View on Safety and Health in the Construction Industry

Construction sites are dynamic, often unpredictable environments. Tasks change daily. Workers deal with heights, machinery, hazardous materials, fire risks, and unstable structures. The ILO understood that a generic approach wouldn’t suffice, construction needed its own playbook. The 1992 code aims to offer practical, adaptable guidance that governments and employers can use to craft policies, systems, and site practices that put human safety first.

But why this emphasis? Because the numbers are alarming. Even in countries with advanced health and safety laws, construction accounts for a disproportionate number of occupational injuries and fatalities. Globally, the ILO estimates that hundreds of thousands of construction workers suffer serious injuries or fall ill due to job-related hazards every year. And these aren’t just statistics, they’re people.

Everyone Has a Role to Play

One of the most powerful aspects of the ILO’s code is its recognition that safety isn’t the sole responsibility of one party. It’s a shared endeavor, a web of accountability stretching across government bodies, clients, architects, engineers, contractors, employers, and workers themselves.

Authorities, for instance, are tasked with enacting robust laws and ensuring their enforcement. They must also support inspection services and create channels for worker participation, such as safety committees or delegate systems. Employers, on the other hand, are expected to go beyond compliance to design workflows that minimize risk, to maintain equipment, to provide personal protective gear, and to ensure workers are physically and mentally fit for their roles.

The worker’s role is equally crucial. They are not passive participants but active stakeholders in their own safety. They have the right to be informed, trained, and protected and the responsibility to follow safe practices, report hazards, and look out for one another.

What’s equally compelling is the inclusion of clients and designers in this safety ecosystem. Too often, safety is seen as something that happens “on-site”, once construction begins. But decisions made at the design or tendering stage can heavily influence safety outcomes. If a building’s maintenance points are hard to reach, or if timelines are so tight that corners are likely to be cut, danger is already baked in.

Behind every crane, bulldozer, or scaffolding structure is a chain of decisions about purchase, installation, inspection, and use. The ILO code is clear: machinery and equipment should be safe by design, maintained regularly, and operated only by trained personnel.

Scaffolds, for example, must be built using sound materials, with proper bracing and guardrails. Improper or makeshift scaffolds have caused countless falls many of them fatal. These structures should be inspected by competent people not just once but regularly and after bad weather, seismic activity, or any suspected damage.

Similarly, lifting appliances like cranes, derricks, and hoists require certifications, clear load markings, and maintenance logs. Training is paramount and at Konark, operators receive both classroom and field instruction, including emergency protocols and accident simulation drills.

• Health Risks Beyond Injuries

Long-term exposure to noise, dust, chemicals, and vibration can have cumulative effects on health. The ILO code strongly recommends proactive monitoring and substitution of hazardous materials wherever possible. Konark complies by using environmentally safe substitutes, minimizing dry processes that generate airborne particles, and investing in sound-dampening systems for high-noise zones.

Medical records and health data are confidentially tracked for workers, and preventive measures like vaccinations, heat stress breaks, hydration protocols, and ergonomic task rotations are part of Konark’s site management routine. Health is seen not just as absence of injury, but as a state of well-being — physical, mental, and emotional.

• The Value of Training and Welfare

Training isn’t a one-time formality, it’s an ongoing practice. Konark conducts induction safety programs for every new hire, followed by regular workshops, mock drills, and multilingual safety briefings. Instructions are tailored to be accessible to laborers of diverse backgrounds and education levels.

Welfare amenities also reflect Konark’s human-first mindset. Every site provides access to clean drinking water, hygienic restrooms, lunch shelters, and secure storage for personal belongings. For long-term projects, the company ensures that living accommodations meet safety and dignity standards, with separate arrangements for families where applicable.

• Conclusion: Building with a Conscience

The ILO’s Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction remains a gold standard for the industry, a document that centers human lives in the midst of steel, cement, and deadlines. It’s a reminder that behind every slab poured and every beam lifted, there are hands, tired, skilled, hopeful, building our world.

Konark Group, in embracing and exceeding these global standards, has shown that construction doesn’t have to be a trade-off between speed and safety. It can be both productive and compassionate. It can be forward-looking without leaving its workforce behind.

In the end, true success in construction isn’t measured in the number of storeys built. It’s measured in how many lives were protected while building them.

References:
International Labour Organization. Safety and Health in Construction: An ILO Code of Practice. Geneva: ILO, 1992. ISBN 92-2-107104-9

ILO Convention No. 167 (1988) and Recommendation No. 175