The construction industry has undergone significant changes with the developing technology in the last century. Projects that took a long amount of time before have started to take a shorter and shorter amount of time, and dams, airports, skyscrapers, and industrial facilities that humans could not have even imagined 150 years ago are now being built within a short period of time thanks to the use of machines and special construction materials. The developments in technology have of course led to the diversification of the materials used in the construction industry. Buildings with seismic, wind, and storm resistance, as well as thermal insulation, have begun to be constructed.
Many people work in the construction industry and other sub-sectors fed by the construction industry. The vast majority of them are unskilled ordinary workers; still, the number of skilled workers is too great to be underestimated.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AKKOŞ OSGB
ACCIDENTS, DISEASES AND HAZARDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Fatal Accidents
The construction industry is one of the industries in which the most fatal work accidents are seen almost all across the world. While 5% of the workforce in the USA works in the construction industry, 15% of the deaths as a result of occupational accidents occur in the construction industry.
In Japan, 10% of the workforce works in the construction industry, whereas 42% of occupational deaths are seen in this industry. As statistics show, the highest death rates belong to the construction industry.
Falls account for 30% of work-related deaths in the construction industry, whereas transportation accidents (items falling from a height) account for 26%, getting jammed between the equipment and shocks accounts for 19%, and being exposed to hazards such as electric shock accounts for 18%.
Chemical hazards usually contact people by air. It is caused by fumes, mists, and odors. Chemicals cause hazard by inhalation or skin contact (organic solvents and pesticides). Of course, liquids and semi-liquid chemicals (glue, adhesive, asphalt, tar), and dust (powder cement) are also dangerous. Some common diseases are:
-Silicosis* (a disease caused by contact and inhalation of silica-containing dust) is commonly seen in sand quarries, rock drillers, and tunnel boilers.
-Asbestosis* (a lung disease caused by breathing in dust containing asbestos) is frequently seen in workers working with asbestos.
-Bronchitis* is common among welders.
– Skin allergies are common among cement workers and masons.
-Neurological (nervous system) disorders are seen in workers and painters working with organic solvents and lead.
-Lung cancer* is more common among asbestos workers, roofers, woodworkers, and welders.
-Lead poisoning* is seen in bridge repair workers and painters.
-White Finger* or Raynaud’s Syndrome* (a disease caused by circulatory disorder) is seen in workers who use vibrating machines.
Physical hazards exist in all construction projects. Noise, heat, cold, radiation, vibration, and barometric pressure are the most significant ones. Noise has really started to cause significant damage with the increase in the number of machines used in the construction industry. Machines, cranes, graders, and shovels used in the destruction of structures, in particular, cause hearing issues not only for the individuals who use them but also for the workers and others nearby.
Construction works are carried out depending on the meteorological conditions (outdoors) by nature. Extremely cold or extremely hot temperatures pose significant risks, particularly for construction employees who work outside. Some ailments related to sunstrokes, hypothermia*, frostbite, high and low blood pressure are seen due to exposure to the outside air.
Non-ionizing ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation) sources are solar and electric welding machines. Devices using radioactive isotopes also cause exposure to ultraviolet radiation (ionized UV radiation).
Those working in pressure tunnels, divers, and those working in deep waters get exposed to high barometric pressure. Decompression sickness*, noble gas narcosis*, and aseptic necrosis* (tissue death due to decreased blood supply) are diseases that are related to barometric pressure.
The most common discomforts are sprains, crushes and bruises.
Microorganisms causing infection, poisonous substances, and predators are some of these dangers.
Some soil-dwelling fungi cause histoplasmosis* (lung infection) in workers dealing with earthworks. In addition, the circumstance of many workers working side by side causes infectious diseases such as tuberculosis*, hepatitis*, and flu to be transmitted from person to person. Malaria*, fever, and Lyme Disease* are transmitted as a result of the bite of pests in the environment.
Vegetal sources of poisoning are poison ivy, stinging nettles and poison oaks. Some wood dust is carcinogenic (causing cancer). Western red cedar wood is an allergen.