Prevention through Design in major construction projects – Case study from Tata Steel

Abstract

The construction industry is a dynamic sector involving various kinds of activities, each having their own hazards. Most of these activities are of a constantly changing nature and their specific hazards are not very well known until much later into the construction process. Though the fundamental processes involved in construction remain the same, every construction project is unique & has its own specific jobs & hazards associated with them depending on the design specifications, materials, equipment & processes used & the safety culture followed by the working agency. Construction workers are especially vulnerable to injuries due to fall from height, electrocution, being caught in or between objects, being struck by moving machinery, falling objects, vehicles, etc. which can also lead to fatal incidents. Apart from these, they are also susceptible to irreversible health issues arising out of exposure to dust & other harmful substances.Project execution & construction activities have been one of the most challenging activities in Tata Steel because of a large diversity in geographical locations, types of operations & various process requirements. The organization has undertaken many greenfield as well as brownfield projects which both have different kinds of risks involved. Since the last few years, Tata Steel has taken many initiatives to mitigate the hazards & reduce the incidents in construction activities. One of the major steps taken in this direction was the implementation of Prevention through Design (PtD) in projects. This included adoption of practices like virtual design & construction, use of bolted & prefabricated structures, laser scanning & 3D modeling, powered access system, e-work permit, site access control and AI-based CCTV surveillance for monitoring of site activities among many others. Prevention through design is a transdisciplinary process which aims at reducing the hazards in the design & planning phase itself, making the construction activities inherently safer and their safety management cheaper. Risk identification & prioritization is done for each job according to a risk heat map based on the potential consequences of each hazardous event & its likelihood of occurrence. The top risks are identified & design interventions are proposed to eliminate or substitute them.Prevention through design, powered by automation & digitized safety management systems, is widely gaining use in several operations as well as construction projects due to its advantages and ease of implementation. The adoption of these safety technologies & automation has helped in proactively mitigating risks & significantly increased the effectiveness of health & safety management systems at construction sites. The construction companies should adopt these safety practices & policies, that combined with the implementation of digital health & safety tools & techniques could assist site managers ensure efficiency of their construction projects.This paper discusses the methodologies adopted at Tata Steel to implement prevention through design in construction projects and their effect on the health & safety performance of the organization.