Safety and health is an important field by itself. The term safety and health do not only applied for certain industry but in everyday task that we undertook. Safety and health issue need and have to be emphasised even if we are at home.
May be we do come across in our construction contract especially in our bill of quantity there is no specific item that mentioned on safety and health. However sometimes it is clearly spell out in our general condition of contract or standard condition of contract that we need to provide safety and health precaution or equipment for the whole duration of the contract. Hence we are also required to fulfilled this term and condition of the contract once we signed and agreed to undertake the project. Even though it is not spell out in the bill of quantity we still need to allow some cost to cover this area.
Another clause that will always relate back to this safety and health issue is, we are required to adhere to all statutory and regulatory requirement and also local authority requirement. This statement seems to be very general but it might have the same impact as the item listed under our bill of quantity and contract drawing. Let say local authority required us to do protective measure to public safety and health when we are working within their jurisdiction, hence we need to comply to that requirement. However this does not appear as an item inside the bill of quantity. Hence, how are we going to cope with this cost?.What we can do is either to insert it elsewhere inside any item inside the bill of quantity or sometime there is always an item that is spell out as ..." Others:........." which I believe this can be use to insert the cost for Safety and Health.
Let we take a glimpse of how much could this safety and health could cost us. For example we had been awarded a construction project of worth of $30 Million ( Thirty million) with the construction duration of 12 months. According to our Board of construction Industry, all project that cost $20 million and above, a Safety and Health Officer must be appointed. Therefore we need to fulfil this requirement. Hence part of the cost in safety and health is the Safety and health Officer salary. By ordinary man terms, Salary is inclusive of any benefit that must be provided for an employee.In total how much will be the salary. let assume that salary for a Safety and health officer is $7000 per month inclusive of all benefit that he is entitle for under the law. Hence in total, salary alone will cost $84,000.00. how about other safety equipment that we need to provide. The most basic is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). How about others equipments or signages that we need to install or erect throughout the construction period? In the end, the safety and health will cost us more than $84,000.00.
Why do we need to allow the safety and health cost inside our construction cost? By doing so our construction cost that we going to offer will not going to be competitive. Lets ask back to ourselves. If I do not allow any cost for this and incident or accident at work place happened, where will I find the money to cover the damages cost? The second question is how about, if the accident happened to myself due to my own negligence for taking lightly the issue of safety and health, will i be able to continue with my work? let we keep the answer closed to out heart. Safety and health is not about making money but it is about our very own daily survivor. Therefore be careful of this safety and health at work place issue. It can happen to any of us.
If it still occurred at our construction site and we already take all necessary action that deem practical and fit to our working environment, than we have to accept is as our fate. But the rules is always about who's fault is it?. Do not let the expert telling us it is our fault and we are liable for this negligence.
Each country or state have their own set of rules that we need to adhere with. Hence for our own good, comply to it.
The photo is not belong to Construction2u.blogspot.com. It can be find and view at from http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f10/fatal-work-accidents-25565
May be we do come across in our construction contract especially in our bill of quantity there is no specific item that mentioned on safety and health. However sometimes it is clearly spell out in our general condition of contract or standard condition of contract that we need to provide safety and health precaution or equipment for the whole duration of the contract. Hence we are also required to fulfilled this term and condition of the contract once we signed and agreed to undertake the project. Even though it is not spell out in the bill of quantity we still need to allow some cost to cover this area.
Another clause that will always relate back to this safety and health issue is, we are required to adhere to all statutory and regulatory requirement and also local authority requirement. This statement seems to be very general but it might have the same impact as the item listed under our bill of quantity and contract drawing. Let say local authority required us to do protective measure to public safety and health when we are working within their jurisdiction, hence we need to comply to that requirement. However this does not appear as an item inside the bill of quantity. Hence, how are we going to cope with this cost?.What we can do is either to insert it elsewhere inside any item inside the bill of quantity or sometime there is always an item that is spell out as ..." Others:........." which I believe this can be use to insert the cost for Safety and Health.
Let we take a glimpse of how much could this safety and health could cost us. For example we had been awarded a construction project of worth of $30 Million ( Thirty million) with the construction duration of 12 months. According to our Board of construction Industry, all project that cost $20 million and above, a Safety and Health Officer must be appointed. Therefore we need to fulfil this requirement. Hence part of the cost in safety and health is the Safety and health Officer salary. By ordinary man terms, Salary is inclusive of any benefit that must be provided for an employee.In total how much will be the salary. let assume that salary for a Safety and health officer is $7000 per month inclusive of all benefit that he is entitle for under the law. Hence in total, salary alone will cost $84,000.00. how about other safety equipment that we need to provide. The most basic is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). How about others equipments or signages that we need to install or erect throughout the construction period? In the end, the safety and health will cost us more than $84,000.00.
Why do we need to allow the safety and health cost inside our construction cost? By doing so our construction cost that we going to offer will not going to be competitive. Lets ask back to ourselves. If I do not allow any cost for this and incident or accident at work place happened, where will I find the money to cover the damages cost? The second question is how about, if the accident happened to myself due to my own negligence for taking lightly the issue of safety and health, will i be able to continue with my work? let we keep the answer closed to out heart. Safety and health is not about making money but it is about our very own daily survivor. Therefore be careful of this safety and health at work place issue. It can happen to any of us.
If it still occurred at our construction site and we already take all necessary action that deem practical and fit to our working environment, than we have to accept is as our fate. But the rules is always about who's fault is it?. Do not let the expert telling us it is our fault and we are liable for this negligence.
Each country or state have their own set of rules that we need to adhere with. Hence for our own good, comply to it.
The photo is not belong to Construction2u.blogspot.com. It can be find and view at from http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f10/fatal-work-accidents-25565
