more reliable information for the overall LCA.

Quality Indicators for Life Cycle Inventory: Real Cases Exploratory Application

The life cycle inventory for the production of building materials made in Brazil do not follow standardizations regarding the choice and representation of data and are not eligible for other exchanges between Brazilian and European inventories. For this study inventories Brazilian and European production of ceramic bricks were analyzed on the basis of quality indicators recommended by ISO14040. The results confirmed that Brazilian studies show a high level of uncertainty and are incompatible with international inventories.

Use of Cement Hydration Stabilizer Admixture at Ready Mix Concrete to Avoid Material Waste

Concrete from ready mix plant is the main raw material consumed in construction industry. A significant waste quantity is generated with fresh concrete returned to the production center due to their inadequate allocation or demand preview. To minimize the amount of this material wasted, misused, discarded, could be used the Hydration Stabilizer Admixture (HSA). This product enables stabilization of the concrete setting time until 72 h. Waste generated by the building industry is becoming increasingly focused on discussions and studies, due to great importance that this topic is achieving. Generation of this waste in the construction sector and the large representation of this sector in society is one of the main problems encountered in the reuse of waste from construction. Its characteristic, heterogeneous and unknown, however, a specific part of that waste generated in the central metering concrete, has a high potential for reuse, mainly because they come from a production highly controlled, where the source materials and the final product are physically and chemically known. This work aims to study the environmental benefits and technical feasibility of stabilizing additive hydration as a solution for the reuse of residual concrete from central metering, always under a sustainable vision of the entire process through an experimental program. This work presents results of setting time, slump test, incorporated air, compressive strength at 3days, 7days, 14days, 28days and 45 days and elastic modulus ate 28 days. The reference concrete was compared with concrete stabilized mixtures (0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45% content of HSA), both presenting the same constituent materials. The results indicate the feasibility to the use of the HSA despite the reduction of the mechanical properties of the concrete.

Quantitative Risk Analysis applied to the Gases Industry

In order to contribute to the risk knowledge that people and the environment can suffer from accidents related to process safety this paper presents a case study of quantitative risk analysis applied to the gases industry. Industry activities such as production, storage or handling related to dangerous materials are complex and highly prone to severe or catastrophic accidents. All these happen not only because of major accidents occurrence, society pressure, law compliance and because of the growing care about the environmental sustainability by companies and their stakeholders. We address the importance of managing risk and present usual methods of qualitative and quantitative risk analysis studies. Such combination make possible analyze the feasibility of an industrial venture. Developing a case study for the process of cooling with ammonia in GASMIL, performing a risk analysis, through vulnerability analysis and knowledge of these subjects, one can map affected areas by the accidental scenarios.

Health, safety and environmental management risk evaluation strategy: Hazard Matrix application case studies

This paper presents a risk evaluation and estimation methodology used for health, safety and environmental management prioritization strategies. Two case studies are presented and discussed throughout the usage of the hazard matrix. The hazard matrix is a risk management tool that promotes an organization¿s global health and safety at work evaluation. Workers, plant sectors and the work flow are interrelated and the exposure to hazards and environmental agents are evaluated and estimated. Analysis and discussion of the application contribute to the risk management process and determine loss prevention investments. Two cases allow an enhanced comprehension of the model. Discussion on the model adequacy and comprehensiveness of a qualitative/quantitative approach to prioritize risk management investment are also addressed.