Nicholas Tymvios

Designer, Contractor, and Owner Views on the Topic of Design for Construction Worker Safety

The construction industry is one of the largest and most dangerous industries in the US, where in 2009 the industry accounted for 834 deaths; more than any other industry. The incidence rate of 9.9 deaths per 100,000 workers puts the construction industry in fourth place behind the Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing/Hunting, Transportation/Warehousing, and Mining sectors (BLS 2011). The cause of a large number of these construction deaths can be attributed to factors that are distant from the construction site. A European study has shown that 60% of fatal accidents in construction are caused by decisions made “upstream” from the construction site (European Foundation 1991). Similarly, an Australian study showed that 63% of fatalities and injuries are attributed to a lack of planning and design decisions (NSW Workcover 2001), while in the US, Behm found that 42% of construction site fatalities can be linked to design (Behm 2005). With such overwhelming evidence, foreign governments have initiated efforts to make designers aware of the impact of their decisions and design choices. These efforts include new legislation and improved guidelines (EEC 1992; NSW Workcover 2001) that aim to reduce the construction hazards linked to design. In the US, designers are mostly unaware of the concept of Design for Construction Worker Safety (DCWS), or even that their design decisions can affect the safety of the construction workforce. Professional organizations regularly resist change and refuse to even consider participating in the DCWS concept that would eventually assist in the improvement of construction site working conditions (Toole 2011). The research presented in this paper represents the results gathered from a survey of the opinions of the primary construction industry participants (owners, designers, and contractors) on the topic of DCWS. The population of the survey was obtained from four different groups. Contractors who responded to the survey were randomly selected from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) directory. Designers were randomly selected from two sources: the American Institute of Architects (AIA) directory and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) directory. To represent owner organizations, the researchers chose to include university representatives who participate in the construction of

Perceptions about Design for Construction Worker Safety: Viewpoints from Contractors, Designers, and University Facility Owners

AbstractDecisions made before construction can affect safety on the construction site, either positively or negatively. This was observed from past research that identified the link between design decisions and fatalities. The concept of implementing design decisions that positively affect safety falls under the general concept of prevention through design (PtD), which attempts to identify and mitigate hazards early in the design process to eliminate the risks of injury or damage during construction. Prevention through design is practiced in other countries, primarily through legislation. The objective of this paper is to present the results of a survey that was conducted to identify construction industry stakeholders’ views on the concept of PtD and gauge the possibility for implementing PtD in the U.S. construction industry through either legislation or other means. Four distinct groups were surveyed: engineers, architects, contractors, and owners. Within this study, PtD was described and introduced to ...

Motivation for prevention through design: experiential perspectives and practice

© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers. Studies show that application of the prevention through design (PtD) concept with respect to construction worker safety, although compulsory in some countries, is inconsistent throughout the United States. This paper presents a study that explored the impacts and experiences in a construction community resulting from PtD implementation to benefit those countries where PtD is predominantly absent. Informed by a comprehensive review of PtD literature and governing regulations, the researchers conducted a structured, randomized survey of the construction sector in the United Kingdom, where PtD is prevalent. Based on analyses of 228 survey responses, it is clear that PtD is viewed as a positive enhancement to design practice, project team collaboration, and safety. Those experienced in its application hold it in high regard. Obstacles to implementing PtD may be present but can be overcome. PtD provides an opportunity to change the way safety is viewed and practiced in the United States and to make it more inclusive of the entire project team, with active participation consistent with current project team roles and responsibilities. The research reveals how the construction industry can make this change and the impacts to be expected. Doing so will create a supportive and participatory safety environment throughout the design profession.

Design Resources for Incorporating PtD

AbstractDesigners (architects and engineers) in the U.S. construction industry find it difficult to consider prevention through design (PtD) in the projects they undertake, primarily due to the lac...

Evaluation of a Mobile Work Zone Barrier System

Highway construction and maintenance crews are often forced to work adjacent to high volumes of traffic and in many cases fast-flowing traffic. This exposure is hazardous and evident from the high number of work zone crashes that occur in the US. Current work zone traffic control measures used to improve motorist and worker safety include positive protection measures such as concrete and steel barriers, as well traditional measures such as variable message signs, flaggers, cones, flares and law enforcement presence at work sites. For short term maintenance operations of duration less than one work shift, the implementation of positive protection measures is not feasible and work crews need to work with minimum protection from errant vehicles that might cross into the work zone. A recent advancement in work zone safety includes the use of a mobile barrier system (MBS) that can be transported to a work zone and provides positive protection to maintenance crews, with minimum effort and in a very short time. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently purchased such a barrier and, with the limited independent literature available as to the effectiveness of its use in work zones, contracted with researchers at Oregon State University to evaluate the MBS. The research team investigated the barrier during five case studies that were representative of ODOT maintenance activities for various performance metrics such as time of setup, limitations/enhancements to work operations, worker safety and safety perception, worker productivity, and motorist safety perception. The same performance metrics were also investigated in similar maintenance operations without the MBS present. The results show that the MBS provides enhanced protection to the workers by reducing and eliminating hazards and providing a positive barrier between the work area and passing traffic. The barrier facilitates work operations by enhancing work sites with additional lighting, noise protection, power capabilities, and storage compartments. Additional training is needed for the work crews so that they can fully seize the true potential of the barrier for efficiency.

Field Investigation of Success Factors of Fish Passageways in Oregon

This paper discusses the results of a field investigation of 19 fish passageways constructed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The intent of these passageways is to avoid significant disruption to the habitats required for a healthy life cycle for fish and other aquatic organisms. The field investigation of physical factors that may correlate with successful passageways may provide insight into more reliable and sustainable solutions to the problem of constructing highway crossings over natural waterways. The investigation is part of a larger study of whether construction practices may be additional factors that result in success. The researchers collected measurement information, including slopes, channel configurations, crossing structure characteristics, and streambed soil characteristics. The sites were judged on the basis of their suitability as fish passageways; for analytical purposes, a success factor was created and used to rate each site on the basis of the field observations. The physical metrics of the sites were correlated against the success index and other important fish passageway factors, and the results are presented. Important findings include a relationship between downstream slope and scour as well as an assessment that subsurface flow may be related to factors—perhaps construction techniques—other than the configuration of the channel.