Study of accidents of construction workers on heights in Trinidad and Tobago

The accident that occurs in such places has led to both death and serious injuries. The countries like Trinidad and Tobago through the advancement of industries in the last four decades, though in their legislation they had not enacted enough laws that could ensure the safety of those who did the construction works (Ballengee, 2013, p. In the year 1977 there was a law that was passed which was aimed at reducing these accidents that occurred which resulted in the death of many workers at the places of construction. Laws have since been passed like the OSH Management policies that have been enacted over the years from then (Anderson and Bourne, 2016, p. Accidents really affected the laborers in both Tobago and Trinidad as some of them were falling from the heights during the construction processes.

This was carried out alongside the Cooperative society Act which replaced the consultation with regard to the Industrial Relations Act which gave out, the Friendly Society Act and in the year 2017 the Cooperative Studies’ Act was enacted (Anderson and Bourne, 2017, p. The cabinet considered a concern on the amending the Industrial Relations Act into the Retrenchments and Severances Benefits Act in order to curb the nation from experiencing ArcelorMittal for another time in history. The law enforcements found and commenced prosecuting eight hundred cases and accidents’ reports increased as they are won in the courts. According to Ballengee (2013, p. the fines of sixteen million dollars are charged as consolidated funds. Later through a carried out research validated the importance associated with postural stability matrix. Since the people did not have much knowledge on how they could handle the fall factors, which is of much importance for reviewing scientifically and view for more details for next directions of research.

It plays a beneficial role having a kind of review that helps researchers in gaining many skills and paving ways for the researchers in the next generation with the research gap (Blackburne 2012, p. Here it provides aggregated databases which attempt to fill the knowledge gap. Fall Accidents Regarding To the Type of Industry There were some workplaces for construction which were prioritized depending upon the distinguished way, that involve, though not restricted to, the contractors who bare having good tracks that does not necessarily require track records (Anderson and Bourne, 2016, p. In Tobago and Trinidad the workers from the field also assisted in the clearing of the wastes that are hazardous. The percentage covered by the construction in the GDP was found to be 17% in Tobago and 21% in Trinidad respectively (Hickson and Ellis, 2014, p.

This revealed that the accidents in the two countries were an issue that was demanding immediate attention that could lead to lowering the hazardous risks that lead to the accidents as soon as it could take. The statistics reveals that unskilled laborers cover the highest portion of the construction sector. The maximum percentage rate in industrialized countries like Tobago and Trinidad is approximated to stand at ten percent. These accidents were indicated that about 20% were on the heights (Gaskins, 2013, p102). These accidents were mainly triggered by the contractors who did not adhere to the strict construction rules like proper equipment such as scaffolding. There are some contractors who wanted to clear the projects very first and move to other projects, hence were fond of not adhering to health and safety rules.

Problem Statement These workers in the construction sector are in exposure to many hazards in the field. The exposure is often considered likely to happen although the hazard that goes with it is intermitted. When it comes to the roofing which in most cases is done at heights, one might fall from the roofs which have often been evidenced in the construction industries. Other hazards in the roofing include the heat and roofing tar (Baran et al. p. Another place of occupation is the tower operations and cranes which has the exposure of isolation of the workers and stress. Preforming poorly on Occupational Safety and Health may lead to a rise in the labour related costs like illnesses, injuries and fatalities (Zori, 2017, p. There was a rise in the public awareness in sensitizing the stakeholders and partners to cooperate with the other organizations to be part of the training of the industrial partners from both Tobago and Trinidad (Kim, 2010, p.

Such urgencies were also in charge of implementing policies formulated by different authorities that are responsible for different functions of inspection (Zori, 2017, p. They work more so on implementing of occupational safety programs to see through their integration in different jurisdiction boarders. From the report that is produced by the World health organization (WHO), yearly shows an estimate of 100 million laborers who incur injury, and the death toll of around 200,000 each year while there are between sixty eight million to one hundred and fifty seven million fresh occupational related diseases that results from the hazards in the construction sites (Richardson, 2010, p. This number is too big and it shows the level at which such hazards need quick response from all the stakeholders. There is a difficulty that the companies undergo when it comes to keeping of skilled workers by ensuring the safety of the surrounding of the work area.

The effect of the safety and health issue is not only affecting the engineers, contractors and workers, but it also has a significant impact on the financial losses like on the materials and the man hour costs. It also leads to delays as the work could stop when there are injuries (Baran et al. p. In the cases of deaths the work could be stopped for about two weeks upwards. The accidents that were evidenced in Tobago and Trinidad were mainly overexertion; the victims sliding and falling at either the same or different level or the victims being struck by the falling objects. Pain and strains are two mostly known forms of injury in the field of construction to many (Mustapa and Mustapa, 2012, p. There are also the undertakings which are mostly linked to lost time damages that are handling of the materials of work manually without the use of the machines or costumes and installations.

Walking through the debris in the construction site can lead to tripping, falling or even slipping (Baran et al. p. Mostly the mobile clinic services uses special kind of vehicles that well equipped with the medical tools and drugs that are used on the patients a part from the customer care phones that can be dialed in case of when their services are required. Professional Categories of Accidents The risks which are associated with the construction should always be investigated early enough and identified accordingly. This would help in designing and organizing work in a way that enables the elimination of the accidental risks especially at the heights hence saving lives (Raheem, 2014, p. Multidisciplinary approach can be applied through establishing a closer relationship between the organization and health personnel (Persad, 2015, p.

The construction site can also be surveyed through the use of a standardized checklist to eliminate more chances of risks. The combination of ageing and lifestyle put together with minor injuries and physical strain can lead to the problem (Hughes and Ed Ferrett, 2013 p. The construction workers should be exposed to different patterns. According to Ballengee, 2010, p. there has not been a good proof for predicting the disorder. Preventing musculoskeletal disorder can be framed on the guide in the lifestyle and ergonomic matters. They include both the relationships that happen between the clients themselves and that between the client and the contractor (Blackburne, 2012, p. Most of the construction works are performed through contractual arrangements between the client and the contractor. The clients are given the freedom of choosing among the contractors of their own choices (Kim, 2010, p.

The health and safety performance in this relationship depends on the client’s attitude pertaining to health and safety performance. When it comes to the relationship among the contractors, the different companies can take it upon themselves to assist their colleagues to ensure safety. In order for the correct data to be gained in the process of inquiring about construction health and safety, the people that are associated can be the major source of information related (Knights, 2014, p. The use of interviews is applied as this is sought that to be a method that could help get the data from the actual field. Both the managers are interviewed so as to come out with first-hand information. The information gotten through this process can be used in filling up the gap in relation to the already researched and documented information.

According to Mustapa and Mustapa, (2012, p. These were all meant in providing assistance on the health and safety issues that are encountered in the construction sites. In these assessments the current practices in the construction sector were given close attention. Secondly, secondary research was done through the literature review of the already researched articles where the documented researches were used. The policies that have been given by both the governments and world bodies were considered at length, this includes Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system, HSEMS as well as the international policies of the United Nation like the World Health Organization (Richardson, et al. p. Works Cited Abdulai, R. T. Obeng-Odoom, F. Ochieng, E. and Maliene, V. and Narine, L. Farmers knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of occupational health and safety hazards in Trinidad, West Indies and implications for the Agriculture sector.

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