Abstract
Title “Respect Human Rights. The Role of Safety and Health Coordinators”
The construction branch is one of the most important economic factors within Europe and also worldwide. Despite of all efforts in applying occupational safety and health to workers the construction branch still has to be realised as one of the most dangerous working places. These include significant incidents, serious and also fatal occupational accidents and occupational diseases caused by mechanical stress or damage and hazardous substances.
Working places at construction sites mark up with special conditions determining the background of the situation for workers being exposed.
The working places are temporarily limited, many companies act in a co-working situation at one place and at the same one time or following one after each other. the variety of safety standards of the company’s interfere and can block the effectiveness of measures, Multilanguage and multicultural background hinders communication and understanding.
The development of the globalisation enforced the influence on internationalising the activities in tendering and commissioning. Supply chains extended within this situation. Cross-border economic and social conditions of the workers have to be taken into account: actual income and health situation as well the future conditions of workers retiring from active employment due to their age or state of health.
The coordination of OSH matters for temporary working places on construction sites (EU-GL 92/57) can support as well the Vision Zero strategy as the health conditions with their work. Preliminarily safety and health construction coordinators (SHCC) ensure the minimum safety and health requirements within the scope of the general principles of prevention concerning safety and health. Improvements of the situation justify this approach of SHCC in planning and execution.
As the national implementation of the European Guideline 92/57 differs from country-to-country, ISHCCO, as uniform voice of SHCC´s, represents the coordinators within Europe and supports the continuous professional development of the coordinators. To the opinion of ISHCCO all “new” movements / approaches like Vision Zero and sustainability or the advancing digitalisation have to respected within SHC-Coordination as well.
The 7 golden rules with the important message of commitment to leadership and responsibility is to be aligned at the construction site not only in the execution phase but also form very beginning while planning the object. Vision Zero can be addressed as the spirit of SHC-Coordination.
Sustainability with the 17 UN-goals needs to be aligned in executing the measures to the working places, to the construction site; as direct applicable seam the aspects of energy consumption, the usage of resources, traffic, emissions and hazardous substances. ISHCCO reflects the alignment of measures to corresponding activities onsite being initialised and supported by the coordinators.
Digitalisation and the changing methods of production also will influence the effectivity and situation within the construction branch. Virtual and augmented reality enables engineers to act from distance in space and time. Prefabrication off-site and on-site will lead to changing construction technologies.
This also enforces to changing demands on OSH. Prevention has to be adapted but also being ready to be applied while using the new technologies. Coordinators have to be prepared in advance to fulfil their job of improving occupational safety and health of the workers.
ISHCCO will support and enforce the necessary developments and processes together with its members and partners.