Resources Allocation Strategy for Construction Safety at Hydropower Project

Huge scale project such as hydropower projects takes a very long time to fully finish. The construction process is extremely complicated with so many risks involved. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research to identify, evaluate as well as the monitor the risk sources; to strengthen the control of the potential accidents, to prevent and respond to the severe accidents and to allocate the resources effectively for the construction safety programs during the process of the construction of hydroelectric projects.

Mr. Pye Phyo Maung made a case on Shwegyin Hydropower Project in Myanmar which objectives were: (1) to identify and evaluate hazardous level of the accidents that may occur at the various works of the Hydropower Projects, based on the risk factors which may cause the accidents; incorporated with the former history of accidents cases and experts’ experiences by using LEC method, and then to evaluate the rating of each type of works with respect to the resources allocation strategy at the Hydropower Projects by using the resulted accident hazardous levels from LEC method; and (2) by applying AHP method, to analyze and calculate prioritization of the most effective safety programs with the resources allocation strategies through the specification of the relevant weight of each safety program for the construction safety at Hydropower Projects

Conclusion

For objective number 1.

Based on the analysis results from LEC method indicated that the resulted hazardous levels of accident types were different for each construction work such as follows:

For scaffolding work, the resulted hazardous level (resulted D; it was calculated by averaging all hazardous levels of related risk factors) for each accident type is:
a. “Falling from height place” is level 1 which means “extremely hazardous”.
b. “collapse” and “object hitting”, the resulted hazardous level is also level 1.
c. “fire” and “electric shock”, the hazardous level is level 2 which means very hazardous”
d. “others”, the hazardous level is level 3 which means “quite hazardous”.

For concrete work, the resulted hazardous level of:
a. “electric shock”, “uncontrollable contact between men and materials such as cranes, various types of vehicles” and “others” is level 1.
b. “fire” and “impact from equipment and materials handling”, the resulted hazardous level is level 2.
c. “objects hitting”, the resulted hazardous level is level 3.

For excavation work, the resulted hazardous level of:
a. “earth collapsing”, “mining hazards such as the use of explosives”, “uncontrollable contact between men and materials such as cranes, excavator etc”, “inherent engineering hazards such as the presence of injurious gases, toxic dusts” is level 1.
b. “electric shock” and “others”, the resulted hazardous level is level 2.

For embankment work, the resulted hazardous level of:
a. “embankment collapsing”, “uncontrollable contact between men and materials such as vehicles, cranes etc”, “falling from high places”, and “electric shock” is the level 1.
b. “impact from equipment and materials handling”, the resulted hazardous level is level 2.
c. “others”, the resulted level 3.

For plant installation work, the resulted hazardous level of:
a. “hazards associated with erection the heavy materials such as turbines, boiler plant etc” and “electric shock” is level 1.
b. “uncontrollable contact between men and materials such as vehicles, cranes etc”, “impact from equipment and materials handling” and “Fire”, the resulted hazardous level is level 2.
c. “Others”, the resulted hazardous level is level 3.

According to the data analysis results, the rating of Excavation Work is “1” which means that the overall hazardous level of all types of accident at Excavation Work is the highest. In other words, it means that Excavation Work is the first priority with respect to the resource allocation for construction safety. For Embankment Work, the rating is “2”. For Scaffolding Work and Concrete Work, the rating is “3”. For Plant Installation Work, the rating is “4”, and it is the lowest. These rating of construction works can also be applied for the pair-wise comparisons of those works in the second level of AHP hierarchy.

For the objective number 2.

The data analysis results from AHP method showed the scores of Safety Programs for Prioritization of resource allocation. These scores are the effectiveness of each safety program on all types of construction work at Hydropower Project. Safe Practices and Procedures, Health and Safety Rules and Responsibilities are equal, and they have the highest scores for priority.

Moreover, Joint Health and Safety Committee, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, Training, Worker Orientation and Emergency Procedures are nearly equal and have middle scores for priority. Furthermore, First Aid and Medical Services, Inspections and Hazard Assessments, Reporting and Investigating Accidents, Health and Safety Promotion are also nearly equal and have the lowest scores for priority.

By applying these resulted scores, the decision makers can easily decide how to allocate resources on each type of the effective safety programs in the cases of implementing, monitoring, evaluating, adjusting those programs for the Hydropower Projects. In conclusion, there are many evidences that AHP method has been used in many areas such as strategic planning, resource allocation, source selection, business/public policy, program selection and many more. In this thesis, it is obvious that Analytical Hierarchy Process method can also be used in the case of resources allocation for construction safety at Hydropower Projects.
His thesis abstract is copied ang posted.

Abstract

For most of Hydropower Projects, the scale is very huge, rather long time is required in order to finish the projects, and the construction process is also very complicated, involved with very high risks. For the successful promoting health and safety, planning, organization, leadership, control, evaluation, inspecting, investigating, recording, analyzing and reporting are in the important role. An effective safety program includes all these parts. It is needed to be designed to make the most of available time and resources in preventing accidents and occupational disease. Therefore, it is urgent to make a research on how to allocate resources effectively for the construction safety at Hydropower Projects. This study is especially dedicated for identifying and evaluating hazardous level of the accidents that may occur at the various works of the Hydropower Projects, by using LEC method, based on the risk factors which may cause the accidents and then evaluating the rate of each type of works with respect to the resources allocation strategy at the Hydropower Projects by using the resulted accident hazardous levels. Then, it is dedicated to analyze and calculate prioritization of the most effective safety programs with the resources allocation strategies through the specification of the relevant weight of each safety program resulted from AHP method. To cope with those objectives, AHP method and LEC method are major tools in this Thesis. The result reveals that Safe Practices and Procedures, Health and Safety Rules and Responsibilities are equal, and they have the highest scores for priority. Moreover, Joint Health and Safety Committee, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, Training, Worker Orientation and Emergency Procedures are nearly equal and have middle scores for priority. Furthermore, First Aid and Medical Services, Inspections and Hazard Assessments, Reporting and Investigating Accidents, Health and Safety Promotion are also nearly equal and have the lowest scores for priority. These results are in the meaning of the effectiveness of the safety programs on the overall works at Hydropower Projects. By applying these resulted scores, the decision makers can easily decide how to allocate resources on each type of the effective safety programs in the cases of implementing, monitoring, evaluating, adjusting those programs for the Hydropower Projects.