Q&A: risk-prevention training actions hold the key to strengthen safety in construction activities

El propósito de este trabajo de investigación es el de poner de manifiesto y analizar las acciones formativas e informativas en materia preventiva en las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (PYMES) del Sector de la Construcción en España

The implementation of OHS systems in the current construction sector SMEs' management systems

El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la realidad preventiva presente actualmente en pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES) en el sector de la construcción en España. Para tal fin, se recopila una muestra de 106 empresas (PYMES) en el ámbito geográfico de la comunidad autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha (España). El método utilizado para la obtención de datos ha sido la encuesta, con el objetivo de conseguir datos asociados a aspectos muy concretos de la Gestión Preventiva llevada a cabo en las empresas de construcción. Para dar valor a los resultados obtenidos, y en aras de aportar una mayor fiabilidad a los mismos, se empleó la técnica cualitativa del Focus Group consignándose dos equipos de trabajo atendiendo a criterios de formación en materia preventiva y jerarquía dentro de las empresas, así como expertos de la prevención en el entorno de la Administración Pública

Hacer prevención más allá del cumplimiento formal

Con objeto de poder determinar las dificultades con las que se encuentran las empresas del sector de la construcción a la hora de integrar la prevención, se ha llevado a cabo un estudio sobre 106 empresas mediante dos herramientas analíticas, una de orden cuantitativo que se ha llevado a cabo a través de las encuestas realizadas a pymes del sector y otra de índole cualitativo a traés de la técnica del Focus Grou

Análisis y diagnóstico evolutivo de la integración de la gestión preventiva en los planes de seguridad y salud

La presente tesis se elabora a raíz de un trabajo de investigación que ahonda en la realidad preventiva de las obras de construcción, desde el punto de vista del cumplimiento formal de la normativa vigente y desde el prisma del correcto uso en obra de los instrumentos preventivos a disposición de las empresas y trabajadores del Sector de la Construcción en España. Para ello, se realiza un análisis prospectivo mediante la técnica de la consulta in situ del instrumento preventivo por excelencia, el Plan de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo. Esta herramienta preventiva queda recogida de forma explícita en el artículo 7 del RD 1627/1997, siendo expuesta su obligatoriedad en el artículo 19 de la citada norma, por el que se establece que “la comunicación de apertura del centro de trabajo a la autoridad laboral competente deberá incluir el Plan de Seguridad y Salud…”. Para que el estudio sea relevante y extrapolable, a la par que competente, se conforma una muestra con los 3.600 Planes de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo consultados para el período de tiempo comprendido entre los años 2008 a 2016 (ambos incluidos), y para las cinco sedes de la Autoridad Laboral que integran la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. La recolección de la información, realizada mediante el empleo de técnicas de orden cuantitativo, se efectúa mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario o checklist pre-elaborado, de tipo dicotómico, con los ítems más relevantes que afectan a la investigación y que conforman el contenido de los Planes de Seguridad y Salud. Los resultados extraídos ponen de manifiesto por un lado el mal uso que se hace del instrumento preventivo del Plan y su escasa aplicación a nivel preventivo. Por otro lado, se observa que se trata de un documento cuya vida útil es demasiado acotada, y que, en la mayoría de las ocasiones, no cubre la ejecución total de la obra, sino que finaliza antes si quiera de comenzar los trabajos. Es por ello que resulta necesaria la creación de una herramienta viva que actualice el estado de la obra y que sea accesible a todos los agentes implicados en los procesos constructivo-preventivos, ya sean pertenecientes al ente público o al privado. Esta herramienta integrará por tanto los sistemas preventivos en los procesos constructivos de las obras de edificación. ----------ABSTRACT---------- This thesis has been developed as a result of a research work that deals with the preventive reality on construction sites, using the exact point of view of the formal compliance with the current regulations and from the prism of the correct use of all the preventive instruments that can be used by the firms and workers of the Construction Sector in Spain. To do that, a prospective analysis is carried out by using the on-site consultation technique of the preventive instrument par excellence, the Safety and Health Plan. This preventive tool is explicitly included in the 7th article of the Royal Decree 1627/1997, and its obligation is set in the 19th article of the aforementioned law, which establishes that “the opening communication of the work center to the competent labor authority must include the Safety and Health Plan…” In order to make the research relevant and extrapolated, and at the same time competent, a simple is formed with 3,600 Safety and Health Plans consulted for the period of time between the years 2008 to 2016 (both included), and for the five Labor Authority sites that compose the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha. The collection of information, carried out by using quantitative techniques, through the compliance of a questionnaire or a pre-prepared checklist, of a dichotomous type, with regard to the most relevant items that directly affect this research and that set up the content of the Health and Safety Plans. The extracted results show on the one hand the bad use that is actually made of the preventive instrument of the Plan and its scarce validity at a preventive level. On the other hand, it is observed that it is a document whose useful life is too limited, and that in most cases does not cover the total execution of the work, but rather that it ends before the work begins. That is the reason why it is of imperative necessity to create a living tool that updates the state of the work and that is accessible to all the agents involved in the constructive-preventive processes, whether they belong to the public or private entity. This tool must therefore integrate the constructive-preventive processes of the work

The importance of preventive training actions for the reduction of workplace accidents within the Spanish construction sector

The degree of compliance with occupational risk-prevention legislation among Construction Sector firms within Spain, most of which are micro-SMEs and SMEs, is studied in this research. Likewise, a meticulous analysis is completed of all aspects that are related with the training of workers within the Construction Sector. Information is collected through a survey administered to an accumulated sample of 250 workers, referring to the indicators that are directly related to the principal causes of accident rates in construction. Numerous firms participated in this study, led by High-level Risk-Prevention Technicians. The results highlighted the serious shortcomings existing within the field of preventive actions and worker training, motivated in large part by the severe crisis of the Construction Sector in Spain that began in 2008, some important consequences of which live on, reflecting high occupational accident rates. The investigation concludes with proposals to overcome these contingencies, referring especially to the need to strengthen professionalization within the Construction Sector, to improve training actions in prevention matters, and to encourage firms to work towards efficient compliance with the safety regulations. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

The importance of preventive training actions for the reduction of workplace accidents within the Spanish construction sector

The degree of compliance with occupational risk-prevention legislation among Construction Sector firms within Spain, most of which are micro-SMEs and SMEs, is studied in this research. Likewise, a meticulous analysis is completed of all aspects that are related with the training of workers within the Construction Sector. Information is collected through a survey administered to an accumulated sample of 250 workers, referring to the indicators that are directly related to the principal causes of accident rates in construction. Numerous firms participated in this study, led by High-level Risk-Prevention Technicians. The results highlighted the serious shortcomings existing within the field of preventive actions and worker training, motivated in large part by the severe crisis of the Construction Sector in Spain that began in 2008, some important consequences of which live on, reflecting high occupational accident rates. The investigation concludes with proposals to overcome these contingencies, referring especially to the need to strengthen professionalization within the Construction Sector, to improve training actions in prevention matters, and to encourage firms to work towards efficient compliance with the safety regulations

Constructiońs health and safety Plan: The leading role of the main preventive management document on construction sites

The European Union's strategic framework seeks to better protect its millions of workers from work-related accidents and illnesses. One of the main challenges, included in the European Strategy 2014–2020, is to improve the application of existing health and safety regulations, one of the strategic objectives being to help small and medium-sized companies to better comply with safety regulations and health. This study focuses on the Construction Sector, considered one of the economic activities with the highest accident rate, hardship and danger. Its objective, based on the regulatory framework that regulates health and safety in the Sector, is to know the effectiveness of the main management tool that construction works have, the Health and Safety Plan. In this study, 3600 Health and Safety Plans were analyzed in the Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. The results show that the Health and Safety Plans are documents that present great deficiencies and that do not comply with the regulatory requirements, putting at risk the management of prevention in the workplace and therefore the health and safety of its workers

Construction's health and safety Plan: The leading role of the main preventive management document on construction sites

The European Union's strategic framework seeks to better protect its millions of workers from work-related accidents and illnesses. One of the main challenges, included in the European Strategy 2014"“2020, is to improve the application of existing health and safety regulations, one of the strategic objectives being to help small and medium-sized companies to better comply with safety regulations and health. This study focuses on the Construction Sector, considered one of the economic activities with the highest accident rate, hardship and danger. Its objective, based on the regulatory framework that regulates health and safety in the Sector, is to know the effectiveness of the main management tool that construction works have, the Health and Safety Plan. In this study, 3600 Health and Safety Plans were analyzed in the Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. The results show that the Health and Safety Plans are documents that present great deficiencies and that do not comply with the regulatory requirements, putting at risk the management of prevention in the workplace and therefore the health and safety of its workers. © 2021 Elsevier Lt

Bureaucratic oxymoron : the compliance of the REA in Spain

Unlike other sectors, the Spanish Construction Sector has unique characteristics that make it particularly vulnerable to occupational accidents [1]. In order to solve this worrying situation, with unaffordable incidence rates for a modern and advanced economy, the Government of Spain and social agents (trade unions and construction firms) were in agreement with the enactment of Law 32/2006 [2] and its inclusion in the regulations on Occupational Risk-Prevention, to facilitate the management of subcontracting in construction works, with the aim of establishing an effective reference framework that would reduce incidence rates that devastated the Construction Sector

Waste and work management with exposure to asbestos = Gestión de residuos y trabajos con exposición a amianto

With regard to waste disposal, the reference regulation is Royal Decree 1481/2001, which regulates the disposal of waste by landfilling, in addition to the MAM/304/2002 Order, which publishes the waste assessment and disposal operations and the European Waste List (LER, by its acronym in Spanish). As established in the Technical Guide for proper Use by Individual Protection Equipment Workers, ?the elimination in the national territory will be based on the principles of proximity and sufficiency (Article 16 of the Law 10/1998, of April 21st) to avoid the transfers of them, looking for more favorable economic conditions?. In the work plan will be detailed in written or graphic form, with the help of a plane or satellite photograph, the place intended for temporary storage of asbestos waste during the execution of the work. Until the management company responsible for the removal of the asbestos waste proceeds to manage the stored material, the company that stores them is responsible for them. There is also the possibility of being accredited as a small producer of hazardous waste. The contracted waste management company must be authorized by the different management bodies of the Autonomous Regions, and must be enabled for the LER codes relating to asbestos. In order to avoid fines or sanctions, it is necessary to require the contracted waste management company to be accredited as an authorized company. This certificate must be issued by the competent authority of each Autonomous Region. From the preventive point of view, working with accredited companies ensures and guarantees that the chain of custody of asbestos waste is respected and that the malpractice of companies that are not specialized and without legal accreditation for the activity is avoided. As established by current regulations, the place destined for the temporary storage of waste must be properly marked and delimited, restricting the access to it. In this regard, mention should be made of the Technical Note on Prevention of demolition operations, removal or maintenance with asbestos: practical examples, prepared by the National Institute for Safety and Hygiene at Work (INSHT, by its acronym in Spanish). This, in conjunction with the informative document on Waste with asbestos: from the producer to the manager, also written in collaboration with INSHT, are practical cases that include the entire process involved in a work of asbestos removal. It is recommended that the work plan includes the contract with the asbestos waste management company, so that dates, postage, etc. can be checked and everything is collected in a single document easy to consult