GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT
Directorate General Factory Advice service and Labour Institutes
REGIONAL LABOUR INSTITUTE
NO.1, SARDAR PATEL ROAD,
TTTI POST, ADYAR, CHENNAI – 600 113
Phone No. : 044-22355690, 22350737, Fax No. 044- 22352457
DGFASLI web site : www.dgfasli.nic.in
Dr. R. K. Elangovan
Director (Safety) & In - Charge,
Regional Labour Institute,
[Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI)],
Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, Chennai 600 113
In 1998 ILO adopted the Safety and
Health in Construction Convention
No.
167
and
Recommendation
No.175
Provision for Health & Safety
measures
for
the
Construction
workers in conformity with ILO
convention No.167 concerning Safety
& Health in construction.
In addition to the existing legislation the
following legislations have been enacted
specifically to deal with Construction Safety:
The Building & Other Construction Workers
(Regulation of Employment & Conditions of
Service) Act, 1996.
The Building & Other Construction Workers
Welfare Cess Act, 1996.
The Building & Other Construction Workers
(Regulation of Employment & Conditions of
To
regulate
the
employment
and
conditions of service of building & other
construction workers and to provide for
their safety, health and welfare measures
and
for
other
matters
connected
Exception for residential houses for own
purpose constructed with a cost not exceeding Rs. 10 lakh and such other activities to which the provisions of Factories Act, 1948 and Mines Act, 1952 apply.
It applies to every establishment which
employs, or had employed on any day of the preceding 12 months 10 or more building
workers in any building or other construction work.
2(b)"beneficiary"
means
a
building
worker registered under section 12;
2(c) "Board" means a Building and Other
Construction Workers' Welfare Board
constituted under sub-section (1) of
Section 18;
The construction, alteration, repairs, maintenance or
demolition of or in relation to, buildings, streets, roads, railways, tramways, airfields, irrigation, drainage,
embankment and navigation works, flood control works (including storm water drainage works), generation, T & D of power, waterworks (including channels for distribution of water), oil and gas installations, electric lines, wireless,
radio, television, telephone, telegraph and overseas
communications, dams, canals, reservoirs, watercourses, tunnels, bridges, viaducts, aqueducts, pipelines, towers,
cooling towers, transmission towers and such other work as may be specified in this behalf by the appropriate
Government, by notification but does not include any
building or any construction work to which the provisions of the Factory Act, 1948 (63 of 1948), or the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952), apply;
2(e) "building worker" means a person who is employed to do any skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled, manual, supervisory, technical or clerical work for hire of reward, whether the terms of employment be expressed or implied, in connection with any building or other construction work but does not include any such person- (i) who is employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity; or
(ii) who, being employed in a supervisory capacity, draws wages exceeding one thousand six hundred rupees per menses or exercises, either by the nature of the duties attached of the office or by reason of the power vested in him, function mainly of a managerial nature;
2(j) "establishment" means any establishment belonging to, or under the control of, Government, by body corporate or firm, an individual or association or other body individuals which or who employs building workers in any building or other construction work; and includes an establishment belonging to a contractor, but does not include an individual who employs such workers in any building or construction work in the relation to his own residence the total cost of such construction not being more than rupees ten lakhs;
2(k) "Fund" means the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Fund of a Board constitute under sub-section (1) Section 24;
Owner there of, and includes,
Authority of any department of government
(without any contractor)
Chief Executive Officer of the Local
Authority (without any contractor)
Building and other construction work carried
Imprisonment , which may extend to 3
months and fine which may extend to Rs
2000 or with both.
Continuing contravention additional fine
which may extend to Rs 100 for every day.
Subsequent to conviction, within 2 years,
repeated offence, which may extend to 6
months or with fine not less than Rs 500
but which may extend to Rs. 2000 or with
both.
An employer shall ensure:
Fire extinguishing equipment sufficient to
extinguish any probable fire at such const.
sites
An adequate water supply at ample pressure
as per National standards.
No. of trained persons for the operation of fire
extinguishing equipment
Maintenance and inspection regularly not less
than once in a year by responsible person.
Provision of fire extinguishing equipment in a
launch or boat for the transportation of
workers & Cabin of lifting appliances and
mobile crane.
Emergency Action plans for construction establishments employing more than 500
Building Workers shall prepare emergency action plan for the following emergencies:
fires and explosions;
collapse of lifting appliances & transport equipment
collapse of buildings, sheds or structures etc;
gas leakages and spillage of dangerous goods or chemicals;
drowning of building workers, sinking of vessels, Land slides getting building workers buried,
No Building Worker lifts by hand or
carries over head or over his back or
shoulders any material, article, tool or
appliance exceeding in weight the
maximum limits set out in the following
table.
Every establishment employing 50 or
more building workers shall prepare a
written statement of policy in respect of
safety and health of building workers and
submit the same for approval.
a
) Adequate & suitable measures by
Employer to keep CO content of the
atmosphere below 50 ppm.
b) No permission to enter B. Workers into
confined
space,
tank,
trench
or
excavation until precautions have been
taken
and
certificate
issued
by
An employer shall ensure:
Over head protection is erected along the periphery
of every building under const. which shall be 15 meter or more in height when complete.
O.H protection not less than 2 meter wide and
erected at a height not more than 5 meter above the base of the building.
The outer edge of such O.H protection shall be 150
mm higher than the inner edge or shall be erected at an angle more than 20 degree to its horizontal sloping into the building.
Rope off or cordon off the area exposed to risk of
falling material, article or object or otherwise suitably guarded from inadvertent entry of persons.
Measures to prevent workers coming into
physical contact with electricity causing
electrical hazards.
Display & maintenance of warning signs in
Hindi and local language.
Use of insulated protective gloves & foot wear
by Workers using jack hammers, crowbar or
other hand tool when underground location of
Electric power is not known.
Electrical appliances are of sound material
and adequately earthed.
Earth leakage circuit breaker with all
temporary electrical installations.
No wall, chimney or other structure to
leave unguarded in such a condition that
it may fall or weaken due to wind
pressure, vibration or due to other
reason.
Fire resistant material
Suitable seat, a foot rest and protection
from vibration
An adequate view of the area of
operation
Necessary access to working parts in cab
Adequately ventilated
Transport & Earth moving equipment of good material, proper design and sound construction
Twist locks on all the 4 corners on trailers carrying containers Inspection of transport equipment and EMQ by responsible
person once in a week
Effective brakes, head lights , and tail lamp with power trucks & trailers
Side stanchions
Safe gangways in loading and unloading transport equipment Safe carrying capacity
No unauthorized person
Maneuvers the transport equipment under the direction of signaler
Adequate precautions when operating in dangerous proximity to any live electric conductors
Vehicles not to leave on slopes with engine running Operation by adequately trained persons
Rule 96-General provisions regarding use of
concrete.
Rule 97-Preparation and pouring of concrete and
erection of concrete structures.
Rule 98-Buckets
Rule 99-Pipes and Pumps
Rule 100-Mixing & pouring of concrete Rule 101-Concrete panels and slabs
Rule 102-Stressed and tensioned elements. Rule 103-Vibrators
Rule 104-Inspection and Supervision Rule 105-Beams, floors and roofs
Rule 106-Stripping Rule 107-Reshoring
The employer shall ensure at a construction site
of a building or other construction work that –
a)
All construction with the use of concrete or
reinforced concrete are based on plans as –
i)
Include specification of steel and concrete and
other material to be used in such construction;
ii)
Give technical details regarding methods for
safe placing and handling of such materials as
specified in sub-clause(i);
iii)
Indicate the type, quality and arrangement of
each part of a structure of such construction;
and
iv) Explain the sequence of steps to be taken for
completion of such construction;
b)
Formwork and shores used for concrete work
are structurally safe and are properly braced or
tied together so as to maintain position and
shape of such formwork of shores;
c)
Formwork structure used for concrete work has
sufficient catwalks and other secure access for
inspection of such structure if such structure is
in two or more tiers.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
(a)A building worker handling cement or concrete –
Wears close-fitting clothing, gloves, helmet or hard
hat, safety goggles, proper footwear and respirator or mask to protect him from danger in such handling;
Keep as much of his body covered as is required to
protect him from danger in such handling;
Takes all necessary precautions to keep cement and
concrete away from his skin in such handling. (b) Lime pits are fenced or enclosed;
(c) lime pits are filled and emptied by such devices which do not require workers to go into the pit;
(d) Moving parts of the elevators, hoists,
screens,
bunkers,
chutes,
grouting
equipment used for concrete work and of
other equipment used for storing, transport
and other handling ingredients of concrete
are securely fenced to avoid contact of
building workers with such moving parts;
(e) Screw conveyors used for cement, lime
and other dusty materials are completely
enclosed.
The employer shall ensure at a construction
site of a building or other construction
work that –
(a)
Concrete buckets used with cranes or
aerial cableways are free from projections
from which accumulations of concrete
could fall;
(b)
Movements of concrete buckets are
governed by signals necessary to avoid
any danger by such movements.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
(a)A scaffolding carrying a pipe for pumped concrete
is strong enough to support such pipe at time when such pipe is filled with concrete or water or any other liquid and to bear all the building workers who may be on such scaffold at such time, safely;
(b)Every pipe for carrying pumped concrete is –
Securely anchored at its end point and at each
curve on it;
Provided near the top of such pipe with an air
release valve; and
Securely attached to a pump nozzle by a bolted
(c) The operation of concrete pumps are
governed by standard signals relevant in
accordance with the relevant national
standards;
(d) Building workers employed around a
concrete pump wear safety goggles.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
(a)The concrete mixture does not contain any material which may unduly affect the setting of such concrete, weaken such concrete or corrode steel used with such concrete.
(b) When dry ingredients of concrete are being mixed in confined space such as silos –
i) The dust shall be exhausted at the time of such mixing and
ii) In case the dust cannot be exhausted, as specified in sub-clause (i), the building workers shall wear respirators at the time of such mixing;
(c) When concrete is being tipped from buckets, building workers are kept out of the range of any kickbacks of such buckets;
The employer shall ensure at a construction site
of a building or other construction work that –
a)
All parts of a concrete panels or concrete slab
are hoisted uniformly;
b)
Concrete panels are adequately braced in their
final positions and such bracings shall remain in
such position until such panels are adequately
supported by other parts of the construction for
which such panels are used;
c)
Temporary bracing of concrete panels are
securely fastened to prevent any part of such
panels from falling when such panels are being
moved.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or construction work that
a) Building workers do not stand directly over jacking
equipment while stressing of concrete girders and beams is being done;
b) A pre-stressed concrete unit is not handled except at
points on such unit and by the devices specified for such work by the manufacturer of such devices;
c) During transport, pre-stressed concrete girders or
concrete beams are kept upright by bracing or other effective means;
d) Anchor fittings for tensioned strands of
pre-stressed concrete girders or concrete beams are kept in a safe condition in accordance with the instructions or manufacturer of such anchor fittings;
e)Building workers do not stand behind jacks
or in line with tensioning elements and
jacking
equipment
during
tensioning
operations of pre-stressed concrete girders
or concrete beams;
f)Building workers do not cut wires of
pre-stressed concrete girders or concrete beams
under tension before such concrete used for
such girders or beam is sufficiently
hardened.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
a) A building worker, who is in good physical condition,
opera5tes vibrators used in concreting work;
b) All practical measures are taken to reduce the amount of
vibration transmitted to the operators working in concreting work;
c) When electric vibrators are used in concreting work,
i) such vibrators shall be earthed;
ii) the leads of such vibrators shall be heavily insulated; and
iii) The current shall be switched off when such vibrators are not in use.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
a) A person responsible for a concreting work supervises the erection of the formwork, shores, graces and other supports used for such concreting work;
b) A person responsible for concreting work makes a thorough inspection of every formwork after erection of such formwork in such concreting work to ensure that such formwork is safe;
c) A person responsible for a concreting work regularly inspects the formwork, shores, braces, reshores and other supports during the placing of concrete;
d) Any unsafe condition which is discovered during the inspections mentioned under clauses (b) and (c) is remedied immediately;
e) A person responsible for a concreting work keeps all records of inspections referred to in clause (a) and clause(b) at the workplace relating to such inspection and produces them for inspection upon the demand of an Inspector having jurisdiction.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
a) Horizontal and diagonal tracings are provided in both longitudinal and transverse directions as may be necessary to provide structural stability to formwork used in concreting work and shores used in such concreting work are properly seated top and bottom and are secured in their places;
b) Where shores used in concreting work rest upon the ground, base plates are provided for keeping such shores firm and in level;
c) Where the floor to ceiling height of a concreting work exceeds nine metres or where the formwork deck used in such concreting work is supported by shores constructed in two or more tiers, or where the dead, live and impact loads on the formwork used in such concreting work exceed seven hundred kilogram per square metre, the structure of such formwork is designated by a professional engineer in the relevant field and the specifications and drawings of such formwork are kept at such construction site and produced on demand before the Inspector having jurisdiction;
d) Where the structure of the formwork used in concreting work is designed by a professional engineer, such engineer shall be responsible for the supervision of construction and stability of such structure.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site of a building or other construction work that –
a) Stripping of formwork used in concreting work
commences until the concrete on such formwork is fully set, examined and certified to this effect by the responsible person and record of such examination and certification is maintained;
b) Stripped forms in concreting work are removed or
stock-piled promptly after stripping from all areas in which building workers are required to work or pass;
c) Protruding nails, wire ties and other formwork
accessories not required for subsequent concreting work are pulled, cut or otherwise made safe.
The employer shall ensure at a construction site
of a building or other construction work that –
a)
Reshoring used in concreting work is provided to
a slab or beam for its safe support after its
stripping or where such slab or beam is subjected
to superimposed loads due to construction above
such slab or beam;
b)
The provisions applicable to shoring in a
concreting work under this chapter shall also be
applicable to reshoring in such work.
Before Demolition the following should be
ensured:
Ensure removal of glass or similar
material from exterior openings
Put off water, steam, electric gas or other
supply lines and suitably capped
Permission from local authority
Construct the roofing brackets to fit the
pitch of steep roof and use such brackets
to provide level working platform.
Secure the roofing brackets by nailing.
Crawling boards of sound material and of
approved type as per national standards.
Inspection by responsible person.
Strung firmly fastened lifeline of adequate
strength beside each crawling board
through out its length.
Every ladder should be
Secured so as to prevent undue swaying
Equally & properly supported to each of
its upright
So used as not to cause undue sagging
Placed as nearly as possible at an
Catch Platforms - 2 meter wide, inclined so
the outer edge is 1500 mm higher than
inner edge with fencing up to 1 meter
height.
Chutes - Wooden or metal chutes at an
angle of more than 45 degree with the
horizontal to be closed from all the sides
except openings; Sound material, adequate
strength and suitable for the purpose;
Construction by professional engineer and
approval by D.G for the chute exceeding 12
meter in height; Warning notice at the
Safety belt, life lines & other related devices
as per National standards.
Adequate knowledge to use safety belt and its
maintenance.
Inspection by responsible person before taken
into use.
Safety Net should be of adequate strength,
sound material and its suitability for use and
conforms to National Standards; Responsible
person to ensure safe fixing of safety nets;
Proper arrangements for storing of safety
belts, safety nets etc.
Up to 1000 building Workers – One S.O
Up to 2000 building Workers – Two S.O
Up to 5000 building Workers – Three
S.O
Up to 10000 building Workers – Four
S.O
For every additional 5000 Building
Workers or part there of, one Safety
Officer
Roof Work
Steel Erection
