A Wider Spectrum in University Research Project to Underpin Safety
Legislation Development
Gary C.H. Ma, Albert W.K. Kwok and Dr. John K.L. Ho
Industrial Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong
*
1.0
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management
The City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
ABSTRACT
This paper reports on two research projects that have identified the limitations of
two separate construction safety regulations in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region. The projects examined their effects on the work process
as well as the safety of the workers and came out with proposals of effective
work methods and more comprehensive inspection system. The project results
also showed the direction for the amendment of the regulations to provide a wider
and better safety protection.
Similar research projects by the universities could help to continuously assess the
safety legislation in a wider spectrum and also provide practical
recommendations to the lawmakers without the bias of interest. Government's
encouragement and participation of joint research with the tertiary institutions
could improve the applicability and coverage of the safety legislation.
2.0
INTRODUCTION
In Hong Kong, the MSc program jointly offered by University of Western Sydney,
Hawkesbury and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Safety Management is
offered through part-time mode studies. The students are working adults, engaging in
safety or safety related industries, with extensive field experiences. They are familiar
with and applying the safety regulations in their daily functions.
The students' dissertation topics of the MSc program are often formulated from their
problems that they are faced with daily in the workplace. This is followed by
individual study guided by a "mentor" university lecturer. The dissertation projects are
particularly beneficial to the students. At one hand the students can hone their
research skills and on the other hand, they can make use of the project results to
improve the workplace safety or work efficiency and recommend practical solutions
to the problems.
321
This paper reports on two MSc dissertation projects supervised by the authors that
critically reviewed two different construction safety regulations in Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region. The two projects were to study the use of boatswain's chair
and to review the inspection system of bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong
respectively.
3.0
3.1
A STUDY OF USING BOATSWAIN’S CHAIR IN HONG KONG
Boatswain's Chair
A boatswain's chair is primarily a suspended "seat". The rider lowers the suspending
rope to enable him to gain access to the different levels of the external wall. The
boatswain's chair is similar to the swing in the children 's playground.
Boatswain’s chairs have been widely used in the Hong Kong construction industry for
well over 20 years. Compared with bamboo scaffold and suspended working
platforms, boatswain's chair s are more cost-effective in terms of cost,
manoeuvrability, productivity and convenience, particularly in the used for external
wall cleaning and inspection. Also the legislative control on the boatswain's chair is
looser than on the suspended working platform.
However, following the advancement of technology, suspended working platforms are
gradually replacing boatswain's chairs as they are safer to the riders and allow the
riders to bring along more work tools and material.
The Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) revealed the risks
associated with the use of boatswain chair:
•
When work begins, workers have to climb over the roof edge to sit on the seating
board. At this juncture, usually the safety belt has not been fastened. The worker may
fall over the edge of the high-rise building.
•
Both the pulley system and the independent lifeline are affixed at some points usually
at the rooftop. This kind of anchorage provides no security and depends only on the
experience and the subjective judgement of the worker who is responsible for setting
up the equipment. Any error in their selection of the anchorage or in the way the
suspension rope in the selection of the anchorage or in the way the suspension rope is
affixed to the anchorage may result in the failure of the whole system with serious
consequences.
•
The knots and the hitches of the pulley system and the independent lifeline that tie to
the anchorage depend very much on the skill of the worker. Any fault in the process
may also result in serious consequences.
•
The strength of the fibre rope is also critical element in the safe work system. Since
the work is conducted in open areas, the fibre rope is subject to constant wear and
tear due to frictional contact with roof edge if not protected and the hitches as well as
contact with corrosive substances. Any damage to the rope during its use could
present grave safety problems.
322
•
When painting of external wall proceeds, it is difficult for the workers to refill their
paints. Hence, buckets of paint are carried with them. Since there is limited space on
the seating board, these buckets are hung at two sides of the seating. They are not
well secured. Any lateral displacement of the board may result in the drop-off of the
buckets from height. This sudden lost of balance may cause the worker to fall off the
seat board. Further more, falling buckets may cause injuries to passers-by.
•
The seating board restricts movement of the workers concerned. Prolong exposure
may produce adverse chronic effect on the spine of the worker.”
Since the consequence of foreseeable hazard with boatswain's chair is very high and
will normally lead to fatality; therefore, the Hong Kong Legislative Council on March
1999 passed the bill to amend the Construction Site Safety Regulation for prohibiting
the use of boatswain’s chair.
It has estimated that this bill would affect only 240 workers. The social-economic
impact was not large and these workers could easily change their careers to work on
suspended working platform.
3.2
Amended Construction Site (Safety) Regulation
The amended Construction Site (Safety) Regulation simply disallows the use of
boatswain’s chair in all situations. Suspended working platforms (SWP) are suggested
to be the replacement equipment in situation previously using boatswain's chair.
Exemption will only be granted in circumstances where the use of a suspended
scaffold or suspended working platform is not reasonably practicable or the work is of
such short duration as to make the use of suspended scaffold or suspended working
platform unreasonable.
In applying for exemption, the contractor has to explain the practical difficulties in
that particular situation and the detailed safety precaution to be adopted during the use
of boatswain's chair. Nevertheless, the safety precaution for the use of boatswain's
chair must be to the satisfactory of the Commissioner for Labour before exemption is
granted.
3.3
Circumstances where Boatswain's Chair is the Only Solution
The research conducted a comprehensive review on local high-level construction
activities and identified situations and applications that boatswain's chair was the only
solution. The findings were listed below:
Buildings under the following physical layout or constraints do not favour the use of
suspended working platform:
•
•
the roof floor did not have enough floor area to move the suspended working platform
all around the building and reached every part of external wall.
building services facilities such as air-conditioning chiller pipes and other building
equipment such as water tank, restricted the use of suspended working platform
323
•
•
the building roof did not have adequate strength to hold against overturning the
suspended working platform
parapet wall incurred technical difficulties to install the suspended working platform
and the strength of the parapet wall were not strong enough to withstand the weight of
the SWP and workers.
Other applications, such as: close visual inspection to concrete structure of flyovers or
bridges and external wall works in Correctional Services Department’s Institutions
also requires the use of boatswain's chair as the suspended working platform would
cause traffic congestion in trunk roads and defect the security system respectively.
The research also investigated into the causes of boatswain's chair fatal accidents and
found lifeline was either improperly used or simply not being used (see Table 1).
Case
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Table 1: Fatal Accident Analysis by Age and Cause
Year
Age Cause
Whether lifeline is used
1981
19
Shackle failure
Yes, but not properly used
1981
25
Hitch failure
Yes, but not properly used
1982
22
Rope breakage
Yes, but not properly used
1984
26
Rope breakage
No
1984
22
Hitch failure
No
1984
32
U-bracket detachment
No
1986
25
Shackle failure
Yes, but not properly used
1987
25
Hitch failure
Yes, but not properly used
1998
23
Shackle Failure
Yes, but not properly used
The research argued that should the government have enforced a stringent control on
the setting up of the boatswain's chair and the formal training to the riders on the
proper use of boatswain's chair, these accidents could have been avoided. The
research also revealed varies control methods being adopted by foreign countries in
boatswain's chair application that could be adopted by the Hong Kong government to
develop similar legislation control (see Table 2).
Table 2: Boatswain’s Chair Control in Different Countries
America United
Japan
Kingdom
Use of Boatswain Chair covered by law
Yes
Yes
No
Details of the boatswain’s chair covered by No
No
N/A
law
Details of the boatswain’s chair covered by Yes
Yes
No
National Standards
Details of the boatswain’s chair covered by No
No
Yes
Code of Practice
The use of boatswain’s chair is banned
No
No
No
Hong
Kong
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
324
3.4
Research Outputs
The research concluded that there were distinctive situations and application where
the use of boatswain’s chair was the only solution, but still the new legislation
required the responsible contractors to apply exemption. While cost-effectiveness was
always the major concern in Hong Kong’s construction industry, the amended
regulation caused the responsible contractors additional administrative costs and delay
in the progress schedule. To improve the safety legislation, the research recommended
basket exemption for the following situations in the regulation:
1)
Inspection of concrete structures such as concrete column of flyovers/bridges
where:
(a)
No access road is provided;
(b)
Access road has been provided but road traffic rendered the use of safe means
of support, such as mobile hydraulic platform, to be impossible;
(c)
Current mobile hydraulic platform could not reach such height.
2)
Emergency inspection of building façade that would be required to be carried
out immediately in order to assess the condition of the building and recommend
prompt remedial action to prevent its structure from further deteriorating, causing
serious danger to the public at large or for the benefit of the public.
3)
Emergency inspection of road side slope that would be required to be carried
out immediately in order to assess the condition of the slope and recommend prompt
remedial action to prevent the slope for further collapse, causing serious danger to
public at large or for the benefit of the public.
4.0
A REVIEW ON THE INSPECTION SYSTEM OF BAMBOO
SCAFFOLDING IN HONG KONG
The objective of this project is to identify the deficiencies of the existing bamboo
scaffolding inspection system with a viewing to recommending some improvement
actions.
The elements that the researcher aimed to study were:
•
•
•
•
•
the sufficiency of the legislation regarding bamboo scaffolding inspection;
the training and experience of competent persons in bamboo scaffolding;
the adequacy of Form 5, the approved from for inspection of scaffolding;
monitoring of the competent persons in bamboo scaffolding; and
management's views in appointing and monitoring of these competent persons.
325
In the project, he has had extensive discussions on:
• the deficiency of existing legislation on safety of bamboo scaffolding ;
• the competency of the so-called competent persons in construction of bamboo
scaffolding;
• the inspection system fails to reflect the actual situation of bamboo scaffolding
safety; and
• the deficiency in the design of the "Form 5" and its use as a bamboo scaffolding
safety assessment tool;
The research has taken the "Form 5" as a main subject for investigation, as it affects
the effectiveness of the scaffolding inspection system. Without an effective inspection
system, the defects of a scaffold cannot be identified in time.
During the period of the research project, coincidentally the Labour Department of
Hong Kong was preparing amendments on the Construction Site (Safety) Regulations
which would include more stringent safety requirements for scaffolding and working
platform. Before the final version of the law was enacted, the comments given in the
research was generally based on the Regulation 38K(1)(b) of the Construction Sites
(Safety) Regulations before the amendment. However, there is no significant change
to the format of "Form 5", but the time interval for inspection was substantially
tightened.
The researcher commented in his project that the design of the Form 5 is too simple.
The form can give little guidance on the following aspects:
• how to check a bamboo scaffolding;
• what specific defects in the bamboo scaffolding should be checked;
• what standards should be used to assess the quality and safety of the erected
bamboo scaffolding;
• what particulars on the bamboo scaffolding system should be reported; and
• what remedial actions and follow-up procedures should be taken.
4.1
Research Method
In studying the inspection system of bamboo scaffolding, the information collected
for the analysis was basically qualitative such as the training, experience and attitude
of the competent person and management. In the simple survey, a questionnaire was
designed to view the attitude of senior management on bamboo scaffolding. The
senior management's attitude is important to make a scaffolding inspection system
successful. Besides, a questionnaire was designed to gather information about the
training, experience and the attitude of the competent person in bamboo scaffolding.
326
Since the key element of the existing bamboo scaffolding inspection system is the
Form 5. Numbers of "Form 5" were collected and analysed to identify:
•
•
•
•
•
if the form had been filled by the appointed competent person;
if the form had been properly filled-in;
could the form reflected the actual conditions;
did the form include any recommendations; and
had there any follow-up actions been taken.
In order to verify the validity and quality of the Forms 5 collected, the researcher has
had physical inspections to the bamboo scaffoldings involved in his study. During his
inspections, he found that all the bamboo scaffoldings needed to be repaired in one
way or the other.
When coming to sensitive questions, the competent persons were very cautious. All
competent persons claimed that they would not certify the scaffold safe if they find
the scaffold unsafe. They claimed that they would repair the defective sections and
would reflect the unsafe conditions in the Form 5. All the competent persons opined
that experience was more important than formal training. However, they were quite
reluctant to attend formal training courses.
Regarding the interviews with site management, they generally did not care very
much about the efficiency and effectiveness of the scaffolding inspection system.
They would have more concern on if their competent persons had signed the Form 5,
rather than their training background, experience and competency. It seemed that
management had little knowledge of the training and experience of the competent
persons in bamboo scaffolding. At least, all of respondents agreed that the competent
persons should have undertaken certain formal training and should be experienced in
that field.
4.2
Critical Findings
The research was intended to explore the deficiencies of the existing bamboo
scaffolding inspection system. It was found that the deficiencies might be due to too
vagueness of legislation. In the existing legislation, training and experience of
competent person are not well defined. The frequency of inspection is not sufficient
to ensure scaffolding safety, although it had been strung in the amended Construction
Sites (Safety) Regulations. There are no requirements for taking follow-up actions.
Another problem is the management’s apathy attitude in the scaffolding inspection
system. They do not care about the competency of their competent persons, but the
completion of Form 5 in time as stipulated statutorily. There is no monitoring of the
inspection system and no follow-up actions will be initiated in response to the
inspections. What they really care is to complete the Form 5 in time.
In the research, it was found that the training for competent persons is not adequate.
Many competent persons still do not have the recognised qualification. Most of the
competent persons did not have any knowledge of the 'Code of Practice for
Scaffolding Safety'. They had no ideas of the current standard for scaffolding safety.
327
It was concluded that the statutory scaffolding inspection form (Form 5) is too simple
and does not provide adequate guidance for inspection, it does not specify the items
for checking and provide any criteria for assessment as well. The competent person
can simply write a few words on the form in order to discharge his duties. The
researcher recommended that a more comprehensive inspection form is required for
the bamboo scaffolding inspection system. The legislation is suggested to include
tighter control in the competency of the competent person and the frequency of
inspection. The criteria for assessment should be stipulated and guidelines for
inspection should be provided in the Form. The follow-up actions after inspections
should be specified.
5.0
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Nowadays, the Government in drafting the legislation often consults with the trade
union and other interest parties so that the trade practices and public opinions are
incorporated in the legislation.
These two dissertation projects have illustrated the additional benefits of utilising the
university's resources and staff as mentor for the safety advancement. The projects
have applied the students' working experience to critically review and examine the
safety legislation to reveal the situations and application that the legislation do not or
improperly cover. Practical recommendations were then put forward to the industry to
improve the work methods and for the government to enhance the legislation.
These kinds of industry- university research continuously would cover the safety
legislation in a wider spectrum from the application's point of view and also provide
practical recommendations to the lawmakers without the bias of interest. It is alike a
review and feedback loop of a quality system to improve the standard and the
coverage of the safety regulations. The government's encouragement and participation
of joint researches with the universities would enhance the applicability and the
quality of the safety legislation.
6.0
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge Joseph Tam and James Cheung of their MSc
Dissertation research works that greatly contribute to this paper.
328
7.0
REFERENCES
British 1960, The Ship Building and Ship Repairing Regulations, Government press,
London.
British 1971, The Ship Building and Ship Repairing Regulations (North Ireland),
Government Press, London.
British 1996, Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (North Ireland),
Government Press, London.
BSI 1990, BS 5974 Code of Practice for temporarily installed suspended scaffolds
and access equipment, BSI, London.
BSI 1993, BS 6073:1993 Code of practice for permanently installed suspended access
equipment, BSI, London.
BSI 1994, BS 2830:1994 Specification for suspended access equipment (suspended
chairs, traditional steeplejack’s seats, work cages, cradles and platforms) for use in
the building, engineering construction, steeplejack and cleaning industries, BSI,
London.
Carbis Incorporated, 1999, Catalog to Workseats produced by Carbis Incorporated,
Internet.
Cheung, J 1999, A Review of the Bamboo Scaffolding Inspection System in Hong
Kong, Dissertation of Master of Applied Science (Safety Management) at the UWS,
Hawkesbury in conjunction with the HKPolyU
HK Government 1978, Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations, Hong Kong
Government Printer, Hong Kong.
HK Government 1995, Code of Practice for Scaffolding Safety, Labour Department,
Hong Kong.
HKSAR 1999, Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations, Part VA, HKSAR Printer,
Hong Kong.
HKSAR 1999, Code of Practice for safe use and operation of suspended working
platform, HKSAR Printer, Hong Kong.
IRATA 1997, IRATA Guidelines on the Use of Rope Access Methods for Industrial
Purpose, IRATA, Hampshire.
OSHA 1964, Part21 Protection of Persons at Window-cleaning – Structural
requirements, Equipment and Procedures, Internet.
OSHA 1994, Safety Standards for fall Protection in the Construction Industry,
Internet.
329
OSHA 1996, Safety Standards for scaffold Used in the Construction Industry,
Internet.
Tam, J. 1999, A study of using boatswain chair In Hong Kong, Dissertation of Master
of Applied Science (Safety Management) at the UWS, Hawkesbury in conjunction
with the HKPolyU.
330