Risk Management in Practice: Accelerated Bridge Construction

This article discusses the benefits and risks associated with Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) and how risk management can be implemented to ensure safety and quality in construction projects. The article highlights the importance of safety, quality, durability, social costs, and environmental impacts in ABC. It also compares the benefits of ABC with other global construction companies and suggests future research to improve the longevity of bridge structures. The risks associated with ABC include adverse safety conditions, working at height, moving objects, noise, and health issues. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for effective risk management in the construction industry.

RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
Risk management in practice
Name
Institution
Date
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
Accelerated bridge construction (ABC)
Introduction
The accelerated bridge construction is the shift of paradigm in the planning of the project
and approach of procurement where the requirement to reduce the mobility impacts, which
emerges due to onsite construction activities, is implemented (Asfahl & Rieske, 2010).The ABC
is aiming in elevating the onsite activities to high priority which will result in increased health
and human safety in the construction projects. The ABC implements innovative planning and
construction methods which have improved site constructability, work zone safety and whole
project delivery time. Also, the ABC has led to the reduction of traffic impacts, the onsite
construction time and climate-related time delays.
The achievement process of construction goals by the ABC have sometimes shown some
contradictions. For example, the 15th March incident which left six people dead and destruction
of vehicles question entirely the ABC safety goals (Chartier, 2014). ). The bridge collapsing may
be as a result of many factors but it was the ABC's role to check and prevent all factors that
would have led to the accident. For instances, the bridge may have collapsed due to lack of skills
of the deployed engineers which made them follow the instruction that is developed by the ABC
organization (Culmo,2011). Also, the bridge may have collapsed due to the use of low-quality
construction material.
Despite the cause of the accident the supreme blame rest with ABC organization as they
must check and curb any factor that facilitates the emergence of such an accident.
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
Inherent benefits associated with Accelerated bridge construction
The ABC has primarily initiated a lot of benefits to the people. Some occurrences in the
bridges construction process have negatively affected the ABC. Some of the inherent benefits
that are associated with the ABC included.
Safety. This is the supreme goal and benefit that ABC is determined in achieving. The
construction of bridges is a process that is accompanied by a lot of risks if poorly handled
(Fernández-Muñiz, Montes-Peón, & Vázquez-Ordás 2012).). For example, the collapsing of the
bridge blamed the mechanical problems in the construction operations. The ABC should
completely innovate on its construction operation so as to avoid such a contradiction in future.
Quality. This is also one of the significant benefits of the accelerated bridge construction
organization. Provision of quality bridges assures safety to the people. Generally, high-quality
properties are expected to be safe in usage.
Durability. This tests the duration the bridge will serve the people without any destruction
noticed. The accelerated bridge construction is aimed at providing durable bridges hence
assuring safety to the people. The March incident thoroughly questioned this benefits as the
bridge was not used for a long duration (Grote, 2012). The ABC should look at the March and
other incidents in a positive and educative manner so as it can to formulated strategies that may
curb such dangerous incident from happening.
Social costs. This can be described as the expense to the entire society. The bridge construction
process by ABC can be said to be of fair cost. Being a cheaper process have made it possible for
the government to connect many parts of the country with the bridges.
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
Environmental impacts. The bridge construction process by the ABC consider the direct and
indirect impacts on the environment (Hopkins, 2011). Every project should positively influence
the environment condition as destroying the environment affects the way of life of the people.
Some of the arising tragedy such march incident questioned the ABC under environmental
perspective. It showed how the ABC initiates some project that makes the environment
hazardous to the public.
Benefits comparison
Comparing the level of benefits impact of the Accelerate bridge construction with other
global construction companies, the ABC can be ranked among the top companies that have
achieved safety projects despite some failure in some projects (Khaleghi et al, 2012). The March
tragedy should not define the ABC complete failure. This is because it has constructed a lot of
bridges and only a few incidences that have failed. The March tragedy of the ABC proves some
safety comparing the number of people who died to the other global tragedy such as in Genoa-
Italy where 26 were diseased.
In general, the ABC can be said to have achieved a more substantial portion in the safety
of population when compared with other global bridge designing and construction companies.
The ABC should positively reflect on the causes of tragedies which may help ABC initiate
practices that will curb such tragedy in future.
The use of post-tensioning approach or combining bridge decks and girders together can
contribute highly in order to prolong the shelf life of a bridge construction. However, these
practices affect both time and cost incurred. As another key alternative, the team that identified
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
the research on the collapsed bridge found out that applying deck panels with the reinforced gear
led in an improved structural performance level. These future research will immensely bring
about change and ensure continuous development of the construction and activities aimed at the
long-term longevity of the bridge structures (Lerman et al, 2012). Investment in higher grade
concrete materials is important since it is more resistant to the available stressors in spite of
adverse weather conditions, increased weight stress on the bridge and also a high level of layer
separations.
Accelerated Bridge construction has been deemed by various research agencies or bodies
to be quite advantageous based on decreased construction time frame, reduced traffic
interruptions and in various instances saves on high costs incurred for installation and
maintenance (Marsh,2011) Even if there exists no particular bridge structure that lasts forever,
Accelerated bridge constructing offers a means to install the available deficient structures in a
quick manner, safely and considering the nature of the conducive environment. Various
researchers argue that ABC is the anticipated ley future of bridge construction on various parts or
regions of the world.
Risks
Adverse safety conditions
Evidently, the existence of extremely high daily traffic in the road results to increased
safety concerns for the travelers and construction members in the given work areas. Traffic costs
and user delay cost incurred are much higher if there are much traffic situations (Palermo &
Mashal, 2012).
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
In general global construction industries, accident fatality rate doubles that of the
accident fatality rates of all other sectors in the globe. Various minor risk of accidents is more
likely to occur presumably at any given time.it is clear that bridge construction sites are a health
and safety crisis. Various conceivable risks situations and health hazards are available with this
rapidly changing environment.
Hazards associated with the ridge construction activities are well identified. Every worker
in the sites should be aware of the expected risks thus take care of others and make the
operations effective. They should manage the site efficiently and implement necessary risk
prevention measures. Risk assessment is constantly taken by construction management in order
to know the anticipated health and safety risks.
Working at height. The construction of bridges requires construction workers to operate
at height. Immense fatalities and employee injuries associated with this kind of situation lead to
many accidents. The risk associated is increased by adding access and mobility restrictions on
the workers.
Moving objects
A construction site in construction industries in the globe is a rapidly changing adverse
environment; hazards, therefore, are quite inherent to this particular industry. These construction
sites become critical as a result of continuous moving vehicles and trade individuals in the area
(Rejda, 2011). Some of the risks involve overhead equipment and shifting heavy vehicle loads,
trucks and tankers that goes around the topological terrain. Health hazards resulting from these
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
include hitting of the employees by the moving vehicles and increased interruption that lower the
worker's concentration.
Noise
There exist a lot of noise in the bridge construction industry brought about by many types
of equipment's being used. Constant or high exposure to a wide range of noise levels can result
in tinnitus conditions and hearing loss to the workers. Workers have a role to regularly protect
the employees from much noise. This health risk should, therefore, be assessed evaluated and
controlled with immediate effect.
Hand-arm vibration
These construction tools that are usually sued by the workers are very powerful thus
leading to hand-arm vibration syndrome. This health risk affects the fingers and entire arm of the
employee thus leading to much damage. The employers in various industries should adopt low
power hand tools in order to manage the risk and health hazards associated
Health issues
Diseases such as Muscoletal disorders and dermatitis. Constant lifting, carrying or
increased handling of heavy construction equipment's can results to such disorders. Workers are
also highly exposed to chemicals and hazardous substances like cements and chemical solvents
which cause allergic reactions and inflammatory skin on the workers body (Salvendy, 2012).
These health hazards should be managed by use of effective gloves and overalls that protect the
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
worker from exposure to these hazardous materials. Use of manual handling can also be used to
reduces the risks and manage the health hazards. Some other risks might occur as a result of
asbestos and the risks of worker collapsing and getting injured. There exists risks associated with
trips, slips and fall.
Therefore the management in various construction industries industry should make
efforts to protect the workers from the above risks. Also for a variety of reason indicated above,
global companies and industries are accosted effective construction method in order to achieve a
successful onsite bridge installation. Therefore the use of Accelerated bridge construction can
lower the traffic levels, reduce environmental disruption and maximize on or zone safety
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
References
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Fernández-Muñiz, B., Montes-Peón, J. M., & Vázquez-Ordás, C. J. (2012). Occupational risk
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Grote, G. (2012). Safety management in different high-risk domains–all the same?. Safety
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RUNNING HEADER: Risk management in practice
Khaleghi, B., Schultz, E., Seguirant, S., Marsh, L., Haraldsson, O., Eberhard, M., & Stanton, J.
(2012). Accelerated bridge construction in Washington State: From research to
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Rejda, G. E. (2011). Principles of risk management and insurance. Pearson Education
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