TOTAL SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN HIGH RISE BUILDING, CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY (TSM vs TQM)


Abstract (Carrefour, Magnificent Diagraph Sdn Bhd)Project Worksite

Building Construction Industries (BCI) in Malaysia nowadays has become the among most important business activities and contribute high turnover to the government gross profit from foreign investors.

Due to rapid progress activities, Total Safety Management needs to be implemented and merge as important as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Total Quality Management (TQM). Various management organization are suggest to look very seriously on how Total Safety Management (TSM) play it’s important role in contributing the function to create safe workplace and so they are able to achieve a world class of business to satisfied the customer in work quality and acceptable project completion time frame.

The Total Safety Management (TSM) has characteristics and features that could prove superior to conventional safety management in the industries at large. This paper presentation proposes the important, suitable steps and as a model in implementing Total Safety Management (TSM) in a high rise building construction industry.

Questionnaire surveys, interviews and inspections at worksites were carried out in collecting information and evidence. The authorities departments such as the Human Resource Department (HRD), Department of Occupational, Safety and Health (DOSH), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through their business report monthly and bulletin giving lots of information data.

Results of the survey and study revealed problems with regards to the safety and health culture, responsibilities and commitment to safety and health. The Total Safety Management (TSM) is expected to convince the top-level management commitment, site staff’s and all site workers in construction line and to identify on all unsafe practices at the workplaces.

1. INTRODUCTION

Building Construction Industry (BCI) has become the major industries in Malaysia whereby many high-rise and low-rise project littered the country prior the economic recession. The work force had shown tremendous increase over the years and has reached to thousands of work force provided muscle to the industries. Therefore, considerations need to address on the incident and accident happens which seems to increasing alarmingly.

The objective of this paper is to propose a model and steps to implement the Total safety Management (TSM) in building construction based on the existing situation at worksites consequence to the existing conventional safety management system.

Total Safety Management (TSM) is a new concept in safety management that is more comprehensive in approach that allows participation and contributions at all levels of management and workforce particularly in the area of safety at workplaces.

In fact, it has the potential to compete and improve productivity, work quality standards and be able to complete the work within the time frame given in accordance the work time schedule planned to suite the customer needs.

Total Safety Management (TSM) promises competitive advantage to all safety practices adhered to and furthermore provides the opportunity to achieve continuous work improvement for a very long time, as long as TSM is properly maintained within the organization.

2. SAFETY STATISTICS (sample data)

Base on the statistics of industrial accidents in Malaysia, the fatal accidents in construction industry was the highest compared to the other industrial sectors, see statistic table below :

Table 1

Sectors (1997-2000)

Construction Industry 11,145; 9,173; 10,200; 13,058;
Mining and Quarry 1,585; 1,406; 1,017; 967;
Services activities 705; 588; 548; 725;
Transportation 5,390; 5,821; 5,303; 6,727;
Public services 2,522; 2,867; 3,475; 5,342;
Commercial activities 4,450; 4,437; 4,840; 5,093;

Table 2

Causes (1997-2000)

Person falling 25,790; 21,787; 24,126; 23,666;
Items fell on person 16,220; 13,038; 13,335; 12,274;
Stepped on items 57,926; 56,518; 40,985; 42,851;
Pressed in or between items 12,369; 10,912; 14,359; 11,066;
Moving heavy loads 4,046; 4,569; 4,980; 3,281;
Expose/touch hot surface 289; 322; 405; 166;
Expose/touch dangerous items 3,785; 2,641; 2,066; 1,517;
Non-categorized items 9,684; 12,049; 13,055; 11,080;

Total 130,109;121,836;113,311;105,901;

Comments

The above statistic indicate that construction industries very prone to accidents since the categorization of causes of accidents has shown typical accidents that might also occur in such industries.

Data obtained seems to suggest inadequacy or the short comings of legislation, regulations and the Construction Safety Management. Apparently, TSM is the best solution or alternative to construction safety management that is relevant and just forth coming to apply.

TSM could be considered as the new management concept and philosophy that has the characteristics at par with the very well known management systems such as, Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

A probe into the construction safety management system seemed to suggest sound safety features and characteristics but short of mission, vision and the objectives of safety management, lack of safety awareness and realization for safety among management executives due to over-emphasis on productivity and lacking in constructive and practical ideas to implement safety management. The characteristics of construction safety management have been patchy that might have safety policies merely to initiate safety management.

3. PROPOSED METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION (study & research)

A questionnaire survey, interviews, site inspections with a proper safety & health audit checklist were used to collect data information on current safety management being practiced in a high-rise building construction, base example in any building construction as in progress.

Questionnaire were distributed to some of the workers at Carrefour construction areas, base example are at Tun Hussein Onn, Kata Damansara and Bukit Rimau project worksite all site staff’s, workers, sub-contractors for the Supervisor and below.

Results Analysis

Almost more than 70% site work activities were considered high-risk, only about less than 50% reached by main contractor has formed proper safety committee members with nearly 80% of them should say are currently active; < 50% were inclined towards Occupational safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994. Although all site has display the safety policies, objectives, have a very clear vision, mission and proper basic safety manual and guidelines with respect to achieve safety needs at workplaces, the implementation are still needs improvement.

Important involvement by the project managers, executive, officers, supervisors level and all the sub-contractors are very important in ensuring our site safety and health awareness are extremely being well taken cares.

Weaknesses Observed

(i) Consideration of machinery proper guarding systems;
(ii) Work platforms (approved by P.E);
(iii) Installation of scaffolding, netting and inspection by competent person;
(iv) Identifying dangerous opening, fencing, pathways and entrances;
(v) Installation of form work and system of verifying by engineers;
(vi) Warning signage at all prone accident areas;
(vii) Workers safety harness and workers wearing PPE;
(viii) Proper procedure of storage areas implemented;
(ix) Hoisting machines (operating control), and
(x) Public safety;

Immediate Improvement Needed

(i) Site management to seriously involve in safety and health awareness;
(ii) Cooperation by workers and contractors to adequate safety and health;
(iii) Consideration on site safety and health training include safety briefing;
(iv) Make safety and health as our daily work practices;

Discussion

Based on the findings of the above carried out researched study, the questionnaire survey provided information indicated unsatisfactory safety culture if immediate action is not being well taken cares due to lacking of self responsibility among our site staff’s.

Inspections at sites found the physical inadequacy with respect to safe working practices that clearly portrayed the severe lacking in commitment for safety and health on the part of our site management responsibility.

Hence, an appropriate model is very relevant to serve as a tool to improve the existing safety and health management situations from conventional and stereotype approaches to a more updated and state of the art of Total Safety Management (TSM).

4. FUNCTION OF TQM TO ACHIEVE TOTAL SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach for continuous improvement that involves product and services quality to satisfy customer’s needs. TQM has the tools that includes as listed below:

(i) Statistical Process Control (SPC);
(ii) Self-Directed Work Teams;
(iii) Just In Time (JIT) Inventory Control Management, and
(iv) Total Productive Maintenance;

This wide range of tools have been utilized to achieve total quality control and on the other hand Total Safety Management (TSM) is a management approach which primary focuses on the accident causation chain to prevent the occurrences of accident or near-missed accident.

Total Safety may be achieved by adhering to safety policy, planning for safety, identifying potential risks and hazards, establishing clear guidelines of responsibility and promoting two way communication.

Its has been argued that effectiveness of TSM program is parallel to that for TQM and TPM and has become the ‘MISSING LINK’ exists between this two knowledge of thought. This paper study is mainly to discuss / address and hi-lighted the question of how successful TQM tools especially the SPC tools may be used in TQM processes that can also apply in the TSM processes.

These fundamental tools traditionally used for quality improvement and may be applied in TSM applications on safety performance standards or functions such as in legal, purchasing, human resources, engineering and maintenance.

Basic Quality Control Tools – Table 3

Creative task/ activity Creative Tools

Collecting and gathering data, such as accident data Check sheet

Problem solving analysis on certain safety issue Pareto chart

Graph displaying on statistical data Histogram

Document Process Flow Systematically Process Flow Chart

Searching and identifying causes / problems Cause and Effect diagrams

Safety process and control operation procedure Control chart


All the above structured and creative methodology are very important in TSM applications. We will now identify areas or function in TSM where these tools can be utilized.

(i) Engineering and Maintenance, to develop maximum machines safety as the requirements specifications at the workplaces (refer F & M Act).

(ii) Finance, effect financial budget of the organization and also image of the company might be effected.

(iii) Legal, upon accident happens the insurance company will proceed the auditing on the safety issues, example safety checklist, cause and effect diagram, safety performances and etc.

(iv) Human resources, to develop the right safety training package that meet the safety regulatory bodies can also be design through.

5. CONCLUSION

The results of such study show that SPC tools have been applied to solve problems in any maintenance section / department of any organization, especially our company to become a world leader in safety and health in it’s class.

Possibility to achieve the desired results are :

(i) Reduction of the maintenance costs within the period of implementation;

(ii) Reduce the unnecessary downtime by having proper maintenance checklist;

(iii) Research and development program might have possibility to be implemented;

(iv) High efficiency in the entire organization;

(v) Maximum customers satisfaction and maintain the business;


Regards,