1. White Card Update: Need for Controlled Access and good
security on Construction Sites
Construction sites are full of hazards that can be dangerous for trained construction workers, let
alone untrained people and even worse children. That is why it is important to protect these
people by separating them from the hazards.
Never underestimate the importance of fencing and controlling access into a construction site.
An incident involving 2 young girls is an example of what can happen when the ordinary public
enter a construction site unauthorised. For kids a construction site may look like a place to play
and fun but that’s because they aren’t aware of the dangers that lurk on a deserted site.
Read this post on Abclocal.go.com that explains the incident and the watch the video below:
December 28, 2012 (TINLEY PARK, Ill.) — A construction site looked like a fun place to
play but it turned dangerous for two young girls after the mud collapsed on top of them.
Friday night, one of the girls and her father are talking about the ordeal.
For years, it had been a vacant lot. The incline at the back of the lot was a pretty good
sledding hill for a lot of the neighborhood kids. However, when construction began on a
home there a month ago, mud and clay was piled up, and it became a dangerous place
to play.
Eleven-year-old Nicole Salwierak walks out her front door to a reminder every day of the
place where she could have been killed earlier this month.
She and a friend were playing in the newly dug hole at the construction site. They
quickly found themselves buried by an avalanche of dirt and clay.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it that much, but I was scared,” Nicole said. “I tried to
move the mud off my arm but I couldn’t move it.”
Nicole’s 6-year-old sister Carly ran for help and firefighters from several nearby
communities responded.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8935171
Watch this video about the incident:
Link http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=8935227&pid=8935171
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2. In addition to keeping unauthorised people off the site, keeping visitors to the site safe is equally
important. Setting up exclusion zones, perimeters and fencing is especially vital for high risk
activities. Keep pedestrians and construction vehicles separate and allocate walk ways for
pedestrians to stick to.
The perimeter is a geographical area within which construction work will be carried out.
Determining this perimeter is an important aspect of managing public risk. Specific areas of risk
may occur within the site, such as around deep excavations. Sometimes construction work can
create risks outside the site perimeter (eg. unloading materials from a delivery truck outside the
perimeter) which can also present a risk to children and others nearby.
Only authorised people should be allowed on site for their own safety but also for the safety of
others. Site entrances should be clearly marked and there should be separate access for
vehicles and pedestrians.The effect which the construction work may have on the public should
be considered during the design, planning and implementation stages of the project. The earlier
the risks to the public are considered, the easier it is to eliminate hazards and control risks.
http://www.whitecardcourse.com
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