ASCE has adopted Policy Statements on critical issues impacting the civil engineering community and the Nation as a whole. Below is ASCE Policy 350: Construction Site Safety in its entirety for reference. For a complete listing of ASCE Policy Statements, please visit the policy statements section of the ASCE website. The Construction Institute participates in maintaining several of these documents. As a Construction Institute member you have the apportunity to make a difference in the industry by providing your comments and concerns regarding this policy. Please send your feedback to tjsmith@asce.org. ASCE Policy 350: Construction Site Safety follows this introduction.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) believes improving construction site safety requires attention and commitment from all parties involved when:
- Safety issues are addressed for each project on a project specific basis
- Owners take an active role in project safety by:
- Assigning overall project safety responsibility and authority to a specific organization or individual, (or specifically retaining that responsibility);
- Designating an individual or organization to develop a coordinated project safety plan and monitor safety performance during construction;
- Designating responsibility for the final approval of shop drawings and details through contract documents; and
- Including prior safety performance as a criterion for contractor selection.
- Design engineers have responsibility for:
- Recognizing that safety and constructability are important considerations when preparing construction plans and specifications;
- Assuring through the specifications that the design or details of critical elements of temporary construction, erection and lifting schemes, complicated form work and scaffolding be prepared by a professional engineer.
- Contractors have responsibility for:
- Developing and implementing a coordinated project specific safety plan, as per ANSI A10.33 and ANSI A10.38;
- Maintaining the safety of their employees and of all other persons in the work area they control;
- A Construction Manager who functions as an owner’s agent should assume the same safety responsibilities as an owner. A Construction Manager who has an “at risk” contract with the Owner should assume the same responsibilities as a contractor.
- The responsibilities of design-builders are the same as those of design engineers and contractors.
- Educators are encouraged to:
- Incorporate project site safety and constructability concepts in design and construction curricula;
- Emphasize engineers’ role in providing a safe and healthy environment to personnel engaged in project activities through proper planning and design;
- Conduct basic and applied research to advance the knowledge and practice of safe design and construction;
- All employers with employees on the construction site shall provide appropriate safety training for their employees on specific hazards they may encounter, and inform employees concerning hazardous materials under the right to know provisions of the law.
- All on site workers, after proper training, shall assume personal responsibility and accountability for their actions, including knowing and observing safety rules and safe work procedures, wearing and using the required clothing, equipment and protective devices and being free from drugs and alcohol.
- Design or details of critical elements, such as temporary construction, erection and lifting schemes, form work, scaffolding, and the use of lifting equipment and its supports shall be approved by a professional engineer.
- The construction industry should develop innovative methods, techniques, and equipment, and assist in the formulation of legislation and in the development of ongoing safety training and education.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should continue to identify safety and health hazards and establish technical rules and standards in conjunction with the construction industry, while emphasizing voluntary participation, education and training.
Issue
Improved construction site safety is needed. Safety problems to overcome include: lack of clear cut contractual responsibility for safety; lack of an industry wide agreement on shop drawing responsibility; the need for general and site specific safety training; and the need for workers to accept responsibility for their own actions.
Each construction project is unique with site specific issues. Hazards and exposures change daily. There are numerous contractual arrangements, such as design-build, multiple or single prime contract, or construction management, that can affect construction site safety responsibility. Many projects have multiple prime contractors and possibly owner-employees working in the same area with safety responsibilities not always clearly delineated.
Numerous accidents have been attributed to the lack of clear responsibilities for final approval of shop drawings, such as L’Ambiance Plaza and the Kansas City Hyatt walkway. There is no clear consensus on an industry standard as to who (the designer, the contractor, the erector, the supplier, the manufacturer/fabricator or the detailer) should have ultimate responsibility for the approval of shop drawings that cover such critical items as connection details and temporary construction or form work.
Laws and regulations administered by OSHA generally provide adequate technical guidance to the construction industry on how to work safely, but the administrative and procedural requirements tend to be punitive and burdensome, especially on small projects.
Rationale
Effective improvements in construction site safety can be achieved through a committed, cooperative relationship between owners, contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, safety professionals, construction workers, labor unions, designers, regulatory agencies, associations, institutes, academia, and legal and insurance professionals.
Safety issues vary during construction of different sizes and types of projects. Proposed regulations and legislation should recognize these differences. ASCE believes that legislation and OSHA’s rule making, while continuing to identify safety and health hazards, need to emphasize and apply an approach in which cooperation, education and training is the primary focus. The construction industry should actively participate in formulating changes to safety legislation.
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Construction Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers