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20% of road traffic collisions and 13% or workplace injuries are fatigue related. What is the incidence in your organisation? A recent two-year study of fatigue, commissioned by HS2 to get a better understanding of the extent and impact of fatigue risk in construction, found that: Poor sleep health is widespread and is translating into fatigue interfering with work activities…

The Lighthouse Club Construction Industry Charity, who run the Construction Industry Helpline, launched an app  in collaboration with COINS (a construction software firm) and Building Mental Health (an online information portal about mental health, also developed by the charity). The new Construction Industry Helpline app will be a free, confidential service aimed at providing essential information and guidance on wellbeing…

During periods of change and high demand, the Costain Skanska Joint Venture building Crossrail’s Paddington Station require their staff to be resilient and proactive about maintaining their wellbeing. The workplace has a duty of care to provide an environment that not only creates formal opportunities for wellbeing discussions, but actively encourages managers to discuss levels of stress and resilience with…

Historically, this contractor has seen operatives taking naps and breaks in the change rooms to find a quiet space, therefore they wanted to provide them with a bespoke and specific place to rest and recharge. Research also shows that short naps and effective breaks can improve brain function, elevate moods, sharpen alertness, strengthen memory and lower blood pressure. With this…

Following recent updates in the fire prevention legislation, the contractor are actively encouraging and working to eliminate the requirement for all hot works through the design phases. They have worked with the subcontractor to procure a hydraulic cordless rebar cutter that is spark-free and eliminates the requirement for hot works/permits. The cutter significantly reduces noise during the rebar cutting in…

Worker fatigue should be acknowledged as a serious concern to health and wellbeing. A summary of what exactly worker fatigue is and the effects can be found here. Alike to all safety hazards on a construction site, worker fatigue and the risks associated with it not only effect the individual, but also those around them. The Causes Some of the…

The safety and wellbeing of a site’s workforce is a primary concern and must be properly monitored and managed. Amongst other common safety hazards, worker fatigue should not be something that is overlooked. “A state of perceived weariness that can result from prolonged working, heavy workload, insufficient rest and inadequate sleep.” – Office of Rail Regulation 2012 The Effects A construction…

Steelwork was required in various locations throughout this tightly compacted residential home, including the formation of a new lower ground floor, rear terrace and installation of a central ‘stability frame’. To help manoeuvre these steels weighing in at almost 400kg each into the building, industrial grade rollers on bearings were implemented. Steels were delivered by hi-ab, positioned on rollers, and…

Kone Site Flow is a traffic analysis system which this contractor has implemented during construction to boost efficiency in the distribution of people and materials around the building via lifts and hoists to reduce waiting time and improve efficiency in vertical transportation up through the building. Each operative on site during induction is issued with a Kone Site flow sticker…

The Solo-Gyps drywall attachment simplifies the positioning of plasterboard ceiling panels saving manpower and effectively allowing one operator to lift panels without assistance. This is ideal for interior fit-out projects and significantly reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury and fatigue for installers. Plasterboard for ceilings have historically been raised by handed, while there have been some lifting aids and props…

The project has identified mental health as a key focus for 2017. To kick off the year in a positive light, presentations on mental health awareness were delivered to the workforce as part of our safe start following the Christmas period. The presentation reiterated how to identify the symptoms of stress and fatigue and how to foster positive mental health. Following…

This contractor is the first in the county to use a robotic arm to perform work in the high-risk environments around the segment stacks and lift. A robotic arm performs two tasks when preparing the segments for ring building. Dobydo is the name given to the part of the robot that screws in the segment dowels and fittings. Krokodyl is…

Worker fatigue poses a potential health and safety hazard, and can be detrimental to the overall health of the workforce. Fatigue can have similar effects to alcohol, slowing down reaction time, causing lapses in judgement, and impairing cognitive ability. This danger is particularly relevant to projects which involve tunnelling, as the long shifts and rotating day and night shifts put workers at greater…

This contractor has looked into opportunities to reduce the risk of back and other injuries from the manual handling of scaffolding components such as scaffold tubes. Through this research the contractor has recently purchased two trolleys specifically designed to carry scaffold tubes around sites and factories. This has been welcomed positively by the employees on the project. To find out…

This initiative is focused on preventing repetitive strain injuries in construction which currently accounts for a third of all construction related injuries. The contractor has engaged with a former Team GB and current Red Bull Sport Strength & Conditioning coach to develop a programme specifically aimed at reducing repetitive strain injuries in the construction industry. The overall aim is to…