Major hazards in construction (CON183)

There have been a number of incidents during the active phases of construction projects which have (or could have) resulted in multiple fatalities including, on occasion, the general public. Examples include the collapse of buildings, tunnels and scaffolds during construction and failure of plant such as cranes and piling rigs. The ‘Major Hazards in Construction’ project aims to improve our understanding of the immediate and underlying causes, the effectiveness of current control measures and the need, if any, for further action to improve management of the risks.

CIRIA, working in partnership with Loughborough University, will be looking at case studies and also consulting widely within our industry in order to learn what should the industry (and its clients) be doing differently to reduce risks.

We want to know about personal (and corporate) experiences – in confidence – such as:

Structural collapse of permanent structure
Collapse of temporary works
Fire
Tunnel collapse
Disruption of underground services

This project is funded by the HSE, who have become increasingly concerned at the number of potentially catastrophic events in recent years, particularly those involving tower cranes.
Catastrophic events that are beyond the ordinary or routine are characterised by:

Low probability but high consequence
Potential for multiple deaths and serious injuries in a single incident
Serious disruption of infrastructure and services
Potential to damage or even destroy organisations commercially
Political implications – public enquiries, demands for new legislation.

The project will seek to provide guidance on the following topics:

How can industry improve the risk management of such events
Improving duty-holder awareness of risks and precautions
In relation to recognised potential events, can HSE be confident current regulations, standards and guidance are adequate and what improvements might be considered.

Anyone who is actively involved in or with our industry is invited to complete a short on-line survey: http://ciria.informz.net/survistapro/s.asp?id=2619 and you will then be kept informed (if you wish) as the project moves forward.