Occupational Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) at Construction Sites
OSHE questions test whether you can spot a hazard, rank controls correctly, and name the legal duty owed by the employer.
Main hazards
Falls from height are the leading cause of construction deaths; others are electrocution, being struck by plant or falling objects, trench collapse, silica dust from cutting, noise, manual handling, and cement burns.
Hierarchy of control
Eliminate → substitute → engineering controls (guardrails, shoring, dust suppression, machine guards) → administrative controls (permits, toolbox talks, rotation) → PPE last. PPE includes helmet, safety shoes, high-visibility vest, gloves, goggles, ear plugs, and a full-body harness anchored above shoulder level.
Site rules worth memorising
Scaffold fully boarded with guardrail and toe board, tied to the structure. Excavations shored, benched or battered and inspected daily. Ladders at about 4:1 and extending above the landing. Electrical supply through ELCB/RCD, three-pin plugs, no dangling cables. Sign colours: red prohibition, yellow warning, blue mandatory, green safe/emergency. Fire classes A solid, B liquid, C gas, D metal - never water on electrical or oil fires.
Law and duty
BOCW Act 1996 and Cess Act, Factories Act 1948, ESIC, and state safety rules. The employer must provide PPE free of cost, train workers, provide first aid, and report accidents.
Worked example
A mason is plastering at 4 m on a frame with no edge protection. Reasoning: the hazard is a fall. Control in order - avoid work at height where possible, provide a scaffold platform with guardrail, then a harness as back-up. Immediate action is to stop work and barricade the edge. A harness alone, without anchorage, is not a control.
Traps
Putting PPE first in the hierarchy; using water on an electrical fire; assuming a harness works without an anchor point; ignoring dust when cutting concrete.