Affiliations: Industrial Engineering, School of Industrial Engineering, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain | Complex Project Management, School of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK | Construction Engineering Management, School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Antonio López-Arquillos, Industrial Engineering, School of Industrial Engineering, Universidad de Málaga.C/Dr. Ortiz Ramos, s/n. 29071 Málaga, Spain. Tel.: +34 951 952 538; E-mail: investigacioncatedra@gmail.com
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The construction sector has one of the worst
occupational health and safety records in Europe. Of all construction tasks,
formwork activities are associated with a high frequency of accidents and injuries. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents an investigation of the
activities and related safety risks present in vertical formwork for in-situ
concrete construction in the civil engineering sector. METHODS: Using the methodology of staticized groups, twelve activities and ten safety risks were
identified and validated by experts. Every safety risk identified in this
manner was quantified for each activity using binary methodology according to
the frequency and severity scales developed in prior research. A panel of
experts was selected according to the relevant literature on staticized groups. RESULTS: The results obtained show that the activities with the highest
risk in vertical formwork tasks are: Plumbing and leveling of forms, cutting of
material, handling materials with cranes, and climbing or descending ladders.
The most dangerous health and safety risks detected were falls from height,
cutting and overexertion. CONCLUSIONS: The research findings provide
construction practitioners with further evidence of the hazardous activities
associated with concrete formwork construction and a starting point for
targeting worker health and safety programmes.
Keywords: Occupational, expert panel, fall from height
