Experts in the construction industry have reiterated the need for safety in the sector’s ecosystem to eliminate instances of mortality.
The experts spoke at a training session for practitioners in the construction industry with the theme, ’Role of Formwork and Scaffolding in Construction Safety.’ The training was co-hosted by Construction Kaiser Limited (CKL), an indigenous construction firm with strong footprint in the industry and a foreign firm called Peri.
The experts also cited Eurostat (EU) which says that “construction remains the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the European Union,” adding that fall from heights remains the most prevalent cause of injury in the construction industry.
Explaining why focus is on formwork and scaffolding in the course of construction, Paul Oyewole, a design engineer at Peri, noted that in Nigeria, concrete frame construction remains the dominant form of construction, hence the need to ensure sound and safe formwork and scaffolding practices.
He explained that formwork, also known as shuttering, is a mold used to shape concrete into structural components like beams, walls, columns and slabs, adding that it can be of timber, steel, plastic or fibreglass used to hold the concrete in place until it hardens and can support itself, while scaffolding is any temporary elevated or supported work surface used to support workers and/or materials.
As support materials for construction work, Oyewole said that both formwork and scaffolding do what he called “temporary works” which means they are temporary structures and systems used in construction projects to support, assist, or facilitate the main work. “Temporary works are designed, built, and removed once their function is fulfilled, typically after the permanent structure is completed or the construction activity that required them is finished,” he said.
