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Emergency evacuation plans are developed to ensure the safest and most efficient evacuation time of all expected residents of a structure, city, or region. A benchmark "evacuation time" for different hazards and conditions is established. These benchmarks can be established through using best practices, regulations, or using simulations, such as modeling the flow of people in a building, to determine the benchmark.

At a minimum, emergency action plan must include the following:

1.      A preferred method for reporting fires and other emergencies;

2.      An evacuation policy and procedure;

3.      Emergency escape procedures and route assignments, such as floor plans, workplace maps, and safe or refuge areas;

4.      Names, titles, departments, and telephone numbers of individuals both within and outside to contact for additional information or explanation of duties and responsibilities under the emergency plan;

5.      Procedures for people who remain to perform or shut down critical plant operations, operate fire extinguishers, or perform other essential services that cannot be shut down for every emergency alarm before evacuating; and

6.      Rescue and medical duties for any workers designated to perform them.

 When drafting your emergency action plan, it is advised to select a responsible individual to lead and coordinate emergency plan and evacuation. It is critical that people should know who the coordinator is and understand that person has the authority to make decisions during emergencies

 ·        The sequence of an evacuation can be divided into the following phases:

1.      Detection

2.      Decision

3.      Alarm

4.      Reaction

5.      movement to an area of refuge or an assembly station

6.      transportation

          The time for the first four phases is usually called pre-movement time.

·        Evacuation routes and exits: When preparing your emergency action plan, designate primary and secondary evacuation routes and exits. To the extent possible under the conditions, ensure that evacuation routes and emergency exits meet the following conditions:

1.      Clearly marked and well lit;

2.      Wide enough to accommodate the number of evacuating personnel;

3.      Unobstructed and clear of debris at all times; and

4.      Unlikely to expose evacuating personnel to additional hazards.

·        After an evacuation:

Confusion in the assembly areas can lead to delays in rescuing anyone trapped in the building, or unnecessary and dangerous search-and-rescue operations. To ensure the fastest, most accurate accountability of your employees, you may want to consider including these steps in your emergency action plan:

1.      Designate assembly areas where people should gather after evacuating;

2.      Take a head count after the evacuation. Identify the names and last known locations of anyone not accounted for and pass them to the official in charge;

3.      Establish procedures for further evacuation in case the incident expands. This may consist of sending affected people home by normal means or providing them with transportation to an offsite location.

4.      First aid should be provided to the affected people

·        It is very important to conduct mock drill as well as training for the people so that they are well acquainted with all the Emergency Plan Procedures.

Construction accounts for around 40% of the development investment, during the past 50 years. Around 16% of India’s working population depends on construction for its livelihood.

·        Potential hazards for workers in construction include:

1.      Falls (from heights)

2.      Trench collapse

3.      Scaffold collapse

4.      Electric shock and arc flash/arc blast

5.      Failure to use proper personal protective equipment; and

6.      Repetitive motion injuries

7.      Confined space injuries

 ·        Which type of construction is the most dangerous? (The average percentage of deaths per construction type)

1.      Specialty Trade Contractors (foundations, structures, concrete) — 48%

2.      Heavy & Civil Engineering (utilities, sewer, oil, roads and bridges) — 17%

3.      Building Contractors (houses, remodeling, residential) — 16%

4.      Equipment Contractors (electrical, plumbing, air & heating) — 12%

5.      Building Finishing Contractors (insulation, painting, flooring) 7%

·        As per BOCW Act (India) following facilities should be provided:

1.      Drinking Water- marked and shouldn’t be situated within 6m of any washing place, urinal or latrine

2.      Worker will not lift and carry excessive weight by hand or carries overhead or over back or shoulders any material, article, tool or appliances exceeding in weight the maximum limits set out in the following table:

Maximum Weight Load            Weight

Adult man                                55 kg      

Adult woman                            30 kg      

Adolescent male                       30 kg      

Adolescent female                   20 kg      

3.      Employer shall provide, free of charges temporary living accommodation to all building workers

4.      If female building workers are more than 50 then crèches are provided for children under the age of 6 years

5.      If worker exceeds 250 then provide Canteen. Also First aid facilities should be mandatory

6.      Noise level exceeding 115 dB is not permitted

7.      If workers exceed 500 then emergency plan for fire, explosion, gas leak, collapse etc should be available

8.      Number of Safety officers for:

1000 workers— 1

2000 workers—2

5000 workers—3

10,000 workers—4

9.      PPE is mandatory for all workers

10.   If workers exceed 500, then Safety committee shall be constituted

 ·        Some of the routine work/operations carried out in construction sites which needs to be carried out in a safe manner to avoid injuries and fatalities are:

1.      Excavation Work (hazards: toxic environment, lack of O2 , soil collapse)

2.      Scaffolding Work (hazards: fall of person, fall of materials, scaffold collapse)

3.      Crane Operations (Hazards: electrocution from power lines, struck by overhead load, overturning due to excessive weight)

4.      Hoisting Operations (Hazards: crushing due to impact of moving objects or loads falling from vehicles)

5.      Forklift Operations (Hazards: Operator or pedestrian hit or crushed by a forklift, hit or crushed by the load, forklift tipped over)

6.      Use of Ladder (Hazards: electrocution from power lines, fall due to slip or trip, collapse of ladder)

7.      Use of Electricity (Hazards: short circuit, electrical fire or explosion and arc flash)

Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other manmade structures.

Scaffolding hazards continue to rank high on the list of the most frequently cited standards in the construction industry. Some of them are:

1.      Getting struck by falling  tools or debris

2.      Electrocution

3.      Scaffold collapse

4.      Defective wood planks and inadequate planking overhang.

5.      Uneven and incompact ground

6.      Unsafe access to scaffold.

7.      Cross bracing not adequate.

8.      Inadequate footings.

9.      Bridging of scaffolds.

10.   High winds and skiddy surface due to rain

11.   Nature of electrical, fall, and falling object hazards

12.   No guardrails on scaffolds.

OSHA's scaffolding standard has several key provisions:

1.      Fall protection or fall arrest systems - Each employee more than 10 feet above a lower level shall be protected from falls by guardrails or a fall arrest system, except those on single-point and two-point adjustable suspension scaffolds. 1926.451(g)(1)

2.      Guardrail height - The height of the top rail for scaffolds manufactured and placed in service after January 1, 2000 must be between 38 inches (0.9 meters) and 45 inches (1.2 meters) and  before January 1, 2000 can be between 36 inches (0.9 meters) and 45 inches (1.2 meters). 1926.451(g)(4)(ii)

3.      Midrails - Midrails must be installed approximately halfway between the top rail and the platform surface. 1926.451(g)(4)

4.      Footings -- Support scaffold footings shall be level and capable of supporting the loaded scaffold. The legs, poles, frames, and uprights shall bear on base plates and mud sills. 1926.451(c)(2)

5.      Platforms -- Supported scaffold platforms shall be fully planked or decked. 1926.451(b)

6.      Capacity -- Scaffolds and scaffold components must support at least 4 times the maximum intended load. Suspension scaffold rigging must at least 6 times the intended load. 1926.451(a)(1) and (3)

7.      Training -- Employers must train each employee who works on a scaffold on the hazards and the procedures to control the hazards. 1926.454

8.      Inspections -- Before each work shift and after any occurrence that could affect the structural integrity, a competent person must inspect the scaffold and scaffold components for visible defects. 1926.451(f)(3)

9.      Erecting and Dismantling -- When erecting and dismantling supported scaffolds, a competent person2 must determine the feasibility of providing a safe means of access and fall protection for these operations. 1926.451(e)(9) & (g)(2)

A detailed scaffolding training will explain all the regulations and provide hands-on experience on proper use of scaffolding.