SAFETY EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES

Abstract

Safety of mechanical equipment in construction companies is of great importance. More user friendly equipment are now being manufactured and maintenance regulations are made so as to make machines safer. Despite these, accidents are still being recorded. Continued accidents and injuries caused as a result of use these mechanical equipment are to be investigated and prevented and therefore the aim of this Study include to, investigate the safety practices in the use of mechanical equipment in construction industries, To evaluate safety effectiveness in the use of mechanical equipment e.g. bulldozers, excavators, payloaders, graders etc., in construction industries, and To develop imaginative proposals to strengthen the industries approach to the control and management of health and safety risks. Possible cause of these accidents are identified from four root areas: machine design, maintenance, human/ personal factors and work issues. Accident records of construction companies were vetted, interviews were conducted with the managers and employees, questionnaires were also administered in order to get the present safety situation of mechanical equipment. Four construction companies whose major activities are road construction were used as samples for the collection of data. The safety in the usage of mechanical equipment was found to still fall below the average in construction companies considered. This is due to the non-use of new machines with better designs for safety and the defective maintenance culture existing in most construction companies.