Safety NewsSafety NewsSpecial Edition • ISSN 1793-1665 • August 2005

• LTA’s Safety Culture

• Geotechnical Instrumentation

in Deep Excavation Works

• Safety Control Process for

Deep Excavations

• Rebuilding Nicoll Highway

• Enhanced Safety Features for

Realigned Nicoll Highway

Station and Tunnels

• UK’s Construction (Design and

Management) Regulations

• Safety Pledge for ASAC 2005

2

LTA

’s S

afet

y C

ultu

re

Occupational Safety and Health Management Manual

Senior management dialogue

Annual Safety Award Convention 2004

Construction Staff Safety Award 2004

Introduction

For a strong corporate safety culture to develop in anyorganisation, every member of the organisation, from thechief executive to the officers on site have to play a part.Everybody should share the responsibility for safety andwork towards achieving the safety objectives. Good safetyperformance requires clearly defined roles andaccountability that are aligned with the Safety Policy toachieve its goals.

Safety Leadership

This is outlined in LTA’s Safety Policy. We will “strive forthe highest standards of safety consistent withinternational best practices. We strongly believe thatevery accident is avoidable and we aim to achievezero accidents for all our projects”.

Along with the Chief Executive of LTA, the Deputy ChiefExecutive and the Divisional Directors set the directionthrough the Corporate Safety Committee, with the Occu-pational Safety and Health Management Manual as theprincipal guiding document.

At the project level, project safety committees are formedfor every major project under the leadership of the projectdirectors. There are currently six committees in LTA formanagement of occupational safety and health.

Dialogue sessions between the senior management ofLTA and the major project contractors, chaired by Director,Projects, are held twice yearly to review past safetyperformances, good safety practices, and share theirlessons learned for dissemination to others.

Safety Promotion

LTA recognises the need to encourage contractors to bepro-active in implementing occupational safetyand health practices on their work sites. In 1999, LTAlaunched the Annual Safety Award Convention to givedue recognition to contractors who have demonstratedexcellent safety performance.

Similarly, due recognition is also accorded to LTA officersfor their efforts in managing occupational safety and healthon the work sites. Currently there are two schemes:

♦ Individual staff level: Construction Staff Safety Awardfor the most safety conscious officer from eachproject team.

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Project Safety Commendation Award 2004

Safety workshop

Safety Publications

♦ Project team level: Project Safety CommendationAward for the best performing project safetycommittee.

Safety Engineering

Throughout the years, LTA has continually upgradedits occupational safety and health requirements in itscontract documents based on lessons learned fromcompleted projects. For example, from 2001, LTA officersenforced enhanced requirements for all cranes workingon its projects to improve site safety. The results wereimmediate and there had been a marked reduction ofcrane-related incidents. As a responsible developer, LTArecognises the importance of safety and has stipulatedrequirements over and above the statutory requirementsfor its projects.

Hazard evaluation and risk assessment are requirementsduring the design, tender evaluation and constructionstages. Submission and approval of method statementsthat outline the logical and safe work sequence and therisks involved are required before the commencement ofevery work operation during construction.

Safety Information System, an in-house online databasesystem was implemented in 1998 to capture details of allaccidents and incidents in LTA work sites. The objectivesare to promote transparency of lessons learned, andmonitoring of statistics and trend analysis. Contractorsare also encouraged to report “near-misses” so thatlessons learned could be shared to prevent theoccurrence of accidents. Plans are underway for itsrevamp to a fully web-based system that incorporatesother useful data.

Safety Education

In 1999, a quarterly publication entitled ConstructionSafety News was launched to promote sharing of know-ledge. It is distributed widely to LTA staff and contractors,educational institutions and prominent safety professionals

Major incidences are reported, fully analysed andpresented to the Project Engineering Committee andthese are cascaded down to all sites as a continuallearning process.

Since 2000, LTA project management staff are requiredto attend an in-house construction safety managementtraining course to equip them with the necessaryknowledge and competencies. This course has nowbeen extended to contractors’ staff. In 2003, fourspecialised safety training modules were alsolaunched to enable staff to gain knowledge in specificconstruction activities on the various codes of practice,e.g. lifting, excavation, scaffolding, temporary electricalinstallations, tunnelling, site audit and accidentinvestigation.

In-house safety workshops are held every quarter topromote sharing of information, experiences and lessonslearned from challenging or interesting projects.

Safety Department also maintains an intranet safetywebsite that is also accessible by all LTA staff.

in the industry. In 2002, a Construction Safety Handbookwas issued to every LTA site officer and contractor’s sitesupervisor and foreman. From 2005, the ConstructionSafety News is renamed as Safety News and will providewider coverage of safety matters.

4

LTA offers $1 million safety carrot

Rewards for contractors with excellent safety recordsand penalties for those with poor standards in new railcontracts.

The Straits Times - 13 May 2004

Joint safety inspection in progress

Safety Enforcement

There are four main types of safety inspections that LTAofficers conduct jointly with each contractor:

♦ Weekly: Led by the Senior Project Engineers

♦ Monthly: Led by the Project Manager

♦ 3-monthly: Led by the Senior Project Manager

♦ 6-monthly: Led by the Project Director.

by Tan Hock Seng AndrewSenior Construction Safety Officer

In addition, there is an annual internal audit conductedby LTA Safety Department on the project managementteam as well as the contractor on the implementationof LTA’s occupational safety and health managementsystem.

In 2004, the Safety Performance Scheme wasimplemented for Circle Line Stages 4 and 5. It is a “carrotand stick” approach that LTA believes will lead to bettersafety performance through more effective self-regulationon the part of contractors.

Safety Performance Statistics of LTA

Since 2001, LTA’s accident frequency rate has consistentlyoutperformed the construction industry’s safetyperformance figure. In 2004, the LTA’s accident frequencyrate reached the lowest ever – only 1.9 accidents permillion man-hours worked, compared to the constructionindustry figure of 3.0.

However, the severity rate for 2004 was in sharp contrastto the construction industry figure of 536 at 1,049 man-days lost per million man-hours worked, mainly due tothe unfortunate loss of four lives in the Nicoll Highway

incident. Otherwise, since 1999, the severity rate in LTAprojects has consistently been better than the constructionindustry figure except for 2002.

Summary

Over the years, LTA has continually strengthened itscommitment to develop a strong and sustainable safetyculture in its quest for safety excellence. But this mayonly be achieved with the co-operation of its contractors,trade associations and professional institutions to realiseits goals. As part of the Annual Safety Award Conventionprogramme, LTA’s contractors have come forward toreaffirm their safety commitment by endorsing the SafetyPledge as follows:

“We accord thehighest priority to safetyin our construction and

project works.

We believe thatevery accident is avoidable

and we will strive toeliminate unsafe practiceson worksites and in theprocess work towards

zero accidents.”

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Geotechnical Instrum

entation in Deep E

xcavation Works

Introduction

In highly built-up areas of Singapore, deep excavation worksare now the norm in most infrastructure and building projects.When carrying such construction activities, ground movementhave to be minimised so that the integrity of structures andbuildings in the vicinity are protected. It is therefore paramountthat the safety of the excavations, the nearby buildings andthe public be ensured by monitoring movements, settlements,water draw-downs, etc.

Purpose

In deep excavation work, the use of geotechnicalinstrumentation is an essential tool for monitoring thebehaviour of the works. The data collected can also be usedto compare actual movements against design predictions.

Instruments Used

A comprehensive instrumentation and monitoring scheme isnormally implemented for safety in deep excavations. Theinstruments will generally include:

✔ Strain gauges and load cells to measure strut and ground

anchor forces.

✔ Inclinometers to measure lateral ground and wall

movements.

✔ Piezometers of the vibrating wire type and water

standpipes to measure ground water pressures.

A typical deep excavation project

Load cell

Strain gauge (installed on web of I-beam)

✔ Settlement markers to measure ground settlements.

✔ Optical prisms, electro-level beams and tilt-meters to

measure building/structure movements.

Protection to Instruments

It is vital to provide protection to these instruments fromdamage as this could lead to intermittent or complete loss ofacquisition of data.

Protection to instrument

Piezometer (instrument and cables properly maintained andprotected)

6

Direct-Reading andReal-Time Monitoring

Instrumentation readings can be collected locally or usingdata-loggers to provide real-time monitoring for critical areasof the construction to ensure greater safety on site.

Effectiveness of instrumentation

In order for such a comprehensive instrumentation schemeto be effective, it is essential that the following rules beobserved:

✔ The instrumentation must be installed properly.

✔ The readings must be taken and recorded properly.

✔ The readings must be interpreted correctly.

Any signs of abnormal ground movement must becommunicated immediately to all parties involved in theconstruction so that effective remedial actions can be takenin a timely manner or contingency plans activated.

Inclinometer (using the pulley system to obtain readings)

Role of Specialist InstrumentationSub-Contractor and Civil Contractor

The specialist instrumentation sub-contractor and civilcontractor must play complementary roles to make theinstrumentation scheme effective.

Specialist instrumentation sub-contractors must:

✔ Have a good understanding of the functions and purpose

of the instruments.

✔ Calibrate all instruments regularly in an approved

laboratory.

✔ Install the instruments properly and in accordance with

manufacturers’ recommendations.

✔ Use proper tools and materials during installation.

✔ Understand the importance and meaning of the readings

provided by the instruments and their relationship to thepre-set trigger values and the pre-set readingfrequencies.

✔ Prepare good informative and easy-to-read reports

during the progress of excavation and any other areasbeing monitored.

✔ Train staff regularly to update them on geotechnical

instruments.

✔ Communicate with all involved parties about the locations

of the instruments and request that they not be disturbed.

Civil contractors must:

✔ Support the specialist instrumentation sub-contractor in

identifying the most suitable locations for installation ofthe instruments where they will experience the leastamount of disturbance and chances of damage.

✔ Make known to the workers on the locations and

functions of instruments to ensure they are not disturbedor damaged.

✔ Provide safe and unobstructed access to the instruments.

LTA Geotechnical Database

LTA has maintained a geotechnical database wheregeotechnical data collected from all LTA major road and railprojects are stored. Soil property data collected from soilboreholes on LTA projects is also stored in the database. Fromthe database, a comprehensive geological map of Singaporecan be produced.

Enhancements onGeotechnical Activities

LTA will be awarding direct instrumentation and monitoringcontracts for all major projects instead of making them partof the main civil contracts.

There are also plans to share the information stored in theLTA geotechnical database with LTA contractors and QualifiedPersons working on LTA projects. In addition, a feature calledthe Autoloader will be made available to the instrumentationsub-contractors so that they can load data directly intogeotechnical database.

Conclusion

For a geotechnical monitoring programme to be effective,there must be a series of activities such as pre-constructionsurveys of the buildings and identification of locations of ’live’utility services in the vicinity of the site. It is also advisableto take adequate number of underground soil samples atvarious locations for a clearer understanding of groundconditions likely to be encountered.

A good instrumentation scheme will require the services ofa competent specialist contractor with adequate resourcesand commitment.

The project leader must be prepared to take immediateremedial action and also activate an emergency responseplan when soil movement readings exceed pre-determinedvalues to minimise damage to life and property.

by Seetoh Hon HoySenior Principal Technical Officer

Civil Design Department

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Safety Control Process for D

eep Excavations

Safety Control Processafter 20 April 2004

After the Nicoll Highway incident, the request for inspection(RFI) must now be accompanied by the Temporary WorksLoading or Removal Certificate – Form QAF/158 (RevisionB) and three other forms.

The modified QAF/158 form now requires three morepersons, representing the building contractor, to endorseit. The objective is to have the main contractor declarethat the construction work is done in accordance with thelatest construction drawings, thus strengthening theconstruction safety control process.

Request for Inspection

Temporary Works Loading or Removal Certificate (Form QAF/158)

Introduction

A substantial number of LTA projects such as the CircleLine and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway involve deepexcavations which must be safely supported by temporaryearth retaining structures to control and prevent excessive

ground movements. All LTA sites practise a system ofchecks with permits for excavation to proceed, at eachlevel.

Safety Control Processbefore 20 April 2004

Prior to the Nicoll Highway incident, the contractor wouldseek permission to excavate to the next level by submitting

to LTA a request for inspection (RFI), signed by his siteengineer. The request for inspection had to beaccompanied by the Temporary Works Loading or RemovalCertificate – Form QAF/158, and confirmation that theinstrumentation readings were acceptable. Two personswere required to endorse the Certificate.

At a site such as Contract 822, a “build-only” contract, therequest for inspection had to be approved by the ResidentEngineer of LTA.

8

The three additional forms are:

✔ Annex C – Temporary Works Inspection & Approval

Records;

✔ Annex D – Ground Movement Assessment Record;

and

✔ Permit to Proceed with Excavation Work.

The objectives of the two annexes are self-explanatory asthese are the regulatory requirements of the BuildingControl Authority.

Temporary Works Loading or Removal Certificate(Form QAF/158 – Revision B)

Annex C – Temporary Works Inspection & Approval Records

99

by Koh Beng SoonProject Engineer

Contract 822

Annex D – Ground Movement Assessment Record

The Permit to Proceed with Excavation Work is an internalLTA requirement. The objective is to place greater emphasison ground movement monitoring instrumentation readings.It requires the readings to be obtained and checked against

the various alert levels. The Permit carries theendorsements of six signatories, one from the buildingcontractor, one by the Professional Engineer for Designand Supervision, and three from LTA.

Safety Control Process followingCommittee of Inquiry Report

As the Committee of Inquiry progressed, LTA took steps to

strengthen the control process for safety where necessary.By the time the Committee of Inquiry final report wasreleased, there was little that LTA needed to do to complywith the COI recommendations.

Early Compliance with MandatoryRequirements by LTA

Contract 822 had been following closely the mandatory

procedures for deep excavation work as described above.It was one of the first LTA project sites to have the Ministryof Manpower’s stop-work order lifted as it was able todemonstrate compliance with the revised procedures.

Subsequently, the strengthened safety control process was

practised on all LTA project sites.

Bird’s-eye view of C822 southern reception cut-and-cover tunnel

Permit to Proceed with Excavation Work

Editor’s NoteAt press time, the Building Control Authority is in the process ofrevising Annex C and Annex D.

10

For safety reason, it was decided that this section ofMerdeka Bridge be demolished and rebuilt on a newfoundation of bored piles for greater stability. This willalso minimise the impact of soil movement to the highwayand bridge during future tunnelling work in this area.

Sequence of Rebuilding

The following describes the sequence of work for therebuilding of Nicoll Highway:

1) Stabilisation of the collapsed area with foam concreteand lean concrete.

Foam concrete and lean concrete were used to fill upthe cavities underneath the collapsed area to preventfuture subsidence/settlement of the surrounding area.

2) Removal of debris prior to back-filling.

Debris, where possible, such as cranes, excavators,generators, struts, etc were removed so as to minimiseobstruction to future tunnelling works in the area.

3) Strengthening of the temporary staging access withadditional ring beams.

Two additional ring beams were installed prior to back-filling to enhance the integrity of the temporary stagingaccess structure.

4) Back-filling of the collapse area up to the ground level.

Back-filling was necessary so that a firm workingplatform could be formed for the reconstruction work.

5) Demolition of Spans 1 and 2 of Merdeka Bridge.

Two spans of the Merdeka Bridge were demolishedto prevent undue stress on the bridge should there befurther ground movement.

6) Installation of bored piles for Merdeka Bridge and NicollHighway.

A total of fifty-six bored piles were installed in order tosupport the road-bridge interface structure to preventits movement during future tunnelling or excavationwork in this area.

7) Construction of superstructure of Nicoll Highway.

After completion of superstructure, street lighting andother finishes, prior to opening the roads to the public,the Nicoll Highway was subjected to the LTA’s in-houseproject safety review process for road projects.

Safety Precautions and Procedures

In order to rebuild the Nicoll Highway in a safe and timelymanner, C824 Nicoll Highway station project team workedclosely with LTA’s Safety Department and the contractorto implement a comprehensive safety management system.Safety aspects pertaining to rebuilding of Nicoll Highwayare presented in this write-up.

Prior to carrying out the above works, the following safetyprecautions and procedures were adopted:

Reb

uild

ing

Nic

oll H

ighw

ayIntroduction

On 20 April 2004, a section of cut-and-cover tunnelof Contract 824 (C824) near Nicoll Highway collapsed.The incident happened when a section of tunnel beingexcavated to a depth of 30m collapsed, affecting anarea of approximately 100m x 150m in size. This resultedin the closure of Nicoll Highway to all traffic for nearly 8months.

Construction of cut-and-cover NCH station box of C824

A section of the cut-and-cover tunnel before the collapse

The collapse also caused the surrounding soil condition tobe considerably disturbed. The ground movement hadalso affected the existing piles of a 150-metre section ofthe Merdeka Bridge nearby.

A section of the cut-and-cover tunnel after the collapse

1111

1) The collapsed area was demarcated into a gridlinesystem so that the work being carried out could bemonitored more comprehensively. Before carrying anywork, the contractor had to submit method statementsthat described the nature of the work, the location,the manpower, the machinery to be used, permit-to-work, etc to LTA for approval.

2) The sub-contractor’s supervisors conducted dailytoolbox talks for their workers in the presence of asafety supervisor or safety officer.

3) Machinery and crane access routes were planned andconstructed prior to any movement and liftingoperations. The contractor’s engineer–in-charge hadto inspect routes and endorsed the access checklist.

4) Permit-To-Work System

• The permit-to-work system was reinforced withmore stringent measures that required thecontractor ’s construction manager or seniorengineer to submit for approval the relevant permitsto LTA. Such permits pertained to ”hot work” suchas cutting with acetylene torches and arc welding,and all soil investigation, piling and excavation work.

• No work on site was allowed to commence untilafter LTA’s engineer had approved the work.

5) LTA site personnel conducted daily “planned generalinspections” (PGI) at the collapsed site. In addition,LTA’s deputy project manager and safety officer alsoconducted weekly PGIs together with the contractor’sproject manager and registered safety officer. Thecontractor had to rectify immediately any identifiedsub-standard conditions and practices.

Emergency Preparedness

The contractor had to reinforce its emergency preparednessplan that included:

• A tally board system to keep track of persons, includingvisitors, entering and leaving the work area.

• More regular emergency and evacuation drills tofamiliarise the workers on the escape routes andassembly area during an emergency.

Conclusion

With the safety measures implemented and daily worksequence properly planned and carried out on site, theaffected area of the Nicoll Highway was safely andsuccessfully re-built. It was re-opened for use by the publicas planned on 4 December 2004 after seven months ofclosure.

by Ong Lui LinProject Engineer C824

The re-built Nicoll Highway

Illustration

Technical Informationon the Reconstruction

• Total no. of bored piles installed = 56

• Diameter of bored pile = 1m

• Depth of bored pile = 54m to 63.7m

• Slab thickness = 500mm

• Static load test = Passed

• Pile dynamic analysis (PDA) = Passed

12

Enha

nced

Saf

ety

Feat

ures

for R

ealig

ned

Nico

ll Hi

ghwa

y St

atio

n an

d Tu

nnels

Introduction

The Circle Line Nicoll Highway station and tunnels betweenMillenia and Boulevard stations will be constructed along anew alignment, bypassing the collapsed area.

Plan of new alignment

The station will now be sited beneath Republic Avenue,approximately 100m south of its original location. The stationwill have two entrances. The north entrance will be linked viaa pedestrian overhead bridge to the Concourse Building andthe south entrance will serve the park nearby.

Aerial view of new alignment

New Approach to Designand Construction

A whole new approach to the design and construction of thenew alignment will be adopted. It will incorporate manyimprovements and safety enhancements to better overcomethe challenges of carrying out deep excavation and constructionin poor ground conditions.

The new alignment will minimise the risk and difficulty ofreconstruction in the vicinity of the collapsed area. The newalignment will utilise the bored tunnelling method for the tunnelswith a station relocated beneath Republic Avenue to avoidsterilisation of land.

Bored Tunnels

Bored tunnelling is a proven technology, and with propercontrol, will cause minimum disturbance to the ground.

New Station

The re-sited station will be further from the existing buildingsand less deep. The station will still be constructed using thecut-and-cover method. It will incorporate thicker and deeperpermanent diaphragm walls of 1.5m thick, and socketed intoa hard stratum to limit both ground movement and water draw-down. The thicker walls will have more robust designconforming to permanent structural requirements.

Constructing tunnels using tunnel boring machines

Tunnel boring machine

1 - Install diaphragm wall, boredpiles, jet grout piles, plunge column;

3 - Excavate to concourse andcast concourse slab;

Top-down construction sequence

2 - Excavate to level and cast roofslab

4 - Excavate to base and castbase slab

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Top-down Construction

A special feature of the top-down construction method is thatthe top slab is cast before further excavation to lower levels.This ensures that the retaining walls are supported bypermanent structural slab instead of temporary steel struts.

Temporary Work Design

The design for the temporary works will be enhanced as thetemporary works will be designed to the same standards asthose for permanent works and no over-stress will be allowed.An independent checking engineer will now be employed byLTA to check and endorse the design of the temporary works.

Supervision

A tighter supervision and monitoring regime will also beinstituted to strengthen quality control of construction work,including both the project and design teams on site.

Instrumentation

In order to ensure the quality of instrumentation and monitoring,LTA will appoint an independent specialist sub-contractor,reporting directly to LTA, to carry out the instrumentationmonitoring work. The data management system and real-timemonitoring of strut loads will be enhanced in terms of frequencyand accessibility.

Aerial view of typical site using top-down construction method

Side view of top-down construction – upper level slab is cast beforeexcavation to lower level

Enhanced Ground ImprovementMethod and Quality Control

The quality control of jet grouting will be stepped up. Theoperating parameters shall be checked and recordedcontinuously by an automatic data logger.

A hybrid ground improvement technique, combiningmechanically mixing of in-situ soil with cement slurry and jetgrouting will be used so that high quality large diameter soilmix columns can be formed below ground.

Hybrid ground improvement method combining deep soil mixing andjet grouting

Typical view of the improved ground using the hybrid method

Conclusion

These improvements and safety enhancements will ensurethat the construction along the new alignment will be carriedout in the safest and least disruptive manner.

by Foo Siang JeokDesign Engineer

Ng Chew ChiatEngineer

Guo Ze QinEngineer

Civil Design Department

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UK

’s C

onst

ruct

ion

(Des

ign

and

Man

agem

ent)

Reg

ulat

ions

In May 2005, two Construction (Design and Management)(CDM) consultants from the UK, engaged by LTA, were inSingapore to share their experience of the regulations aspractised in the UK. For selected LTA officers, there wasa full-day seminar on 17 May 2005, followed by detaileddiscussions the next day. A full-day seminar was alsoconducted on 19 May 2005 for more than 200 invited keyplayers from the local construction industry, comprisingsenior representatives from government agencies,professional institutions and trade associations.

are accorded equal priority along with architecturaland engineering standards, buildability, quality, costand time.

(c) Planning Supervisor

This was a totally new role created in the UK in 1994to co-ordinate health and safety issues related todesign. An individual or a firm with excellent knowledgeof the design process, health and safety issues aswell as the construction process can perform the roleof the Planning Supervisor.

(d) Principal Contractor

The Principal Contractor needs to convince theprospective Client that his company has adequateresources and possesses the competence to carryout the job. Similarly, the Principal Contractor shallensure that any other designers or contractorsengaged by him are also competent and haveadequate resources.

Key Documents

(a) Pre-tender Health and Safety Plan

This project-specific document addresses the keyhealth and safety issues, in particular those thattenderers could not reasonably be expected to know.The main objective is to ensure that the tenderer getsthe necessary information that can be taken intoaccount when submitting a tender or bid to the Client.

(b) Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan

This project-specific document builds on theinformation provided in the Pre-Tender Health andSafety Plan. It must set out the health and safetygoals for the project and explain how the key healthand safety issues will be managed. The following broadcategories are listed below:

1. Description of project;

2. Communication and management of the work, e.g.group meetings, toolbox meetings, emergencyprocedures and drills, control of contractors, riskassessments, method statements;

3. Arrangements for controlling significant health andsafety risks on-site; and

4. Arrangements for the Health and Safety File.

(c) Health and Safety File

This is essentially a collation of documents highlightingthe impact on health and safety for operation, cleaning,maintenance and eventual demolition that shall behanded over to the end users of the completed facilityto inform them of the risks.

Key Issues and ConcernsDiscussed at the Seminars

Responsibility and Accountability

Much interest was generated on the legal liabilities of thevarious duty-holders. The questions led directly to the CDM

Key Objectives of CDM

CDM was legislated in UK in 1994 to improve health andsafety management in the UK construction industry togetherwith the Construction (Health Safety and Welfare)Regulations 1996. CDM is intended to encourage theintegration of health and safety into project planning andmanagement with the following objectives:

1. Early appointment of competent duty-holders withsufficient resources to fulfil their legal duties throughactive co-operation to facilitate early identification andreduction of risks;

2. A realistic project programme with adequate time, effortand resources commensurate with the risks andcomplexity of the project for planning, preparation andexecution of the work including managing health andsafety issues; and

3. Provision of health and safety information from thestart of design, through construction and maintenanceto eventual demolition, so that everyone can dischargehis/her duties effectively.

Key Duty-holders

(a) Client

The Client sets the tone for a project and makes crucialdecisions for the development. CDM places explicitduties on Clients, requiring them to appoint competentpeople, provide relevant information, and ensure thatthere are adequate time and resources for each stageof work.

(b) Designer

Duties are also placed on Designers (e.g. architects,consulting engineers, quantity surveyors, specifiers,chartered surveyors) to ensure that health and safety

LTA staff at the CDM seminar

1515

The participants of this seminar representing a full spectrum

of the Singapore construction industry had the opportunity

to learn from the practitioners in what they must avoid or

adhere to should a similar framework be developed here.

We must avoid the misconception that CDM Regulations

are only meant to generate voluminous paperwork without

any tangible contribution to the safety and health

management of the industry.

requirements that require assessment of competency andadequacy of resources:

(a) Competency: suitability of appointed duty-holders suchas the Designers, Planning Supervisor and PrincipalContractor and Contractors.

(b) Resources: adequate budget for health and safetymanagement included in the contract sum andconstruction schedule.

Any duty-holder can be held accountable for a designdecision made without adequate consideration for healthand safety that eventually lead to an accident. In addition,being a member of a professional body (e.g. CharteredEngineer, Professional Engineer) does not automaticallyqualify the appointed duty-holder as suitable for the job, itmust be based on relevant experience and qualifications.A competent person is one who has the appropriateknowledge and/or technical experience to undertake a task.He/she must also know and recognise his/her limitationsand work within his/her comfort zone.

Multiple Duty-holdersin Same Organisation

An organisation that has the capability of appointing itsown Designers, Planning Supervisor and even possiblyPrincipal Contractor can do so, provided there must be adegree of objectivity and autonomy such that clear lines ofresponsibility and accountability are assigned. In the eventof any accident investigation in such an organisation, theauthorities will trace up the hierarchical structure in theorganisation to determine the party or parties responsible.

Documentation

Regarding the contents of the key documents, theconsultants referred the participants to the Approved Codeof Practice and Guidance on CDM Regulations 1994published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Theconsultants clarified that there is no official approving bodyfor the key documents prepared and that the system isself-regulatory. HSE will randomly select companies toaudit and these companies need to justify their compliancewith CDM.

Conclusion

After more than10 years of implementation, the UK CDM

Regulations are now put under extensive review with

intensive industry-wide consultation. The new CDM

Regulations will aim at removing any ambiguity, conflicts

and overlaps that CDM may have with the Construction

(Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996.

by Tan Hock Seng AndrewSenior Construction Safety Officer

Typical Process for aBuilding Construction Project

Under CDM Regulations

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Contributions or feedback to:

Land Transport AuthoritySafety DepartmentNo.1 Hampshire Road, Singapore 219428

Tel: (65) 6396 1321 • Fax: (65) 6396 1071

Email address: siow_chuan_ng@lta.gov.sg

Designed and Printed by Photoplates Pte Ltd

Editorial CommitteeEditorial CommitteeEditorial CommitteeEditorial CommitteeEditorial CommitteeAdvisor : Corporate Safety CommitteeEditor : Ng Siow Chuan

Co-Editor : Yee Kit FanWriters : Foo Siang Jeok, Guo Ze Qin, Koh Beng Soon,

Ng Chew Chiat, Ong Lui Lin, Seetoh Hon Hoy,

Tan Hock Seng AndrewCirculation Officer : Tan Chee Lang