Safety information search results

A reporter describes a problem that arose during the construction stage of a project when a steel frame supporting pipe and cable racks was loaded before the frame baseplates were grouted.

A reporter came across a scenario on site where an architectural decorative panel was acting as a barrier during the construction stage without being designed to act as one.

An existing large shopping centre built circa 1975 had a number of external storerooms and loading bays with roofs constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) planks. The planks had deflected to the extent that they needed replacing.

A reporter is concerned in respect of the steelwork execution class, and quality management arrangements, applied to the construction of a public access pedestrian bridge.

Poor, high-water content excavated material, slipped into a 15-20m deep borrow pit. The material had slipped to the bottom of the pit partially burying excavation, crushing and screening equipment. If this slip had occurred during working hours, the impact could have been very serious.

The number of failures of heat-soaked toughened glass leads to a finding that the glass produced by some processors has not been properly heat-soaked and is therefore much more likely to shatter in use.

A building constructed in the early 1990s has been found to contain reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete (RAAC) planks. This date is important since it is much later than the previously thought last significant use of RAAC in buildings in the UK and potentially affects the scope of buildings that could require screening for RAAC problems.

A reporter describes a project where a flanking brick arch collapsed during the demolition of two multi-span bridges over rail lines.

Significant, and tragic, failures involving structures continue to occur: fires in apartment blocks in Milan, London and Taiwan, and structural collapses in Florida and Nigeria being recent examples. This paper gives emphasis to the need for engineers to consider risk management at a fundamental level.

This report highlights the risks associated with the use of temporary barriers to control access to unsafe workplaces. It discusses the issues when scaffolding is used as a barrier, and that this should only be considered for use as a short-term temporary barrier.