Citation

Burlet-Vienney D, Chinniah Y, Nokra A, Ben Mosbah A. Safety Sci. 2021; 144: e105468.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105468

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Lack of proper energy control on construction sites leads to numerous worker fatalities every year. Energy control refers to the concept of lockout and other methods used in particular in North America. The aim of this exploratory research project was to achieve a better understanding of energy control practices in the Quebec construction industry for four trades: electricians, pipefitters, refrigeration mechanics and construction millwrights. For each trade, 10 or so semistructured interviews were conducted by means of an open-ended questionnaire, developed with reference to the current provincial regulatory requirements. The 95 experiences described by the 38 participants were compiled by trade and type of construction sites (i.e., residential, commercial/institutional, industrial). This qualitative analysis revealed that energy control compliance with regulatory requirements in force varies mainly with the type of construction site. The responsibilities of principal contractors, who have a legal obligation to supervise energy control on construction sites, are generally well defined contractually before work begins on industrial sites and some major commercial/institutional sites. On other types of construction sites, energy control is a more complex issue, as the client does not always have the required technical expertise. In this case, the worker must choose whatever work method seems appropriate. In most cases, this method is not lockout as defined in the regulation. Based on the findings, possible ways to promote individual control over energy sources involving planning, equipment design and simplified procedures are presented.

Language: en

Keywords

Construction site; Energy control; Lockout; Safety of machinery