Steps to Protect Public Safety and the Environment when Designing a Building - Assignment Example

When Designing A Building, What Steps Are Put In Place To Protect Public Safety And The Environment? of Date Abstract Engineering and construction has become a major industry in our world today. Different kinds of building designs are been brought up every day. With all this construction going on we ask, what measures are kept in place to ensure public safety and protection of the environment. The paper tries to answer crucial questions that are associated with building and construction. We shall explore five sources related with building and construction to substantiate or answers in the paper. A descriptive research methodology was used to collect the information used for this study. The research will focus more on the Waikato region of New Zealand. There are authorities that are charged with the safety regulations of building sites one of the groups that are charged with the responsibilities of ensuring safety is the Waikato building consent group. The Waikato building Consent Team support some sort of risk dependent consenting technique, with duties and accountabilities becoming apportioned for the parties relative to their guidance. The Building Control council is responsible for issuing consents to allow for building development in the district, and conducting inspections in order to make sure that building agreement conditions are met and relevant legislation is observed fully. The group works in hand ensuring that building designs are up to standard and the safety requirements are considered in the sites under construction The government needs to put more checks and empower more groups like this to ensure public safety and environmental safety will be fully enforced in building designs and construction sites. Key words: building and construction, public safety, authorities Introduction Construction is an ongoing process. Every day there are buildings coming up while the old designs are been replaced by modern designs that improve the physical appearance of a place. With all this construction going on, it is important for a designer to consider public safety and the safety of the environment. There are steps that have been set to guide engineers while they design plans for a building. These steps have been designed to protect pedestrians, workers and anybody who might come near the building site. It is very important for designers to familiarize themselves with the steps that have been put in place for public and environmental safety in the Waikato. This will minimize the risk of accidents in construction and protect the environment. The reason for this study is to find out the does and don’ts of a designer while creating a building design. It also aims to educate the public on the importance of public safety and environmental safety during construction and the design process. Conducting the study was not easy. Several limitations hampered the full realization of the study. The first limitation of the study was capitalization. There were no enough funds to enable us carry out information on many sites as we could have wished. Some of the designers we sampled in the research were not willing to tell us in details about the happenings when they go to get a consent from the authorities. The designers were also not willing to let us know how many times the authorities come to inspect the buildings designs. Methodology The research was done in three steps. The first step was to gather all the relevant information and set the questions that were going to be used in the questioners. The second step was to collect all the questioners back and compile all the information gathered. The last step was to analyses and writing the report. A logical analysis process was used. The answers from the questioners were compared with the materials that were collected. A descriptive research methodology was used to collect the information used for this study. A survey was done on different construction sites on their safety concepts for the public and environment. In addition, there were several interviews with some of the leading designers in the country. A questioner containing 8 questions related with safety of the public and environment were asked. The questioners were also sent to government organizations and the authorities that are associated with building safety. Sampling was done on several online journals and academic articles to help understand further the topic. Results of the study The result of the study established there are several ways that the government and other organization protect the environment and the public during construction of buildings. The construction sites that were sampled in the research showed similarities with the designs safety precautions of the environment and the public. They all had approved designs signed by the government representatives and environmental organizations. The designers of the buildings had also added their own safety precisions to ensure that the sites were conducive and manageable. The organization also showed commitment to ensuring environmental and public safety during construction. They have random inspections on construction sites to ensure that they comply with all the set rules about public and environmental safety. Fig 3 shows an image of a plan that has been approved by the authorities. Whatever your constructing project, if it entails creating a design then the construction work should be checked for conformity. This can be applied whether you are building the latest home, business building, or for renovations, additions, variations or demolition. Building inspections make sure that at every single stage of construction of the building is performed meeting certain requirements of the Building Program code, Building Work and the Consent, and inspections occur at regular stages from the building process. This makes it possible for the inspection Officers to collect enough details to matter the Program code Compliance Certification at completion from the project. The necessary inspections for one’s project are going to be listed inside conditions of the approved Consent. In the Waikato region, emphases are put in the building design as early as the first idea is conceived to make it easier for designers to put emphasis on safety Through the processing of the Waikato Building compliance application, the inspection Officer will probably assess what exactly inspections are going to be necessary to make sure that the building designer will accomplish compliance while using approved constructing plans. A list of inspections, combined with requirements for each inspection is going to be included inside your Building consent. Please study these when you begin any construction work so that you know when to book an assessment (Waikato, 2014). There are over 90% of application forms that are authorized (See fig 1 in appendices) The easiest way to get a permit is getting the Waikato inspection sheet from the authority and satisfying all the recommendations in it. Also, give around two days for the inspector to come and inspect. After inspection is complete, a certificate of compliance will be issued. Every building task must adhere to the Resource Management act 1991 and the Building act 2004. These legal guidelines define the situations where you want resource consent and/or any building consent; and be sure that you get them before starting construction. The process of getting the consents is going to be easier knowing how the RMA and the Building act affect building the house, and be sure that do to possess the consents that are accredited. The programs Waikato councils prepare which activities will demand a reference consent. A reference consent is often a formal agreement for things like the employ or subdivision of land, the use of water, the discharge of contaminants within water, land, or airflow, or use or profession of seaside space. Besides a new buildings may require a resource consent. A renovation of a present building can also require a resource consent. Just as council programs vary, the importance for reference consents varies from area to another. If the activity you intend to carry out is not clearly seen as either permitted or perhaps prohibited activity in the plan, then you must obtain a resource consent (Ministry of environment, 2014). The construction of project in particular when uneconomical design and style solutions usually are selected or you should definitely fit materials usually is specified. (See fig 5) The solution would be the adoption of robust system that allows the producing of appropriate estimates involving material requirements in the beginning of the project in which it reduces the amount of waste that is produced. Only through focusing after these materials quantities, may well sub-contractors manage to understand what actually their wastage costs are and subsequently, manage to take action to help remedy them. Waste is usually a shared obligation between parties in the supply chain, from the buyer down towards the designer. This guidance targets on the purpose of businesses and sub-contractors, considering the incontrovertible fact that they cannot work on the in isolation to help remedy and take care of waste. To ensure that everybody works well towards a normal goal, leadership becomes necessary from clients put together an effective debate between key contractors and sub-contractors (material change a better environment, 2007). Fig 2 shows an image of effective waste management. The goal of the safety plan should be to demonstrate precisely how all persons supported at a specific site could be evacuated safely in case of an emergency. The safety plan process outlines the task for compliance with the safety section of the DDS rules, 115 CMR 7. 08. It recognizes that individual safety ought to be viewed in a very holistic manner, as safety consists of a variety of inter-related factors including person capabilities in addition to needs, employees support and training, ecological modifications, and adaptive technological innovation. The compliance schedule is related to emergency evacuation procedures because they keep on changing as the construction continues to be finalized. Discussion of the result The first major step to protect workers as proposed in the Waikato building code is to educate them on how to avoid falling. Many of workers die annually by falling ladder or scaffold. Ensure that the workers working on these dangerous site areas get proper training to work on these areas. Before stepping onto a scaffold, make sure that they are properly checked for protection. Dangerous materials are very common in construction sites. Most on the paints used for bridges, tunnels and buildings consist of heavy amount of lead. It is important that you ensure that you have the proper protection materials and get medical advice if you inhale or drink the paint. These are just a few of the measures that are needed to ensure the safety of workers and the public. However, it is up to the designer to put steps that protect the public and the workers at large from dangers that are around the construction site. These safety steps have to be inspected and approved by the relevant authorities. These steps should also protect the environment from harm that might be caused by elements in the construction site. Some of them are mandatory to fulfill. For example, fencing a construction site and putting up warning sign that will help notify the public that they are entering a construction site. Helmets are also another mandatory requirement in a construction site. For every person who enters the construction site there should be a helmet provided. (See fig 4) Being mindful in the working place in setting where it is performed, the way it will be performed along with the equipment usage will allow one to learn the likely hazards, which could become threats for the worker. (Emergency Evacuation Safety Plan, 2009) Conclusion This privilege associated with practicing architectural is trusted to those people qualified and that have the liability for implementing engineering plans, scientific knowledge and ingenuity for the advancement associated with human welfare and standard of living. Fundamental principles that guide technicians include truth, honesty and trustworthiness of their service towards the society, honorable in addition to ethical process showing justness, courtesy in addition to good trust towards buyers, colleagues and the like. Engineers take societal, social, economic, and environmental in addition to safety aspects into consideration and shoot for the efficient usage of the planets resources to meet long-term human requirements (Emeasoba, 2010). Current design and style methods prioritize financial considerations above environmental versions. In some cases, financial considerations likewise serve environmental goals. For instance, the minimization associated with materials used in a design means assets are preserved. If they may be saved at the expense of the capacity of the managing life of your product, and then, economic criteria conflict using environmental interests which need that products come in as durable as you can as a result of need to minimize resource consumption and throw away generation ultimately. References Emeasoba, A. (2010). Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Management in Engineering Practice. Retrieved 16 May 2014, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Health,-Safety-and-Environmental-(HSE)-Management-In-Engineering-Practice&id=5032545 Emergency Evacuation Safety Plan. (2009). EMERGENCY EVACUATION SAFETY PLAN GUIDELINES. DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES, 2(1). Material changes a better environment. (2007). Reducing material wastage in construction. Waste Minimization in Construction, 1(1). Ministry Of Environment. (2014). A Beginner’s Guide to Resource and Building Consent processes. Department Of Building and Housing, 1(1). Waikato. (2014). Building Inspections & Certification. Waikato Building Consent, 1(1). Appendices Interview questions for designers and authorities concerned with public and environmental safety Q1). How do you ensure the safety of your workers and the public? Q2). Do ensure that construction sites and plans adhere to the recommended standards? Yes No Q3). What do you do to ensure good waste management in a construction site? Q4). In a scale of ten (where 1 is the lowest score and ten the highest score) do you rate the Commitment in following the stipulated requirements Q5). What are the evacuation plans that are recommended a construction site? Q6) how many safety gadgets are required in a construction site? Q6). Are the current regulations enough to cater for public safety and environmental safety? Q7). While creating a design for a building, on which areas should emphasis be in? Q8). What steps are been taken to avoid hazards in the construction site? Appendices 2 Fig 1 Representation of the number of approved forms out of 21 forms Fig 2 Effective waste management in a construction site Fig 3 An image of an approved design Fig 4 A picture of proper protection equipment in a construction site Fig 5 A picture of a building under construction Read More