Considerations of the Working Environment within the Method for Assessing Occupational Risks: Mevar in Construction

1. Introduction

1.1. Current Situation of OHS (Occupational Health & Safety) in the Construction Sector in Romania

The construction sector in Romania has shown an upward trend in the last 30 years for housing construction, mainly due to local economic growth (see Figure 1) and the highest growth in terms of the share of construction area is observed in Ilfov, Cluj and Bucharest counties.

1.2. Accident Situation on Romania

Against this backdrop of increased construction activities, the number of accidents at work also increased in 2018, with Romania being number 1 in the European Union (see Figure 3), the level of fatal accidents being almost double the EU average (see Figure 4), with the construction of buildings accounting for 16.8 of all fatal accidents in 2020 and being in first place (see Figure 5).

As can be seen, the OSH situation is not much different and official statistics do not provide sufficient details for a thorough analysis of the occurrence of events in the construction sector [5,6].

For this reason, we believe that a systematic approach is needed both to the statistical data and information in the field and to the content of the occupational risk assessment report, which should include elements to ensure the large-scale implementation of the OSH management system and integrated quality-environment-OSH management systems [7,8].

Figure 4 shows the comparison of fatalities in Romania and the EU

Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4 present the accident situations in Romania in 2021 classified by activity category, county, age and seniority [5].

2. Short Presentation on the MEvAR Method of Occupational Risk Assessment

The MEvAR (Method of Evaluation and Appreciation of Risks/ Method of risk assessment and evaluation) method is developed by a team of specialists in the field of occupational health and safety at Politehnica University Bucharest, Romania, the Institute for Research and Development in the field of Occupational Health and Safety Alexandru Darabond, Bucharest, Romania and specialists from the private sector who have adapted the technical requirements of occupational risk assessment methods to current legal and management system requirements [9,10].

The method is intended for technical occupational risk assessment specialists and managers of private or governmental organizations from a managerial and administrative perspective to assessing the level of occupational risk in the organisation, the treatment and prevention and protection measures necessary to mitigate risks, monitoring and recording of control measures and continuous improvement of work processes [11,12,13].

The method is applicable to all areas of activity because it is based on a particular freedom in the selection of the two technical methods of occupational risk assessment that can be adapted to the specifics of the activities and the superimposition of legislative requirements, management system requirements and/or management involvement [16].

In the context of the change in the requirements of the H&S management systems by SR EN ISO 45001:2018 and the need to use a method of assessment and evaluation of occupational risks adapted to the current requirements, the MEvAR method presents the following aspects [14,15]:

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it has correspondence in the Community or international standards in the field;

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the method takes into account elements of certainty before risks, risks are aggregated on the basis of sources, dangerous situations and hazards, elements specific to the organisation, work teams, workers, direct relationship with the organization’s management, company management and workplace managers, records and history of impact on workers;

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the assessment covers the workplace/station/activity/process/sensitive group/work equipment/chemical substances and/or preparations used/workplace layout in the organization;

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risks generated in the analysis and action, opportunities, vulnerabilities and capabilities are considered;

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technical data, operating parameters and up to date maintenance are analyzed for failure predictions of analyzed equipment;

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the work environment is separated into the workplace environment and the environment in its vicinity for better analysis of external sources and impacts;

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risks in combining and adapting the main elements of SR EN ISO 31010:2019, SR EN ISO 45001: 2018 are analyzed and assessed from different assessment methods (Brainstorming, Delphi, INCDPM - Darabont, Heinrich, FMEA, AMDEC, ARAMIS, ISHIKAWA, NEBOSH, HAZOP, ELVIE, REASON, MEVA, others) considering the participation of minimum 2 assessors, analysis and identification of sources, interview, supervision and organization of process meetings, the assessed values use parameter specific mathematical models, different type 5x5, 4x4, 3x3 with associated values that are chosen by the assessor in order to realize the relevance of the risk and proposed measures;

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the risk can be assessed in different forms - initial, proposed - residual, weighted with that of the basic method according to the established purpose and objectives, there is a selection of the risk treatment strategy and the risks can be reviewed during the assessment;

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the method incorporates harmonized elements of classical occupational risk assessment methods, H&S management system requirements and current legislative requirements;

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severity is expressed as the ratio of consequence to harm, with the level of injury being a ratio of trauma to illness and the level of material damage being estimated according to the financial level of the organization;

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probability is analyzed in terms of the likelihood of an event occurring and the characteristics of the exposure - route, duration and frequency ;

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the number and quality of workers are included in the assessment;

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the influence on processes of situations such as the Coronavirus Sars CoV-2 - Covid -19 pandemic is taken into account ;

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we consider that the method is relatively easy to use, being accompanied by the Microsoft Excel software application popular among users, with which reports are obtained on the certainties and potential risks, their treatment measures, prevention and protection measures in the field of H&S ;

The MEvAR calculation formula for risk is: R = ((L x S)/ A) x I

where: - R - level of occupational risk/accident, L – likelihood - probability of occurrence, S - severity of the event, A - level of assurance requirements for prevention and protection measures, I – management involvement (adapted from the original) [16,17,18]

The MEvAR method of assessing the risks of occupational risk assessment follows the following stages:

a. Ensuring the prerequisites for the assessment involves ensuring that the occupational risk assessment is carried out properly and includes:

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the contractual requirements ;

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administrative requirements ;

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information on regulatory compliance ;

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knowledge of work processes ;

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planning of activities and scheduling of the team and staff to be interacted with prior to the commencement of the risk assessment work;

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staff briefing and training;

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preparation of documents, equipment, facilities;

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travel to the work sites.

b. Identification, analysis and assessment of hazards/hazardous situations will be carried out by collecting data, information and direct observation, documentation, interview, determinations, other, analysis and assessment, use of checklists and checkpoints and provision of documented information [19,20,21].

c. Establishment of certainties and risks shall be ensured by the assessors by comparison with checklists specific to the assessment method, on-site assessment and/or consultation with other specialists in the field [22,23].

d. Occupational risk assessment involves the use of the tool in the application and includes:

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entering the initial data into the application;

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assessing, determining and estimating the levels of the risk calculation elements;

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calculation of the assessed risk, which is carried out by the application;

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the projection of the residual risk resulting from the recalculation of the analysis of the risk treatment, the verification of the assurance of the prevention and protection measures and the continuous improvement projected to be achieved by the input of new data and is carried out by the application [24,25].

e. The completion of the risk assessment report involves the application generating, checking, validating and printing the report in an acceptable format.

f. The production of the annexed documents of the risk assessment report is generated by the application and includes in principle the following reports/documents:

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prevention and protection plan;

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risk register;

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work equipment assessment sheet;

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the evaluation sheet for hazardous chemical substances or preparations;

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workstation layout sheet – ergonomics;

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sensitive groups assessment sheet;

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certainties (definite hazards);

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unacceptable risks;

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acceptable risks;

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risk alert form;

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risk tracking sheet.

g. Completion of the risk assessment activity consists of handing over the receipt of the risk assessment documentation and its signature by the parties [26].

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Study on the Working Environment in Construction

The working environment in the construction sector comprises variable elements to most specific risk factors determined by climatic conditions, organisation, internal or external influences, other sources. Prior to the study of the working environment, it is necessary to establish whether the structure of the working system in the current definition is comprehensive or whether it still needs to be updated or supplemented in order to ensure an analysis adapted to current conditions. The definition of risks also does not contain certainties that have the highest probability of occurrence, and practice shows that these certainties can be activated in situations that do not depend exclusively on employers. The obligation to ensure prevention and protection measures in the field of health and safety at work is incumbent on employers, according to Article 6, paragraph 1 of Romanian Law 319/2006, the employer is obliged to ensure the safety and health of workers in all aspects related to work, and failure to ensure this requirement involves violation of the Penal Code Article 349 Failure to take any of the legal measures of safety and health at work by the person who had the duty to take these measures, if it creates an imminent danger of an accident at work or occupational disease or penalties.

The obligation to comply with prevention and protection measures in the field of occupational health and safety is incumbent on workers under Article 22 of Law 319/2006 Each worker must carry out his work in accordance with his training and instruction and with the instructions received from his employer, so as not to expose to the danger of injury or occupational disease both himself and other persons who may be affected by his actions or omissions during the work process, violation of these being criminally punishable by violation of the Penal Code art. 350 failure by any person to comply with the obligations and measures established with regard to occupational safety and health, if this creates an imminent danger of an occupational accident or occupational illness, contravention or disciplinary according to internal regulations.These issues can significantly affect the work of organizations and in particular occupational risk assessors because the reasonable limit is not clearly defined.

For this purpose, we can present some risks of a certain nature which, when interpreted on the basis of elements of probability, insurance possibilities and competences, can establish reasonable limits of accepted, tolerated or assumed risks (see Table 5).

Workplace risks are related and interdependent with the main environmental risks (see Table 6).

The current structure of the work system includes: the performer, the workload, the means of production and the work environment, elements that may overlap tangentially with the requirements of the SHS management system, the area of management involvement, leadership, planning, performance evaluation not being highlighted.

Table 7 shows the risk types and risks associated with high and specific risk areas generated mainly from the external environment of the organisation that can affect from outside to inside, in proximity or tangent, when leaving the work environment.

A classification of the categories of occupational risk factors is presented in Table 8 from which we can consider a new category that goes beyond the risk assessment of the work system, namely other risks that complement the general and specific situation of the assessed workplace.

The main external risks of the work environment can be (see Table 9):

Following the analysis of the influence of other environmental elements not classified in INCDPM methods, we propose to adapt, complete or compare the following elements specific to the work environment that may affect workers' health and safety (see Table 10):

The main activities and impacts specific to the field of OSH for the work carried out by the installers in the selected construction organisation are detailed in Table 11.

3.2. Workplace- Installer

Description and systemic analysis of the job/ activities/processes/sensitive groups/ work equipment/ chemical substances and/or preparations used/ workplace layout for the – installer (see Figure 5):

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Activity/Process: installation, commissioning, checking, control of thermal and sanitary installations according to the construction project;

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Inputs: qualified installers and unqualified personnel, installation of electric lighting, electricity, plumbing, heating, construction elements, construction site, necessary funds;

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Outputs: construction and proper operation of thermal plumbing, consumption of electricity, water, fuel, spare parts, heat emissions, waste.

Human resources: the post is staffed by 23 site workers (fitters, unskilled workers) out of the required 23, men, with permanent employment contracts, 8-10 hours/working day, working on time, previously obtained qualifications, each worker being medically fit, with work experience of between 4-19 years, equipped with the appropriate PPE for the risks identified. Staff recruitment is provided by external staff with the necessary HR skills and competencies. Work tasks are set out in job descriptions and job managers' instructions and include how tasks are given, passed on and received, how activities are carried out, reporting and working relationships. The main activities consist of carrying out the work of heating and plumbing installations in accordance with the plans and specifications received (taking delivery of materials, equipment, transport, storage, drawing, cutting, soldering, joining, connecting, fitting, checking, commissioning, other related activities. Horizontal and vertical communication, monitoring of activities is carried out.

Means of production used:

Means of work: PPR soldering machine, copper pipe soldering machine, circular saw, drill, press, pump/compressor, pressure gauge, tool kits

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- means of transport and communication: Ford transit van 3.5 t;

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- productive buildings/spaces: - office, warehouse, site premises;

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- the containers and warehouses for storing products: - material warehouse, cabinets, boxes, cases;

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- Energy, water power, steam, etc. : - electricity, water.

Objects of work : - materials, blanks, etc. , heating, plumbing: pipes, fittings, plugs, taps, fittings, clamps, etc., solder paste, adhesive, cleaning substances, - other

Foreseeable risks of injury and occupational illness at the workplace/ activities/processes/sensitive groups/ work equipment/ chemicals used/ workplace layout as assessed from which we can mention: traffic accidents, impact caused by falling or projecting objects, collision with an obstacle, high-pressure jets (cutting, striking), risks of catching and gripping (puncturing, cutting, abrasions), dangerous movements of technical equipment (moving machine parts, fluid flows, movements of means of transport), self-induced or self-locking of machinery or fluids, movements under the effect of gravity, propulsion (slipping, rolling, rolling on wheels, overturning, free-falling, free-flowing, spilling, surging, collapsing, sinking, movements under the effect of propulsion, projection of bodies or particles, deviation from normal trajectory, rocking, rebound), static compression of a body part (shock, impact, impact, compression), mechanical injuries (abrasion, puncture, cuts, bites, wounds or stab wounds), falls caused by slipping/high falls, noise, accidental electrocution, inhalation of chemical/biological aerosols in the form of dust, direct/indirect contact with biological agents contained in materials people, animals, others, improper operation of equipment, incorrect handling of equipment, pressure vessels (particle design, jet), variable temperature outdoor environment

Protective measures applied.

a) technical measures:

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- instrinsic protection - compliance of products with the essential requirements of the OSH;

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- collective protection - means of delimiting and marking work areas, improving microclimate, electrical security, combating noise, air currents, combating mechanical risks, improving lighting.

b) organizational measures:

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- training of workers, health surveillance, health and safety propaganda, organisation of work and workstation/ activities/processes/sensitive groups/ work equipment/ chemical substances and/or preparations used/ workplace layout;

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- personal protection - protection of head, eyes and face, ears, respiratory tract, body, hands, feet, whole body, electrical safety protection.

c) hygiene and health measures:

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- protective feeding, hygienic sanitary materials, first aid stations, changing rooms, bathrooms with showers, etc.

Reported occupational accidents and/or illnesses: no events have been reported, investigated and recorded within the organisation since its inception to date.

Workplace: is located on site, in the work area in office spaces, warehouses, car park, construction elements, access, travel and outdoor areas where they carry out activities according to the job description and management decisions.Site dimensions are defined in the project having an area greater than 5,000 m², installation works are carried out after completion of the structure on work areas located in different buildings, levels or height regime. Work may be carried out at basement, floor, ground level or 4.0 m height in enclosed or semi-enclosed areas.Work areas are exposed to draughts, dust, vibrations, noise, temperature variations, airlessness.Handling can be done manually or semi/mechanically with lift, nacelle, front loader, pallet truck.The movement routes are secured, signposted and adequately protected.Appropriate site organisation and hygiene requirements are ensured.There are contractual provisions between the beneficiary and the contractor, collaboration, employment relationship, equal opportunities and social relations.

Financial, material, legal conditions, prioritization, perimeter protection, access control, personal data protection are ensured.

The Figure 6 shows the main non-conformities found during the hazard identification and occupational risk assessment for the activity and position of the installer on the site in question.

The Figure 7, Figure 8, Figure 9, Figure 10 and Figure 11 show some aspects of the MEvAR and INCDPM method-specific spreadsheets for identified, assessed and residual risks on the basis of which the risk level can be determined and how to treat them according to the selections of the professional risk assessors.

In the spreadsheet of identified risks selection areas and calculation areas are shown. Thus in the selection area we have the possibility to select and validate the calculation of risk factors for the INCDPM method a number of 108 and for the MEvAR method 191.

These factors are found in columns B and F and in column D and E hazards/ dangerous situations/ risk factors category.

For the calculation by the INCDPM method the following columns are established G for MAXIMUM FORESEEABLE CONSEQUENCE, K for LIKELIHOOD, N for SEVERITY/ IMPACT, X for RISK LEVEL, Y for RISK LEVEL EXPRESSION and Z for SECURITY LEVEL.

For method MEvAR the columns and formula established are H for DAMAGE LEVEL ( =IF(H20=1,5;"major damage";IF(H20=1,3;"high damage";IF(H20=1,2;"average damage";IF(H20=1,1;"low damage";IF(H20=1;"minor damage";"ERROR"))))) ), I for DAMAGE VALUE, J for EXPRESSION DAMAGE VALUE, L for LIKELIHOOD, M for LIKELIHOOD EXPRESSION (=IF(L20=5;"very high";IF(L20=4;"high";IF(L20=3;"average";IF(L20=2;"low";IF(L20=1;"very low";"ERROR")))) ) , O for SEVERITY / IMPACT, P for EXPRESSION SEVERITY/ IMPACT, Q for IDENTIFIED RISK LEVEL (=((L20+O20)/2) ), R for EXPRESSION IDENTIFIED RISK (=IF(Q20>3,01;"not accepted";IF(Q20>2,51;"tolerated";IF(Q20>2,01;"accepted";IF(Q20>1,57;"controlled";IF(Q20>0,43;"managed";"ERROR"))))) ), S for EXPOSED PERSONS, T for LEVEL OF ASSURANCE REQUIREMENTS, U for EXPRESSION ASSURANCE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS ( =IF(T278=1,5;"conformable";IF(T278=1,25;"corresponding";IF(T278=1;"minimal";IF(T278=0,5;"uninsured";"ERROR")))) ), V for INVOLVEMENT, W for EXPRESSION INVOLVEMENT (=IF(V278=1,5;"significant involvement";IF(V278= 1,25;"proper involvement";IF(V278=1;"minimal involvement";"ERROR"))) ), AA for RISK LEVEL(=((L278+O278)/2)/(T278*V278) ), AB for RISK EXPRESSION (=IF(AA278>3,01;"not accepted";IF(AA278>2,51;"tolerated";IF(AA278>2,01;"accepted";IF(AA278>1,57;"controlled";IF(AA278>0,43;"managed";"ERROR"))))) ) and AC for RISK TREATMENT STRATEGY.

The other values in columns G-AC are selections of default values in the tables in rows 308-328 and columns G-AI.

In the spreadsheet of residual risks the risk breakdown is entered in column F - THE CAUSES OF RISK and the calculation data in columns B,C,D,E,H-K,O,X,AB, AC( like - ='MEvAR identify'!AC3 ) which are extracted from the spreadsheet with identified risks.

In columns L ( =IF(K2=5;"very high";IF(K2=4;"high";IF(K2=3;"average";IF(K2=2;"low"; IF(K2=1;"very low";"ERROR"))))) ), P ( =IF(Q2=5;"very serious";IF(Q2=4;"serious";IF(Q2=3; "average";IF(Q2=2;"low";IF(Q2=1;"minor";"ERROR"))))) ), R ( =IF(Q2=5;"very serious"; IF(Q2=4;"serious";IF(Q2=3;"average";IF(Q2=2;"low";IF(Q2=1;"minor";"ERROR"))))) ), U ( =IF(T2=1,5;"conform";IF(T2=1,25;"corresponding";IF(T2=1;"minimal";IF(T2=0,5;"unasured";"ERROR")))) ), Y ( =IF(X2>3,01;"not accepted";IF(X2>2,51;"tolerated";IF(X2>2,01; "accepted";IF(X2>1,57;"controlled";IF(X2>0,43;"managed";"ERROR"))))) ), Z ( =((M2+Q2) /2)/(T2*V2) ), AA( =IF(Z2>3,01;"not accepted";IF(Z2>2,51;"tolerated";IF(Z2>2,01;"accepted";IF(Z2>1,57;"controlled";IF(Z2>0,43;"managed";"ERROR"))))) ).

The other columns contain selections according to the tables in rows 206-211 and columns G-AC or newly entered.

In the spreadsheet of acceptable or unacceptable risks are extracted from spreadsheet residual risks like - ='MEvAR identify'!O10 and filtered by risk expression.

In the spreadsheet Prevention and protection plan data are extracted from spreadsheet residual risks like - ='MEvAR identify'!O10 and contain selection according to the tables in rows 206-214 and columns D-H, like ='MEvAR residual '!AC6 or newly entered.

The final results are presented in Table 12 showing comparisons between the risk levels assessed by the INCDPM and MEvAR assessment methods for the case study applied to the installer's activity and position.

4. Conclusions

By adapting and correlating risk factors in general and work environment factors in particular with the requirements of the OSH management system applying the MEvAR method can be achieved:

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update and complete the uncovered and/or niche aspects of the assessment methods used by most specialists;

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adaptation of occupational risk assessment methods with other general or specific risk assessment methods;

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linking with the requirements of the OSH management system and the integrated quality - environment - OSH - HACCP - information management system;

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adaptation with territorial administrative management systems;

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awareness of hazards and prevention and protection measures on the part of the organizations' management by taking over the assessment report;

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the possibility of vector development of the assessment system by ensuring the application of general and particular principles of identification, analysis, assessment, evaluation and conclusion by specialists;

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the possibility of mitigating hazards by ensuring greater attention and weighting to the treatment of risks, managing and keeping under control those that are highly variable or likely to occur;

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improving the resilience of OSH, Emergency situation, environmental protection to events.

The work environment is an element of the work system together with the worker, the workload and the means of production related to the work process, but it is not directly related in the regulations in the field of occupational health and safety to the external environment, proximal and distal socio-human, relational and informational, financial, political-economic, environment in general.

Occupational risk assessment methods do not aggregate risks into categories, are only partially adapted to quality, environmental, information and safety management systems and ensure that certain risks are treated as risks with maximum probability.

Certainties are hazards that can generate serious events with a single maximum probability, those with multiple probabilities are risks.

Certainties can be dealt with by eliminating hazardous situations/sources of occurrence or eliminating the possibility of occurrence, if man does not interact with the hazardous situation the event will not occur.

Variations in the characteristics of work environment factors are mainly determined by subjective judgements of specialists in estimated short assessment periods or by technical measurements with calibrated equipment, system procedures/established methodologies that show certain values.

The impact on the working environment and in particular on workers can be assessed on the basis of the medical conditions found during occupational medical examinations, the number of days of sick leave or in serious cases death.

Adapting occupational assessments to the elements proposed by the MEvAR method in construction activities can ensure an analysis adapted to the requirements of integrated management systems and optimize expenditure by treating the risks initially assessed with a view to reducing the level of residual risks on the basis of indicators and reports generated in the application associated with the method.

The implementation of system-based communications significantly helps the internal and external processes of the organisation primarily at management level which can ensure the elements of control and continuous improvement.

In the construction sector, activities start from the project preparation phase and during the execution phase, if the necessary elements of risk analysis and the proposed prevention and protection measures are in place, coupled with an adequate level of monitoring and control, both the legislative requirements and the requirements of the H&S or integrated management system are ensured.

Organizations carrying out construction activities, whether beneficiaries or contractors, can compare the elements of the methods applied by the specialists with whom they have contracted to provide assessment or services in the field of OSH with those of the MEvAR method and apply the significant optimized parts in their own processes or collaborations with third parties.