Form Work

WSH Forum for WSHOsFormwork Operation Findings and

Regulatory Requirements Pertaining to Formwork

31 Mar 2014

A Great Workforce A Great WorkplaceA Great Workforce A Great Workplace

Recent spate of formwork related accidents…

Date of accident:

11 Jan 2014

Date of accident:

10 Jan 2014

MOM’s Response

MOM’s Response

ADVISORY FOR PROFESSIONAL

ENGINEERS ON FORMWORK SAFETY

PRESS RELEASE ON STEPPED UP

INSPECTIONS

Summary of Findings of Ops Formwork

529Inspections

Conducted

No. of Inspections

Conducted

89

No. of companies visited

5

No. of companies visited

67

No. of BUS Companies

Inspected

6

Summary of Findings of Ops Formwork

No. of Notice of

Non-Compliance

69

No. of Stop Work Order

7

6

No. of Composition Fine

45

Total Amount of Fines

> $35,000

Breakdown of Key Contraventions

20

25

30

35

No

. o

f co

ntr

av

en

tio

ns

Types of Major Contraventions

Note: Some of the contraventions related to formwork activities have been issued

under the regulations for open sides/scaffold lapses

0

5

10

15

Work at Height

Lapses

Scaffold Lapses Electrical

Lapses

Housekeeping Formwork

lapses

Safe means of

access

Fall arrest

system

No

. o

f co

ntr

av

en

tio

ns

Key Areas of Concern for Issuance of SWO

5

6

7

8

0

1

2

3

4

5

Work at Height

Lapses

Scaffold Lapses Electrical Lapses Housekeeping Formwork lapses Safe means of

access

Fall arrest system

No

. o

f S

WO

Types of Formwork Lapses

33%

17%

Formwork Design / PE COS

Formwork patent defects

Issues relating to:

25%

25%

Formwork patent defects

Formwork Supports &

Shores

Inspection by formwork

supervisor

Stop Work Order

Major Issues for Issuance of SWO

Formwork lapses

• Poor construction of formwork

• Formwork with patent defects

• No PE design for the mixture of

conventional formwork and system

formwork

• No means of access and egress for the

10

• No means of access and egress for the

different levels of formwork

Working at Height

Lapses

• Open sides

• Ineffective barricades

• Unsecured cover or no covers for floor

openings

Scaffold lapses

• Scaffold without adequate guardrail

and toe-board

• No stairs or ladders for access/egress

for scaffold

Working at Height without Fall Protection

No safe means of access egress

Inadequate Bracing

Patent Defects

Deviations from PE Design

Mixed and Matched Formwork Systems

SWO under Formwork Operations

On 20 Jan 2014, officers from MOM’s Occupational Safety andHealth Inspectorate conducted an inspection at a workplace at 7Gambas Ave. The inspection uncovered unsafe work at height,unsafe formwork, and poor housekeeping leading to unsafe workconditions. The development, which consisted of a 9-storey multipleuser light industrial development, was issued a Stop-Work Order(SWO) on 20 Jan 2014.

17

(SWO) on 20 Jan 2014.

SWO under Formwork Operations

18

Open sides were not effectively guarded.

SWO under Formwork Operations

19

Ineffective guardrails, barricades provided. Gaps between guardrails were

above 600mm and mid rails were missing.

SWO under Formwork Operations

20

Floor openings were not adequately covered.

SWO under Formwork Operations

21

Poor housekeeping and obstructed passageways.

SWO under Formwork Operations

22

Defective falsework components.

SWO under Formwork Operations

Effective barricades/Handrails

23

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Effective barricades/Handrails

provided

SWO under Formwork Operations

Openings properly secured and

24

����

Openings properly secured and

marked

SWO under Formwork Operations

Housekeeping at the worksite

25

����

Housekeeping at the worksite

improved

SWO under Formwork Operations

Falsework rectification done, with

26

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Falsework rectification done, with

bracings properly installed and

defective components replaced.

SWO under Formwork Operations

On 22 Jan 2014, officers from MOM’s Occupational Safety andHealth Inspectorate conducted an inspection at a workplace at JalanLoyang Besar. The inspection uncovered unsafe work at height,unsafe formwork, unsafe scaffolds and unsafe means of accessleading to unsafe work conditions. The development, which consistedof a condominium housing development with 4 blocks of 12 storeyand 3 blocks of 13 storey residential buildings, was issued a Stop-

27

and 3 blocks of 13 storey residential buildings, was issued a Stop-Work Order (SWO) on 22 Jan 2014.

SWO under Formwork Operations

Open sides were not effectively guarded. No evidence of fall protection was

observed for the formwork structures. 28

SWO under Formwork Operations

29

Issues with work at height and unsafe access identified during the

inspection. Loose platforms with evidence of use was found at multiple

locations at the worksite.

SWO under Formwork Operations

30

Use of mixed and matched falsework systems. Areas of transition between

different falsework systems was without PE design.

SWO under Formwork Operations

31

Effective barricades/Handrails provided, provisions for fall

protection for workers working on formwork structures

provided. Loose platforms were removed.

����

SWO under Formwork Operations

PE design provided with proper assessment of the transition

32

PE design provided with proper assessment of the transition

between the different formwork systems. Additional props and

bracings provided as per the details of the professional engineer.

����

DUTIES OF OCCUPIER

Ensure that every formwork structure shall —

(a) be of sound material, good construction and

adequate strength;

(b) be free from patent defect;

(c) be suitable and safe for the purpose for which it is

intended; and

(d) be properly braced or tied together so as to

maintain position and shape.

GENERAL Dismantling

- Dismantling of a formwork structure shall not

commence until the concrete is set;

-Materials dismantled shall be removed promptly or

stock-piled in areas where persons are not required to

work or pass;

- Protruding nails, wire ties and other form of

accessories not necessary to subsequent work shall be

pulled, cut or otherwise made safe.

Steel reinforcementmaintain position and shape.

Supports and shores

- Horizontal and diagonal bracing shall be

provided in both longitudinal and transverse

directions to provide stability and rigidity to any

formwork structure unless the formwork

structure has been designed to be stable and

rigid without the bracing;

- Shores shall be properly seated top and bottom

and shall be secured in place to prevent

displacement;

- Where the shores rest upon the ground, sole

plates shall be provided.

- All shores for the formwork structure in a

worksite shall be of adequate size and spacing.

Steel reinforcement

- Ensure that steel reinforcement for any column, wall,

floor or any other structure in the worksite is

adequately supported to prevent collapse.

Concrete work

Ensure that

- Placement of concrete shall not be carried out in such manner as

to affect the stability of the formwork structure;

- Where a formwork structure is designed by a PE, placement of

concrete shall not commence unless the formwork structure,

including any alteration, has been inspected and certified by the PE;

- No person shall be in the vicinity of a formwork structure in a

worksite during the placement of concrete unless his presence is

incidental to the concrete work in progress;

DUTIES OF

OCCUPIER

DUTIES OF OCCUPIER

Where a formwork structure in a worksite is

of 2 or more tiers, frames or shores —

(a) the tiers, frames or shores shall be

securely and effectively connected

vertically;

(b) safe means of access to and around the

formwork structure shall be provided for the

purpose of inspection; and

(c) every designated access point shall —

Reshoring

Ensure that:

- reshores are properly seated top and

bottom and shall be secured in place to

prevent displacement;

- where the reshores rest upon the ground,

sole plates shall be provided;

- the reshoring shall be inspected by the

formwork supervisor and the results of the

DUTIES OF OCCUPIER

(c) every designated access point shall —

(i) be clearly marked with a sign or label;

and

(ii) be made safe for use by any person

using the access point.

formwork supervisor and the results of the

inspection shall be entered into a register.

DESIGN AND SUPERVISION

In Design

(a) design can be executed safely by any person who

constructs or uses the formwork structure; and

PE design required for a formwork

that:

(a) exceeds 9 metres in height;

(b) consists of any formwork

which is supported by shores

constructed in 2 or more tiers; or

(c) consists of any formwork

In a worksite, every formwork structure shall be

capable of sustaining the total dead, live and impact

loads imposed on the structure with a minimum

safety factor of 2.

DUTY OF OCCUPIER

constructs or uses the formwork structure; and

(b) provide design documentation (including all

relevant calculations, drawings and construction

procedures) to facilitate the proper construction

of the formwork structure.

In Supervision

ensure that the formwork structure —

(i) is constructed in accordance with the design of the

professional engineer who designed it; and

(ii) is safe for its intended use when completely

constructed and if so, issue a certificate stating that

the formwork structure is safe for its intended use.

(c) consists of any formwork

where the thickness of the slab or

beam to be cast in the formwork

exceeds 300 millimetres.

DUTY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

- Ensure that all components of the

formwork structure are properly erected,

seated, connected, braced and tied so as

to maintain its position and shape;

- To inspect the formwork structure upon

completion to ensure that it is in

accordance with the design and drawings

FORMWORK SUPERVISOR

DUTY OF FORMWORK SUPERVISOR

Appointment of formwork supervisor

- To appoint a formwork supervisor to

supervise the construction, erection,

alteration or dismantling of any formwork

structure in a worksite;

- To ensure that no person shall be

appointed as a formwork supervisor in a

DUTY OF EMPLOYER / PRINCIPAL

accordance with the design and drawings

for that formwork structure; and

- To immediately notify the occupier of the

worksite upon discovering any unsafe

condition.

Register

- Enter the results of the inspection into a

register;

- Keep the register at the worksite; and

- Produce the register for inspection upon

request by an inspector.

appointed as a formwork supervisor in a

worksite unless he has received adequate

safety and health training to familiarise him

with the hazards associated with the

construction, erection, alteration or

dismantling of the formwork structure and

the precautions to be observed.

- To ensure that no formwork structure shall

be constructed, erected, altered or

dismantled in a worksite except under the

immediate supervision of a formwork

supervisor.