Construction Materials: Health, Safety & Sustainability

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
LO1 Review health and safety regulations and legislation associated with the storage, handling
and use of materials on a construction site......................................................................................3
LO2 Discuss the environmental and sustainability factors which can impact and influence the
material choices for a construction project......................................................................................6
LO3 Present material choices for a given building using performance.........................................12
properties, experimental data, sustainability and environmental...................................................12
consideration..................................................................................................................................12
LO4 Evaluate the performance of a given building in respect of its human.................................14
comfort requirements.....................................................................................................................14
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................15
Reference.......................................................................................................................................16
Figure 1: Risk management cycle....................................................................................................5
Figure 2: Construction waste management......................................................................................7
Figure 3: Type of waste...................................................................................................................7
Figure 4: Segregated piles...............................................................................................................8
Figure 5: Wood waste......................................................................................................................9
Figure 6: Sustainable Construction..................................................................................................9

Introduction
The aim of this assignment is making the us get the knowledge regarding the science and the
material that both the intrinsically depends on each other. By this assignment we will be able to
decide that which type of material needs to be used while building the houses, building,
apartment, hotel etc. This assignment willcover the topics like health and the safety, storage of
materials, problem that could be occurs at the construction site without using the protective
equipment. Sustainability and environmental factors that need to be keep in mind while
developing the building, comfort parameter of the human should be need to be take care while
developing the building. After this all covering and learning we will able to make choices in the
material by understanding their internal structure by take care of health and safety.

LO1 Review health and safety regulations and legislation associated with the
storage, handling, and use of materials on a construction site.
As it is very well known that the construction site work is full of risk and it is hazardous industry
where the rate of accident is high at the job site. It is very important to take care of each and
every safety major. Some of the safety majors are discussed below:
1. Planning the work:
For reducing the risk that used to come in the way of construction is very much important
to plan the work first. Before starting the working at that site there is need to have the
prior information that is regarding the underground services, underground insulated
cables, condition of the ground, contract the documents, schools, roads and footpath near
the site and different of activity that going on near the site.
2. Common facilities need to be provided at the construction site:
It is very important that the construction side should contain all the necessary equipment
that help in curing the injuries if they occur at the site.
3. Site boundaries:
The unauthorized persons are not allowed at the construction site.
4. Lighting: The lighting facilities need to provide at the construction site.
5. Storage area: It very necessary to set the storage area where all the construction
materials, flammable substances (it may be gases and flues), hazardous substances are
kept safely. The flammable material needs to be kept away from other material to prevent
accidents like fire, the material is kept in a proper way so that they could not fall.
6. Fire safety: It is very necessary for the construction site could have all the management
for fighting with the fire. The fire fighting equipment should be kept at the site.
Take care of safety while working at height at the construction site:
1. Take care of ladders: It is very necessary to check the ladders if there is any Demag
then the that ladders need to be removed from the services.
2. Stepladders: There is a need that the stepladders could be opened at both spreaders bars
need to be locked.
Safety measure while working at the roof:
1. Safety measure: While working on the roof operation all the planning is done prior. The
roof work is only done by the worker who is psychologically and physically fit because
they have all experience and knowledge for the work.
Safety measure while using chemical: There is a need to read the instruction that is written on
the boxes of material like paints, solvents, and glues that are used while construction. There need
to make use of personal protective equipment and the clothes that are wearied by the employees
while working with a chemical that used be a label and they have material safety data sheet
(MSDC).

Protective Equipment: While working on the construction site is very necessary to take care of
personal protective equipment (PPE) that for ensuring the safety and the health:
Safety helmet: Every employee who works at the construction site they need to have helmets so
that they could be safe from the injuries that used to occur while falling. So, it very necessary to
wear the hard helmets and while working at the height it needs to protect the helmet from the
fall.
Footwear: It is very important to use the protective footwear which used to protect the legs from
the injuries. This footwear used to protect them from the material that used to penetrate in their
soles so hard sole shoes are used at the construction site and the boots are also provided to
protect their legs from water for that appropriate boots are provided.
Goggles and the safety spectacles: There are need of goggles as well as safety spectacles to
protect the eyes as well as a face from the head, dust, dangerous substances, light or radiation,
protecting face while welding, rock drilling, flame cutting or many more hazardous works.
Protective cloths as well as gloves: It needs to take care of use of protective gloves as well as
protective cloths to save the whole body from the exposed to the heat radiation that is while
facing the hot some other hazardous substances that might be used to cause the injuries to the
skin.
Material handling and installation: It is very necessary to take care of the safety while
installation and handling of the materials. If there is little bit mistake occurs it used to create the
accidents which can harmful for the individual. Above explain how to take the safety while
working at the height, roof, while moving the material and many more. As people used to work
in the construction field, they used to face some problems that are mentioned below:
Occupational health risk associated with materials:
The occupational health it is related to all the that used to cause because of the working
environment. It used to cover all the diseases that are caused at the working place it can be
physical effects that on the skin, hearing, breathing, functioning and mobility and the
psychological effects.
 Occupational health risk management: The risk management is nothing but putting
place that for managing all the risk that is caused because of the work activity. The main
aim of the risk management is to find out that what are factor which are causing problem,
finding the what can go to cause harm than to the worker and they used to what are safety
control that needs to take so it could stop the accidents as well as occupational diseases
and make its implementation. The below shows the risk management that used for
managing the risk at the construction site.

Figure 1: Risk management cycle

LO2 Discuss the environmental and sustainability factors which can impact
and influence the material choices for a construction project.
Environmental considerations: It is nothing but planning which involves the conservation of
the natural habitats some of the ecological services that are getting affected by the human society
expansion. Pre-planning possibly used reduce some of the negative impacts that on the
environment and it is done in the cost-effective way. Some of the procedures are explained
below which shows the way to reduce the effect by construction on the environment they are
like:
a. Life-Cycle Assessment: This is a very important point which used to explain how the
product going to affect the environment. While building the green building two main
benefits of the Life-cycle assessment are as ;
1. This helps the customer as well as building code official that is to prepare more
informed decision that is during the designing and while the building processes.
2. It also aims to provide the opportunities for the manufacturers to improve the
efficiency of the product and their quality.
When equipped that is with Life-cycle assessment insights:
 It used to make the contractor know that the how could be better prevention or how
to resolve environmental issues that are related to the management of the project &
improper waste disposal.
 The home Builders also uses the concept of the life-cycle assessment that used to
explain & affirm that how the green building used to material yields energy that is
saved during the building life cycle.
 This is also used by the building owners that are for seeing how the sustainable
products satisfactorily for reducing the environmental impact that is during the
lifetime investigation.
Environmental profile methodology: It is also a method which is used for identifying &
assessing environmental that is associated that is with the building material which is over the life
cycle their processing, maintenance & use, extraction, and their disposal. It is an important to
approach that for applying the life-cycle assessment during built the environment.
Environmental product declaration and certification: The purpose of environmental product
declarations used to provide the Life-cycle assessment (LCA) that is based on the information
and the details that are about the products. This used to give the certificate to the building that it
is made with the following the sustainable development ways for the development.
Waste management: waste management is related with the achievement of sustainable
construction. The waste management is divided into the two parts one part is known as the
sustainability in construction which is used to reduce the resources consumption and minimizing.

The second part covers not only the user to minimize the waste amount as well as it used to
minimize the hazards that of the waste that is towards the environment.
Figure 2: Construction waste management
The waste in the construction divided into the two parts one is called the physical waste and
second one is a non-physical waste. The physical waste is the type of the waste which used to get
generated when the material gets the loss that is during the construction steps. The second one
that is non-physical used to get generate when there is poor management that is like cost overrun
and time overrun.
Figure 3: Type of waste
It has seen that lots of wastes are generated during the construction stages. So for this, some of
the government makes some of the law that for the reducing the waste that is produced during
the construction work one of the laws that is made by UK government is like Site Waste

Management Plans (SWMP) this law is made under the section 54 of Clean Neighborhoods and
Environment Act.
Some of the sustainable management of waste that is in construction is given below:
Minimize waste: For minimizing the waste that is during the construction stages they are get
reduce by using the reusable product and the products are designed in the minimum packaging.
Use of products that has the potential to reduce the waste.
Segregate waste efficiently: In this technique, the storage of the product is managed if there is a
good location for storage of the waste resources then they will not get damage other fresh
resources and it will reduce the cost. There is a need to have the secure on-site for the waste
storage area.
Figure 4: Segregated piles
Reuse material: The material that is reused they need to be used again if there is need then
redesign the material that are like doors and the windows are good to reuse it again.
Eliminate the waste: The waste that used to get generate while construction stages they need to
be eliminated. The use of wood used to generate a high amount of waste so there is a need to
reduce the use of food.

Figure 5: Wood waste
Sustainability of construction: The word sustainability is explained that the desire to develop
the product without wastage of resources or without generating harmful effecting the
environment. The construction waste is the main obstacle that is used to come in the way of
sustainable development. The government is also working in this situation for overcoming from
this situation.
Figure 6: Sustainable Construction

For the sustainable construction, there is need to follow the 3R strategy need to follow that is will
follow the sustainable development.
How to achieve sustainability in the construction area: -
a. Prefabricating the material in the controlled environmental
b. Construction Waste Management
c. Lean manufacturing is to reducing energy
d. Material selection
e. Managing site for the improvement of the environment
f. Reuse of the construction material
g. Recycling of construction material
h. Follow some of the programs that is made for achieving the sustainable development.
 Environmental assessment methods: It is a service that is for the buildings chemical
risk, air quality, construction of the products as well as material, light, contaminated land,
water, light, noise and reaches. Some of the environmental assessment methods is given
below:
 Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM):
This is nothing but the sets of standard practices that needs to achieve sustainable design
and now it has become de facto that is for measuring and describing the buildings
environmental performance.
 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): It is used in the world that
for rating the green building. It is used to create the framework for creating the healthy,
cost-saving and highly affiancing green buildings.

LO3 Present material choices for a given building using performance
properties, experimental data, sustainability and environmental
consideration
Material testing: This a technique which is used for determining the mechanical and physical
properties that of the components and raw materials from the human hair to the steel, ceramics
and composite materials. It is used for the measurement of behavior as well as the characteristic
of substances ceramics, metals, or plastic that under various conditions. The testing capabilities
that include:
 Tensile Strength
 Flexure/Bend Strength
 Compression
 Puncture Strength
 Tear Resistance
 Peel Strength
 Delamination Strength
 Bond Strength
 Break Load
 Creep and Stress Relaxation
 Crush Resistance
 Shear Strength
 Torsion
 Ductility
 Rupture Strength
 Elastic Limit
 Deformation Strength
 Coefficient of Friction
 Elongation
 Adhesion Strength
 Toughness
 Young’s Modulus

Some of the application that is used for the testing machines: This machine is used for the testing
of production, quality control and for the research and development. Some of the application of
the material testing machine are given below:
 Plastics and Rubber
 Automotive
 Medical
 Pharmaceutical
 Paper and Board
 Metals
 Electronics
 Textiles
 Building Materials
 Products and Components
 Wood
 Packaging
Various types of material testing machines are given below:
 Single column test machine: It is instrument is design for an application that it used to
require a force that is in between the 1-5 KN. It is used to provide the bench mounted test
is used to provide a generous area of working.
 Twin column test machine: It is provided within the bench mounted version is like 5-50
kN.
Structural behavior of the material:The structure of the material also plays a vital role because
the best quality of material needs to be used in the construction purposes if the quality of the
material used which is in bad condition then that will lead to the destruction of building take
place earlier the structural behavior could depend on the different factors like materials strength,
elasticity, toughness, hardness, creep, fatigue, porosity, brittleness, density, thermal conductivity,
durability. This property offers according to the use of the material. Before using the materials,
their behavior is getting checked.