TOPIC 1& 2 Plant.ppt Introduction to Construction Safety

Plant Safety

1. TOPIC 1
Introduction to Construction
Safety
Lecturer: Maxwell Amamoo

2. Introduction
•The construction industry is usually associated
with a hazardous working environment.
•It is a dangerous business because of
complicated on-site plants and equipment
operation.
•The risks also increase due to negative attitudes
and behaviours of workers towards safety.
•This industry has also been described as one
characterized by fragmentation (Heledi, 1990). (Heledi, 1990).

3. Cont.
•This description came about due to the number of
parties involved in a construction process.
•Each sub-contractor has different tasks and usually
works under pressure to complete the project.
•As a result, there is a high risk of accidents happening
as time, cost and quality are always given priority over
safety (Abdul Hamid et al,2005)(Abdul Hamid et al,2005)
•Among the negative consequences of this
fragmentation are higher costs, low productivity,
unnecessary delays, sub-standard quality of
workmanship and poor safety performance (Haupt,1996)(Haupt,1996)

4. Scope of Plant Safety
The scope of “Plant Safety” in this module covers
only the safety aspects of a construction plant with
reference to the Occupational Safety and Health Act
1994 (OSHA 1994).(OSHA 1994).
As such, the scope of plant safety in this module
does not cover the safety aspect of the premises of
different industry types.
Different industries have different approaches and
their safety operations are very different from one
another.

5. Cont.
This is due to the nature of their business and risks
involved.
Below are some examples of industry types:
•Agricultural Industry
•Automotive Industry
•Chemical Industry
•Construction Industry
•Consumer Goods and Services
•Firearms and Explosives

6. Definition Plant
•A plant can be defined as:
“any machinery, equipment, appliance, implement
or tool, any component thereof and anything
fitted, connected or appurtenant thereto”
(OSHA, 1994)(OSHA, 1994)

7. Cont.
A “plant” can also be defined as:
“ the equipment, including the fixtures, machinery,
tools, etc. and often the building, necessary to
carry on any industrial business: a manufacturing
plant.”
(Dictionary.com,n.d.) (Dictionary.com,n.d.)

8. Cont.
A “Plant” can also be defined as:
“the tools, machinery, buildings, grounds, etc. of a
factory or business or the equipment, buildings,
etc. of any institution, as a hospital, school, etc.”
(yourdictionary.com,n.d.)(yourdictionary.com,n.d.)

9. In the context of construction safety, the term “plant” includes:
•Pressure equipment;
•Tractors and earthmoving machinery;
•Electrical generators;
•Cranes, forklifts, hoists and elevated work platforms;
•Vehicles used for work purposes such as cars, trucks,
motorcycles;
•Scaffolds; and
•Hand tools (either powered or non-powered) including drills,
hammers, saws and others. (Comcare.gov.au,n.d.)(Comcare.gov.au,n.d.)

10. Causes of Accidents
There are two basic categories of causes of
accidents:
•Primary causes and
•Secondary causes.

11. Primary Causes
Primary Causes are unsafe acts and unsafe
conditions.
•An unsafe act is a violation of an accepted safe
procedure which can cause an accident.
•An unsafe condition is a hazardous physical
condition or circumstance which can directly cause
an accident.

12. Cont.
Most accidents result from a combination of
contributing causes and one or more unsafe acts
and unsafe conditions.
A primary cause is a direct cause of an A primary cause is a direct cause of an
accident. accident.

13. Examples of Primary Causes
Unsafe Acts Unsafe Conditions
Failure to follow safety
instruction
Insufficient Lightings
Using defective equipment Bad housekeeping
Alcohol or drugs consumption Hazardous atmospheric
condition
Failure to warn others of
danger
Missing open edge guarding
Failure to use personal
protective equipment
Slippery work area

14. Secondary Causes
•The primary causes actually stem from underlying
issues called secondary causes.
•These secondary factors which affect most
construction accident occurrence have been the
subject of much interest among researchers.
•The nature of secondary causes is so extensive
that it can lead to in-depth study on culture or
behavioural aspects.

15. Cont.
Secondary Causes are grouped into two
categories:
•Management System Pressures
•Social Pressures

16. Examples of Secondary Causes
Management System
Pressure
Social Pressures
Financial Constraints Group’s attitude at workplace
Lack of commitment Acceptable behavior at
workplace
Undefined policy Existing safe culture at
workplace
Unrealistic time frame Values adopted
Other underlying factors Other factors that determine
the behaviour route taken

17. •The impact of secondary causes usually results in
unnecessary pressure that lead to primary causes
of an accident.
•As an example, time frame pressure or cost-
cutting measures will increase the probability of
errors committed.
A secondary cause is an indirect cause of an A secondary cause is an indirect cause of an
accident.accident.

18. Accident Prevention
An integrated program, a series of
coordinated activities, directed to the control
of unsafe personal performance and unsafe
mechanical condition, and based on certain
knowledge, attitudes and abilities.
(Heinrich et al,1980)

19. Fundamentals of Accident Prevention
Accidents are preventable. Unfortunately, many people,
either through ignorance of misunderstanding, believe
that accidents are the inevitable consequences of
unchangeable circumstance, fate, or a matter of bad
luck.
It must be emphasized that accidents do not happen
without cause. The identification and control of these
causes are the underlying principles of all accident
prevention techniques (City of Miami Safety Manual,
2008)

20. Cont.
Accident prevention refers to “control of
accidents cause”. It is a proactive activity.

21. Principles of Accident Prevention
A principle is a fundamental assumption or a role
used to choose among solutions to a problem or
the basic idea(Wiktionary.org,n.d)
There are seven principles to be observed in
setting up strategies for control and management
of safety. If they are followed, accident prevention
is more likely to be achieved.

22. They are:
(i)If possible, avoid a risk altogether by eliminating the
hazard.
(ii)Tackle risks at the source.
(iii)Adapt work to the individual when designing work
areas and selecting methods of work.
(iv)Use technology to improve conditions.
(v)Give priority to protection for the whole workplace
rather than to individuals.
(vi)Ensure everyone understands what they have to do to
be safe and healthy at work.
(vii)Make sure health and safety management is accepted
by everyone, and that it applies to all aspects of the
organization’s activities.

23. Rationale of Accident Prevention
Generally there are five main reasons why accidents
prevention in construction is worthwhile. They are:
(i)The cost of human suffering, physical pain and hardship
resulting from death or disability is impossible to quantify.
(ii)Moral reasons stem from developing public awareness
that something needs to be done to raise the quality of life
at work.
(iii)Workers’ morale is strengthened by active participation
in accident prevention programmes and is weakened by
accidents.

24. Cont.
(iv) Legal reasons are contained in statute law
which carries the threat of prosecution or other
enforcement action.
(v) Financial reasons as in avoiding potential loss
from the cost associated with accidents.

25. Construction Stages and Activities
The following are the four construction stages:
(i)Demolition of Existing Structures and Site Grading- Regarding
the preparation activities to make way for the project’s works.
(ii)Foundations and Below-Grade Construction- Ground works or
foundation works that are usually part of the actual project
components.
(iii)Building shell and core construction – Structural works followed
by the building shells such as walls or panels as in the drawing
designs.
(iv)Interior Construction and Finishing- External and internal
finishing works which may range from external painting to all
works related with interior design specifications.

26. Typical Activities at a Construction
Site
Type of Work Examples of Activities
Earthworks Excavation, back-fill
Structural works Piling, formwork, barbending,
concreting
Architectural works Bricklaying, Plastering, roof work,
painting
Mechanical and Electrical
works
Conduit / trunking, installation,
wiring, plumbing, fire-protection,
elevators, street lighting, telephone
infrastructure?
Infrastructure works Drainage, sewage, water,
reticulation road works

27. Topic 2Topic 2
Legal RequirementsLegal Requirements
Lecturer: Maxwell Amamoo

28. Introduction
•Legislative framework plays a significant role in ensuring the
progress of safety practices in any country. Without the
government’s initiatives, occupational safety and health (OSH)
will not become a national agenda.
•Laws and regulations are not made for the sake of copying
other countries. They are made by the government to protect
the people. In this case, the protection in place is for the well-
being of the workforce.

29. Statute Law and Common Law
The Law concerning safety and health is a combination of statute
law and common law. This section will explain statute law and
common law as well as the well-being of the workforce.
Statute LawStatute Law
•Statute law is the written law of a country consisting of Acts of
Parliament, regulations and orders made within the parameters of a
relevant subject in focus.
•These Acts usually set out a framework of principles in the areas
or issues involved.

30. Cont.
•In order to achieve the objectives, Acts are
supported by regulations and orders.
•Regulations and order are not necessarily
written at the time the Acts were introduced.
They are sometimes added in after the Acts are
established to accommodate new requirements.

31. Cont.
Common LawCommon Law
•Common law has evolved over the years as a result of decisions
by courts and judges. The sector of common law related to OSH
issues is known as tort of negligence.
•Some literature refers to it as Law of Tort. A torttort is defined as a
type of civil Offence. This is where the common principles fill the
gap if and when a statute law does not supply any specific
requirements.

32. Cont.
•For instance, the relationship between an employer and
the employees is a special application of common law
principles.
•Employers are responsible for the well-being of their
workers in their working environment.
•Employers are also liable for the actions of their
employees that cause injury, death or damage to others.
This form of liability of the employer is known as
vicarious Liabilityvicarious Liability

33. Difference between Status Law and Difference between Status Law and
Common LawCommon Law
There are two essential difference between
statute law and common law. They are:
•There is a penalty provided for a breach of a
statute law regardless whether damage or loss
has occurred or not; and
•By common law, actions are decided only if
there is damage or loss.

34. Statutory DutyStatutory Duty
Acts and Regulations: Basic KnowledgeActs and Regulations: Basic Knowledge
•The Act- Upon Parliament’s Approval and
King’s consent.
•The Regulation-Upon Relevant Ministries’
Approval

35. Main Legislative ReferencesMain Legislative References
There are two main references involving
OSH in Malaysia:
(i)Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994,
Act 514 (OSHA 1994)
(ii)Factories and Machinery Act 1967, Act
139, (FMA 1967)

36. Apart from these two Acts, there are also other
applicable or related Acts on construction and plant safety, namely:
(i)Explosive Acts 1957
(ii)Social Security Acts 1969
(iii)Environmental Quality Acts 1974
(iv)Street Drainage and Building Act 1974
(v)Destruction Disease Bearing Insect Act 1975
(vi)Town and Country Planning Act 1976
(vii)Uniform Building By Law 1984
(viii)Fire Service Act 1988
(ix)Electrical Supply Act 1990
(x)Construction Industrial Development Board (CIDB) Act 1994.
(xi)Water Acts 1920
(xii)Forestry Act 1984
(xiii)Other Acts –which may depend on actual activities or location.

37. Once a safety regulation is enforced, it means statutory obligation for
those involved. Clauses with the word “shall” are indicated that the
particular items are absolute duty, also known as strict liability.
Some of the clauses are straightforward, directly focusing on behavior
compliance or physical compliance as in the following examples:
•It shall be the duty of everyone employee while at work to use at all
times personal protective(PPE). (Part VI, Section 24©, OSHA 1994)(Part VI, Section 24©, OSHA 1994)
•Every stairway opening except at the entrance thereof shall be fenced
on every exposed side by guard rails and toe-boards (Reg8(2), FM (Reg8(2), FM
(Safety Health & Welfare) Regulations 1970) (Safety Health & Welfare) Regulations 1970)

38. Cont.
OSHA 1994 further elaborates “so far as is
practicable” with these considerations:
•The severity of the hazard or risk in question;
•The state of knowledge about the hazard or risk and
any way of removing or mitigating the hazard or risk;
•The availability and suitability of ways to remove or
mitigate the hazard or risk; and
•The cost of removing or mitigating the hazard or risk

39. Reasonably Practicable Versus PracticableReasonably Practicable Versus Practicable
In order to understand the requirement by legislation, you must
first understand these expressions:
•So far as is reasonably practicable
•So far as is practicable
In Great Britain, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an
independent regulator which acts in the public interest to reduce
work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s
workplaces, proposes that both expression are not defined in the
United Kingdom’s Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, but they
have requiring meaning through many interpretations by the
courts(HSE, 1997)

40. So far as is Reasonable PracticableSo far as is Reasonable Practicable
To carry out a duty “so far as is reasonable
practicable” means that the degree of risk can
be balanced against the time, trouble, costs
and physical difficulty of taking the measures to
counter the risks (Health and Safety Guidance
65 (HSG65), n.d.)(HSG65), n.d.)

41. So far as is Practicable So far as is Practicable
•To carry out a duty “so far as is practicable” without
the word “reasonably”, refers to a stricter standard
compared with “reasonably practicable”. “ So far as is
practicable” generally embraces whatever is
technically possible.
•Also taken into consideration is the current knowledge
which the person concerned has, or ought to have had
at that particular time. In the “so far as is practicable”
case, the trouble, time and costs are not to be taken
into account as considerations (HSG 65,n.d)(HSG 65,n.d)

42. Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994
(OSHA 1994)(OSHA 1994)
“Those who produced hazards are those responsible to
manage hazards”
OSHA 1994 adopts the “self Regulations Concept”.
However, it is important not to confuse “self regulations”
with self-styled approaches in managing hazard.
“Self-regulation” provides freedom for the employers to
plan and decide on how to manage their hazards. Self-
regulating practices may exceed or operate within the
scope of Acts’ requirements.

43. Con.
•In order to achieve the end objective, consultation and workers
involvement are also part of OSHA 1994’s philosophy.
•The OSHA 1994 principle legislations are supported by rules,
regulations and orders. Generally, it is not necessary for the
supporting regulations to be created in the enactment year itself.
•Therefore in OSHA 1994, you will find rules, regulations or
orders with the indication of the year it was established.

44. Cont.
•The term “OSHA mother act” is another name for OSHA
1994,specifically in its basic form.
•OSHA 1994 “grew up” and “gave birth” to other related
items such as rules, regulations, orders or even
schedules.
•As mentioned earlier only ministries’ approval are
needed for all follow-up or new regulations.

45. Objectives of OSHA 1994Objectives of OSHA 1994
The objectives of OSHA 1994 (Act 514) are:
•To secure the safety, health and welfare of persons at work;
•To protect others against risks to safety and health in
connection with the activities of persons at work,
•To promote occupational environment adaptable to the
persons physiological and psychological needs; and
•To provide the means towards a legislative system based on
regulations and industry codes of practice in combination with
the provisions of the Act.

46. Factories and Machinery Act 1967Factories and Machinery Act 1967
(FMA 1967) (FMA 1967)
•In Malaysia, prior to OSHA 1994 enactment, FMA 1967
was the sole OSH legislative reference pertaining to
industries’ activities.
•However, FMA 1967 was not comprehensive enough to
cover all industries and was quite descriptive and rigid in
some way.
•Not all technical details in FMA 1967 were applicable to
all situations.
•Eventually, OSHA 1994 was enacted as the specific
legislation to govern safety and health of all employees
at all workplaces (Rozanah, 2009).

47. Objectives of FMA 1967Objectives of FMA 1967
The objectives of FMA 1967 (Act 139) are: To provide for the
control of factories with respect to:
•Matters relating to the safety, health and welfare of persons
therein;
•The registration and inspection of machinery; and
•Matters connected therewith.

48. Regulations Under FMA 1967 Regulations Under FMA 1967
There are fifteen regulations under FMA 1967, They are:
(i) Steam Boiler and Unfired Pressure Vessel,
Regulations 1970.
(ix) Compoundable Offences, Regulations 1978
(ii) Electric Passenger and Goods Lift, Regulations
1970
(x) Compounding and Offence, Rules 1980
(iii) Fencing of Machinery and Safety, Regulations
1970
(xi) Lead, Regulations 1984
(iv) Persons-In-Charge, Regulations 1970 (xii) Asbestos Process, Regulations 1980
(v) Safety, Health and Welfare, Regulations 1970(xiii) Building Operations and Works of
Engineering Construction (Safety), Regulations
1986.
(vi) Administration, Regulations 1970 (xiv) Noise Exposure, Regulations 1989
(vii) Certificates of Competency-Examinations,
Regulations 1970
(xv) Mineral Dust. Regulations 1989
(viii) Notification, Certificate of fitness and
Inspection, Regulations 1970

49. Duties of Employer and Self- Employed Duties of Employer and Self- Employed
PersonsPersons
For a clearer view on the duties of employers towards their
employees, you can refer to sections 15 OSHA 1994 while
section 17 explains employers’ duties towards those other
than their employees.
The duties include to:
•Provide and maintain safe plant and system of work;
•Make arrangements for safe use, operations, handling,
storage and transportation of plant and substances;
•Provide instruction, information, training and supervision;

50. Cont.
•Provide and maintain safe place of work and means of
access to and egress from any place of work;
•Provide and maintain safe and healthy working
environment and adequate welfare facilities; and
•Provide safety and health protection and also relevant
information as necessary to other persons, not being their
employees.
A maximum penalty of RM50,000 or 2 years imprisonment
or both can be imposed for non-compliance.

51. Duties of an Occupier of a Place of Duties of an Occupier of a Place of
workwork
According to section 18 OSHA 1994, the duties of an occupier
of a place or work are to:
•Provide safe access and egress
•Ensure safe use of plant and substance
•Include public safety- Regulations 39(1),FMA (Safety, Health,
and Welfare) Regulations 1970.
A maximum penalty of RM50,000 or 2 years imprisonment or
both can be imposed for non-compliance.

52. Duties of EmployeesDuties of Employees
According to Section 24 OSHA 1994, the duties of employees are
to:
•Cooperate with employers
•Practice reasonable care for safety and health on himself and
other
•Wear and use personal protective equipment (PPE)
•Comply with instruction on OSH
A maximum penalty of RM1,000 or 3months imprisonment or both
can be imposed for non-compliance.

53. Cont.
Note:Note: Employers are not allowed to employ
persons less than 16years old.
For more information on “young person”,
you can refer to section 28,Pt.III FMA 1967
and Section 28 (c), Pt VII OSHA 1994.

54. Cooperation to Investigation/Inspection Officers
(Section 47 OSHA 1994: Offences in Relation to Inspection).
Owner or occupier or employer of any place of work need to provide
assistance for any:
•Entry
•Inspection
•Examination
•Inquiry
A maximum penalty of RM10,000 or 1year imprisonment or both can
be imposed for non-compliance.

55. Regarding Improvement Notice andRegarding Improvement Notice and
Prohibition Notice (Section 48 OSHA 1994) Prohibition Notice (Section 48 OSHA 1994)
In practice, enforcement authority usually issues NOI (Notice of
Improvement) or NOP (Notice of Prohibition) for any non-compliance found
at the site.
Once an NOI or NOP is issued, the employer is expected to take
necessary corrective actions within a stipulated period.-Sometimes, an Sometimes, an
NOP is also referred to as a Stop Work Order. NOP is also referred to as a Stop Work Order.
Penalty for failure to comply with notice: Maximum RM50,000 or maximum
5years imprisonment or both and RM500 per day for continuous offence.

56. General PenaltyGeneral Penalty
•In the examples above, there are specific requirement with
specific penalties mentioned. However, not all offences can be
pointed out in detail.
•What if one is found guilty for an offence, but there is no specific
penalty provision for it?
•The answer is General Penalty (Part XII Section 51, OSHA 1994)(Part XII Section 51, OSHA 1994)
•Fine not exceeding RM10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding
1year or both and fine of RM1,000 per day for continuing offence.
•What does this mean: It means any unsafe practice is always an
offence, with the possibility of conviction. In conclusion, all safe
practices are practical compliances

57. Power of Enforcement OfficersPower of Enforcement Officers
•As mentioned earlier, enforcement officers may issue
improvement notice or stop work order for any non-
compliance discovered.
•That is only a small part of the enforcement authority.

58. Below are sections from OSHA 1994 relating
to the power of enforcement officers:
Section in OSHA Enforcement Authority
Section 34 Regarding power of officer at inquiry. The officer can be vested with powers of
First Class Magistrate.
Section 35 Regarding power to prohibit the use of plant or substance
Section 39 Regarding power of entry, inspection, examination, seizure, etc.
Section 40 Regarding entry into premises with search warrant and power of seizure
Section 41 Regarding entry into premise without search warrant and power of seizure
Section 42 Regarding power of forceful entry
Section 44 Regarding power of investigation
Section 45 Regarding power to examine witness
Section 48 Regarding NOI and NOP
Section 48 to Section 61 Regarding Prosecutions

59. Summarizing the above, the officers can Summarizing the above, the officers can
•Gain access without warrant to a workplace at any time.
•Employ the police to assist in the execution of the duty.
•Bring in equipment or materials into the premise to assist investigations
•Carry out necessary examinations and investigations.
•Direct that location remain undisturbed for as long as is seen fit.
•Take measurements, photographs and samples
•Order the removal and testing of equipment
•Take articles or equipment out for further testing
•Take statement, records and documents
•Require other facilities or assistance which may be needed (Holt, 2006)

60. Occupational Safety and Health Officer Occupational Safety and Health Officer
Versus. Safety and Health Officer (SHO)Versus. Safety and Health Officer (SHO)
•Enforcement Officer are DOSH personnel who are appointed
under section 5(2) OSHA 1994.
•They are “Occupational Safety and Health Officer/s”, and are
referred to as “officer” in the Act.
•This “officer” interpretation includes the Director General,
Deputy Directors General, Directors, Deputy Directors and
Assistant Directors of DOSH.
•Meanwhile “safety and Health Officer/s” are those who are
appointed in relation with section 29 and section 66(2) (t)
OSHA 1994 and they are hired by industries.
•To distinguish between these two officers, remember that one
is an “occupational” officer while the other is not.

61. Safety and Health OfficerSafety and Health Officer
•SHOs are hired by industries. There is a special clause
about the hiring or employing of a safety and health officer.
In section 29(3) it states that:
““The safety and health officer shall be employed exclusively The safety and health officer shall be employed exclusively
for the purpose of ensuring the due observance at the for the purpose of ensuring the due observance at the
place of work of the provisions of this Act and any place of work of the provisions of this Act and any
regulation made thereunder and the promotion of a safe regulation made thereunder and the promotion of a safe
conduct of work at the place of work”.conduct of work at the place of work”.

62. In accordance with Section 18, SHO Regulations 1997, the job
specifications of an SHO as outlined in the Act are:
•Advise the employer or any person in charge, regarding safety and health.
•Safety and Health inspections of the place of work including equipment,
process, substance and others which may affect the safety and health of
workers.
•Investigate any incident
•Assist the employer or Safety and Health Committee regarding OSH.
•As Secretary of the Safety and Health Committee (SHC)
•Assist SHC in any safety inspection, effectiveness and efficacy of safety
measures taken in compliance with the Act.

63. Cont.
•To collect, analyze and maintain safety statistics on
accident, dangerous occurrence, occupational poisoning
and occupational disease occurring at the workplace.
•Assist any officer in carrying out his/her duty under the
Act or in the regulations under the Act.
•To carry out other instructions made by employer on any
matters pertaining to safety and health.

64. FMA 1967 OverviewFMA 1967 Overview
Studying the “mother act” is helpful in understanding the birth of
subsequent regulations. This applies to both-OSHA 1994 and FMA 1967.
In the FMA mother act, there are three important components which were
later supported by their respective regulations.
They are;
•Safety, Health and Welfare (SHW) in part II
•Person in Charge and Certificate of Competency in part III
•Notice of Occupation of factory and Registration and Use of Machinery in
Part v

65. Safety, Health and WelfareSafety, Health and Welfare
Among the issues mentioned in SHW are:
•Safety of workers regulations physical hazards due to unsafe
condition
•Safety of workers regarding hazards due to machine or
equipment (i.e. machinery as a potential root cause or latent (i.e. machinery as a potential root cause or latent
cause of an accident)cause of an accident)
•Fire hazard
•Health issues and even an ergonomic issues (please refer to
section 12)
•PPE, welfare and facilities issues
•Person’s Certificate of Fitness/Competency of employee (please
refer to section 19)

66. CIDB Green card ComplianceCIDB Green card Compliance
In accordance with 2001 CIDB Circular 1/2001, all personnel
working at the construction site need to posses the Greencard.
Without a Greencard, one is not allowed to work at a
constructions site.
A Greencard is to indicate a person has attended a specially
designed Safety and Health course for the construction’s
environment.

67. Cont.
In this Greencard system,CIDB categorized “Constrution Personnel”
as:
•General Worker
•Semi-Skilled Worker
•Skilled Worker
•Supervisor, Clerk of Work, Site Agent or equivalent
•Site Manager, Site Engineer or equivalent
•Quality Assurance, and
•Any other categories classified by CIDB from time to time.

68. Building Operations and Works of Building Operations and Works of
Engineering constructions (BOWEC)Engineering constructions (BOWEC)
•The official title for this regulation is the factories and Machinery
(Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction)
(Safety) Regulations,1986. It is commonly referred to as
BOWEC.
•BOWEC Regulations are quite comprehensive as they cover
almost every activity or item you can find in a construction’s
environment.
•Therefore, not all requirements are covered here. Below is only
the overview, and selected and condensed information.
•Some relevant and important issues will be discussed in the
next topic.

69. Arrangement of RegulationsArrangement of Regulations
Part I – Preliminary
Part II – General Provisions
Among the provisions are:
•Physical hazards including drowning;
•Tool and electrical hazards;
•Health hazards;
•Safe walkways;
•PPEs;
•Waste Disposal;
•Safety Personnel; and
•Safety Committee.

70. Cont.
Part III – Concrete WorkPart III – Concrete Work
Among the provision are:
•Professional Engineer (P.E.) designed formwork and reshores;
•Inspections of formworks; and
•Formwork stripping
Part V- Cleaning, Repairing and Maintenance of Roof, Gutters, Part V- Cleaning, Repairing and Maintenance of Roof, Gutters,
Windows, Louvres and VentilatorsWindows, Louvres and Ventilators
•Work on steep roof;
•Roofing brackets; and
•Crawling board dimensions

71. Part VI – Catch PlatformsPart VI – Catch Platforms
Among the provisions are:
•P.E. Designed;
•Dimensions and minimum load Capacity; and
•Details to conform with code of practice of Building Operation Code
Part VII – Chutes, Safety Belts and NetsPart VII – Chutes, Safety Belts and Nets
Among the provisions are:
•Provision on construction of Chute (If more than 12metres, need P.E. Design);(If more than 12metres, need P.E. Design);
•Life lines and safety belts; and
•Storage and inspections.

72. Part VIII – Runways and RampsPart VIII – Runways and Ramps
The provisions are mainly regarding dimensions
according to users
(i.e. vehicles, employees or wheel-barrow)
Part IX – Ladders and Step- LaddersPart IX – Ladders and Step- Ladders
Among the provisions are regarding secured footing and handhold.
Part X – ScaffoldsPart X – Scaffolds
Among the provisions are:
•P.E. Design for metal tube scaffold exceeding 40 meters
•P.E. Design for other scaffold exceeding 15meters
•Inspections by a competent person
•Supported by building Working platform safety
•Construction of tubular Scaffold

73. Part XI – DemolitionPart XI – Demolition
A very important requirement is that during demolition,
continuing inspections by a designated person as the work
progresses to detect any hazard due to weakened floors or
walls or loosed materials.
Part XII – Excavation workPart XII – Excavation work
A very important requirement is that excavation site and its
vicinity shall be checked by a designated person after every
rainstorm or other hazard –increasing occurrence.
Part XIII – Material Handling and Storage, Use and DisposalPart XIII – Material Handling and Storage, Use and Disposal
The provisions are mainly regarding safe method, requirement
and dimensions.

74. Part XIV – Piling Part XIV – Piling
One of the requirements is daily inspection by a designated person
before start of work.
Part XV – Blasting and Use of ExplosivesPart XV – Blasting and Use of Explosives
Among the provisions are:
•Designated person
•Safe handling of explosives
•Audible warning before blasting
Part XVI – Hand and Power ToolsPart XVI – Hand and Power Tools
Regarding various tools such as Electric /Pneumatic /Fuel /
Hydraulic-powered tools, hand tools and power –actuated tools.