Safety engineering

A construction site is a dynamic and complex working environment, characterised by the coexistence of workers with diverse skills and backgrounds. In this context, the high accident rate and the sector’s rapid growth have made safety an absolute priority. This course addresses safety management during the design, construction and maintenance phases of a project, with a specific focus on the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases. Students will acquire the skills needed to identify hazard factors, quantify risks and devise appropriate prevention and protection measures. Considerable attention will be given to sector-specific regulations (both Italian and European) and management decisions, ranging from the analysis of specific risks during the planning phase through to on-site monitoring to promptly rectify unsafe practices.

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the concepts relating to:

• health and safety at work in its various forms, including the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases amongst workers
• risk assessment and management for the analysis and implementation of health and safety at work
• current legislation on health and safety in the workplace.

•  to implement innovative strategies and protocols to ensure safety on construction sites, with a thorough understanding of the specific risks associated with the working environment in structural and infrastructure projects, including through the implementation of innovative modelling methodologies
• to project management in the construction sector.

With regard to independent judgement, the student will be able to:

• make decisions when faced with complex situations
• collect and interpret data relating to civil engineering problems

The acquired knowledge will be useful in managing the health and safety of workers, in accordance with points 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, 14, and 15 of the 2030 EU Agenda.

Lessons are planned which, starting from the guidelines provided by European and Italian legislation, will lead to the development of skills for identifying hazard factors, quantifying and managing risks for the analysis and construction of safety in the workplace. A design exercise will be proposed to be carried out in working groups.

No prerequisites are required.

According to the teaching regulation, at least 70% attendance in class is required. Signatures will be collected during lessons.

- General information on safety in the construction sector

-  European and Italian standards about H&S

- Safety actors and supervisory bodies

- Types of risk

- Risk analysis methodologies

- Safety documents: DVR/DUVRI/preliminary notification/PSC/POS/file/PGE (according to Italian Laws)

- Construction site layout

- Time schedule

M. Rashad Islam, Construction Safety. Health, practices and OSHA, Mc Graw Hill, 2022

Patrick Manu, Gao Shang, Paulo Jorge Silva Bartolo, Valerie Francis, Anil Sawhney, Handbook of Construction Safety, Health and Well-being in the Industry 4.0 Era, Routledge, 2023

There will be an oral exam covering the topics discussed during the course, which includes an assessment of the project completed during the practical exercise.

Hazards present on the construction site;

Criteria for drawing up the time schedule;

Workers' safety obligations.