COMMENT: Railway construction without blood – just a dream?
By PDADCO payday loans
Delhi Airport Metro Express Line, India’s first dedicated airport rail line recently celebrated the construction with the final break through of the Shivaji Stadium Station’s tunnel section.
Sadly the construction of other lines of the Delhi Metro was not that joyful.
Timothy brings a closer look at the recent unfortunate accidents at the Delhi Metro project and asks if they could be prevented?
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Timothy G. Galarnyk CEO Construction Risk Management |
The sign outside one of the many Delhi Metro construction projects proclaim the following message:
"WE BELIEVE THAT IN ALL OUR ACTIVITIES, WE WILL DEDICATE OURSELVES TO SYSTEMS THAT ENCOURAGE SAFETY, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION. WE WILL MEET ALL LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND DMRC GUIDELINES AND NEVER DO ANYTHING THAT MAY HAMPER THE REPUTATION OF DMRC AND _____________." (Contractor’s name intentionally omitted)
To tell a story on the truth of this proclamation, we must examine the history of the Delhi Metro (DMRC) construction performance since it was started in October 1998 102 deaths have been recorded and reported. The number of injuries far exceeds the number of deaths. How many workers have been crippled for life and will never be capable of future work?
Statistically, that is 9 workers dead every year since 1998. The past 12 months, however have been particularly deadly. 12 workers have died since October 1, 2008.
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October 19, 2008: 2 workers died when a flyover bridge under construction collapsed. Nearly 30 people were injured. July 12, 2009: 7 workers died when a bridge under construction collapsed along with the launch girder system. Nearly 15 other workers were injured in this collapse. |
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July 13, 2009: 5 workers were injured when 3 cranes used to clean up the collapsed bridge from the previous day all collapsed. The cranes were trying to retrieve the launch girder system when collapsed onto each other.
July 22, 2009: 1 worker died when a steel beam being hoisted by a crane fell onto him. The worker was only 22 years old.
August 30, 2009: A 20 year old worker died when he fell from a ladder and sustained fatal internal injuries.
October 3, 2009: A hydraulic truck crane collapsed while hoisting another construction crane at a Delhi Metro site. Conflicting reports count the number of injured from between none and 12. Just hours later, a construction laborer fell from overhead electrification lines and received critical injuries.
Bangladore Metro construction is just beginning and already there has been blood shed. Will the Bangladore projects be managed better than the Delhi Projects?
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On July 28, 2009 the DMRC made public that they have detected design defects in the Pier 67 may have lead to the July 12 collapse of the bridge superstructure. It also has been reported that numerous other piers have developed cracks, described as “hairline cracks” at the tops of the pier caps. The structural integrity of these piers is under evaluation. So, who is responsible for these “accidents”? Certainly the DMRC has tried to do its job by requiring the contractors to comply with the laws and the DMRC requirements. But, have the contractors done what they are required to do? Obviously not. |
On July 14, 2009 the DMRC announced that they have retained an independent expert to carry out a safety assessment of the project. The firm is a civil engineering that seems to have a great capability for structural evaluations on civil engineering projects. There is nothing on their profile or on their resume to indicate any expertise in construction safety measures – the means and methods of protecting workers.
The DMRC must hire some person or entity to analyze and evaluate the means and methods of the works for the safety of the workers and the DMRC personnel. Since the contractors are not doing what they are required to do, it is now the obligation of the DMRC to take action.
The Delhi Metro may believe that their accident rate is better than international standards. It is reported that Singapore has a rate of 1.1 cases per 1 million man hours while the London Underground has a reported rate of 0.32 cases per 1 million man hours. When the ACTUAL numbers are used, it is questionable whether the Delhi Metro has a low frequency rate.
India is certainly not alone in experiencing deaths and injuries on their construction projects. The United States experiences an average of more than 3 construction worker deaths every single day of the year according to 2008 statistics. Other countries such as Canada, China and most other nations have failed to control the deaths and injuries experienced relative to construction. What can be done to stop these things from happening?
There are ways to plan, begin and complete construction without deaths. The ways are rather simple and do not need to include the more than 500 pages of rules and regulations promulgated by government agencies such as the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
There is a difference in the rates that many officials use around the world. There is the frequency rate – the rate of all injury and deaths accidents per 100,000 man hours worked. Then there is the severity rate – the rate of disabling injuries (lost work days) per 100,000 man hours worked. And finally, there is the death rate – the number of death cases per 100,000 man hours worked.
There must be a commitment on the part of the government to demand safety. There must be a commitment on the part of contractors to train and instruct their workers on safety. And there must be a commitment on the part of all construction workers to follow the simplest of rules to protect themselves from injuries or death. The rules shall be called “Guidelines for Self Preservation”. It can be done and it can be done with relative ease.
To contact Timothy, please send us your comments on feedback@airrailnews.com.
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